Saying "That's sooo gay" is becoming sooo boring.

You've probably heard of the phrase, a taunt that today's kids tend to say a lot, as in: "Saying 'gay' all the time is sooo gay."

It's the use of the word in that context that has gotten "The Simpsons" into a bit of hot water since the show's famous Halloween episode a week ago.

In the segment, the resident bully Nelson tortures Milhouse by singing a song with a verse that includes the line: "The Grand Pumpkin is super gay."

The Gay and Lesbian and Straight Education Network believes the use of the phrase has gotten way out of hand. "Many people say 'gay' without even realizing what they're saying is bad," GLSEN spokesman Daryl Presgraves told E! News.

I know kids who use the term all the time. And homophobic taunts are fired like shotgun pellets among video-game players who compete online. It's one of the main reasons I don't like to play online games.

Presgraves is right. Using the word "gay" in that context has become so common, those who say it don't even know it's being used in a derogatory manner -- that is, except for a gay kid who overhears it.

Does that mean a show like "The Simpsons" or any other television episode shouldn't use the phrase?

Not necessarily. A stupid, arrogant, bigoted oaf like Nelson likely would use the word that way. And the episode shows how an ignorant brute would use it. I'm not so sure that's a nonconstructive way of writing it into an episode.

But it's true that kids have no clue using that word can hurt others. And it's become so ubiquitous in everyday kid conversation that it flies around the hemisphere like the air we breathe.

This isn't political correctness gone awry. It's about being respectful to people young and old. I'm sure "The Simpsons" didn't want to use the phrase in a deliberately demeaning way except to convey that people like Nelson don't think. But plenty of kids watch "The Simpsons" and don't immediately understand the context. They just want to repeat what Nelson said.

Here's a case where if kids watching "The Simpsons" were lucky enough to have parents in the room, Mom and Dad could have explained it to them. Otherwise, something like that goes unchallenged and children think it's OK. And it's not.

Vince Horiuchi can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more television insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at blogs.sltrib.com/tv/. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com.