‘When I say ‘gay,’ I just mean it like ‘retarded”

That’s one of Silverman’s best lines.

Anyhow, Christian Bonk writes:

In my high-school years, “gay” was commonly used to mean unfashionable, tacky, or uncool. But while most of the cultural effluvia from my high-school years have gone the way of Spandau Ballet, using “gay” as a synonym for “unhip” or “annoying” seems to keep creeping back into common usage with remarkable staying power. “Cool” would seem to be the only other term that has successfully passed through several generations of high schoolers without losing its popularity. (A small achievement, perhaps, but when was the last time you heard anybody use “groovy,” “nifty,” or “Daddy-O” in a sentence?)

Is there just something about calling annoying things “gay” that instinctively feels right, especially to young adults?