How do you feel about words like 'faggy'?

[Tim]

So, I was sitting at the Food Bank today, and me and the other receptionist, I'll call J, XD started talking about one of the clients who came in and used his pinky for everything. (Like, EVERYTHING...) even poking the bread... was really creepy.

Anyway, we ended up also talking to another volunteer who noticed (this was after he was long gone), and then all of the sudden, J, goes "Yea, the way he was acting was really faggy."

Immediately I turned towards her (I was answering a phone call) and glared. She saw, and realized what she said and apologized, then asked what else she was supposed to say. I said I agree that he was very stereotypically gay, but faggy is a word I'd rather her not use, so she asked what else she could use, and eventually we settled on Flamboyant, (which led to everyone saying flamboyant throughout the day... >_>)

Anyway, I was wondering how people felt about words like Faggy, Queer, etc. I know this has been done before, but IIRC, the thread was a few months ago, and there's a whole new group of "ECers" on here, so I'd like to hear some opinions.

And yes, we were gossiping. We're receptionists, what the hell do you think we do all day? We became too efficient, we have months of work caught up and finished. XD

[Austin]

Well I think faggy and queer are perfectly acceptable when the describe something/someone faggy or queer.

I think there was a better word choice than "faggy". These words have been used to hurt and oppress gay people and they shouldn't be used against other people.

With the word "queer", I sometimes use it to describe myself in front of my friends. I never use it to describe other gay people and I don't let my friends use it to describe me or other gay people.

I don't see how you could call 'gay' -and the likes- something that you find hideous or ridiculous and pretend not to be offensive.

[NickT]

I don't like it. All I'm gonna say.

[thevre]

I have to admit. I use the word "faggy" quite often. My friend says I'm steadily losing gay points.

[theJosephDean]

Originally Posted by NickT

I don't like it. All I'm gonna say.

Same.

[chained butterfly]

dependes on how you use it.
If its just a joke, because i call my friends "dyke or queer or fag or tranny" all the time as a joke. But i would never use it to hurt someone like that.

[Swamp56]

Words like that really don't bother me when they aren't used in a mean way. I can see why they would bother some though.

[ANightDude]

I just hate them in general. Fag, considering the word originated from hundreds of years ago where gay men were burned to death, is just not in my vocabulary, and I call out most people who say it (or at least people I know).

Queer is just a nasty word. Or at least I think so.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by ANightDude

I just hate them in general. Fag, considering the word originated from hundreds of years ago where gay men were burned to death, is just not in my vocabulary, and I call out most people who say it (or at least people I know).

Queer is just a nasty word. Or at least I think so.

I'm lenient with the word Queer. If used because someone is gay, it makes me mad. XD

However, for the most part, a LARGE amount of people I know use it for it's ACTUAL meaning - Weird.

[Meropspusillus]

Originally Posted by Austin

Well I think faggy and queer are perfectly acceptable when the describe something/someone faggy or queer.

The same way you can use kikey to describe someone acting stingy or stereotypically Jewish!

Fag, faggot, faggy are all terrible insults with terrible roots. Nobody should ever use this word, the same way we don't use other words like it to describe other groups of people.

Queer is different and I'm fine with it's usage as long as it is used appropriately (as an identifier or something like that, not an insult.) My thing with queer is that the word just means odd, and not really in a bad way ever. I wouldn't mind being called queer not in reference to my sexuality.

[Swimming4ever]

I don't like it, I think its stupid and even stupider if the person saying it is gay. Like don't think since your gay that it's acceptable to say it to other people who are or aren't!

[Austin]

I seriously can't stand "offensive words" and "bad words." The idea that one word is worse than another word just blows my mind. I hate how society has decided which words are "vulgar" and which are "acceptable." Ass and butt, Poop and Shit = all the same fucking thing!!! How come one is worse than the other? How come some words are CENSORED while others are allowed? Fag, Gay, Queer all mean the same thing in the same context neither is worse than the other it's just your own fear of certain words that make them bad.

[Zumbro]

I'm not a fan of 'faggy' or any variant thereof, but queer is ok in some cases I think. Queer certainly has it's official dictionary definition, which is fine, but I tend to reserve the word for people who are genderqueer, or referring to a sexuality I don't quite know how to describe (pan, for one). (Usually when trying to describe it I just end up facepalming and saying "They're queer. Not straight. Too much work to explain...") :P

[AlyssWonderland]

It depends on the context to me. Me and and bunch of my gay friends say that things are gay and queer all the time, but we're doing it jokingly. When people use it to describe someone who is stereotypically gay or trying to be insulting, I find it offensive. As long as I know they aren't trying to be mean.

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by Austin

I seriously can't stand "offensive words" and "bad words." The idea that one word is worse than another word just blows my mind. I hate how society has decided which words are "vulgar" and which are "acceptable." Ass and butt, Poop and Shit = all the same fucking thing!!! How come one is worse than the other? How come some words are CENSORED while others are allowed? Fag, Gay, Queer all mean the same thing in the same context neither is worse than the other it's just your own fear of certain words that make them bad.

It's not the words themselves, it's the history, meaning, and emotions they suggest and evoke.

I don't like these words. I don't like to use them and I hate it when others use them because they make me feel uncomfortable.

[4 seat]

It never bothers me at all.

[x2x2x2x2y2]

Originally Posted by Étoile

It's not the words themselves, it's the history, meaning, and emotions they suggest and evoke.

^exactly.


I can't stand them. I don't even like to use those words in a joking manner.

it's not the words, it's the intent. my friends can use whatever words they want for shock value and i'll probably just think it's funny.

the words only bug me when someone really is being intolerant and/or condescending with them..but i'd get just as annoyed with someone acting intolerant and condescending if they were being PC too. words on their own don't mean much, they only have the attitude we give to them.

what bothers me is that when people do use the words in a bad way, it shows and sometimes encourages an underlying bad attitude in our society and since it's almost impossible to acknowledge that gracefully, we're forced to either ignore it or sound like vicious pricks looking to instigate a fight over something that people don't see the importance of. so considering that, i do try to keep my own comments like "that's so gay" confined to other gays or friends that don't think of gays as gay, but just as other people.