"gay
My opinion (and I'm gonna get reamed for it, I already know this): I'm tired of PC crap. If I say 'gay' it means I think something's stupid. I'm not quite sure where that meaning came from, I just know I've used it since high school, and its become a habit. As far as it being a 'slur', it was a word in the dictionary <b>long</b> before it was used to describe homosexuals. Therefore, I see no reason to censor it. There are too many people in the world that get offended by idiotic stuff like this, and I for one am not the type to tip-toe around what I say because someone might get upset by it. I say what I mean, pure and simple, and I don't censor it to be politically correct. There's too much of that as it is. People need thicker skins.
Plus, think about it this way. Have you ever met a depressed, emo homosexual? Most of them are pretty happy, therefore, I don't think the word 'gay' is a bad term. LOL. (joke, BTW, for you sensitive types. Don't get your neck in a twist.)
As far as the word 'retarded', I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that either, at least now adays. There's a specific illness name for everything today (even road rage, I think its Intermittant Explosive Disorder, or some BS like that), so no one is really known as 'retarded' anymore. I think generally today it just means moron. When I say it, that's what I think of. I don't even associate it in my mind with the mentally challenged.
But, just my 2 cents.