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The f word?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by CierraCadaver, Oct 1, 2012.

  1. Okay. I have no problem when people say "faggot". I will call myself a "faggot" or a "dyke". Me and my gay male friend say that to each other all the time because we find it completely ridiculous that people find a word THAT offensive. But, what do you guys think of it?
     
  2. LauraMarie

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    I dont think its offencive -shrugs- any word can be if used in hurtfull context o:
     
  3. Pret Allez

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    It depends on the context, but in my personal experience, it's almost always used in an extremely hostile manner. I find the word very hurtful, and in a more civilized time, I'd challenge whosoever uttered the word out of malice to a duel.
     
  4. TwoMethod

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    I totally agree with this. Most of the time it's not the word, but the type of person who is saying it and what they are trying to achieve by saying it. "Faggot" is most of the time used as the lowest common denominator and is an attempt at making the worst insult possible.
     
  5. ForceAndVerve

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    Gotta agree with the context. I and my mates call eachother gay, fag, homo etc all the time. Does it mean they are homophobic? Not at all.

    If a random stranger shouted it at me in the street then yea, I would take offense.
     
  6. Wrongdaytodie

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    It really matter who says it and it what context. Some at my school shouted it and I got upset.. But when friends joke, especially my friends who actually are homo/bi, around I got no trouble with it.
     
  7. I don't know. A guy I had a crush on called me that often, so it's hard. :frowning2:
     
  8. AshenAngel

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    its all about context and intent.
     
  9. Despite what happened above, I agree. This is still my position.
     
  10. Lance

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    I don't believe there is any right context or intent. It's just a nasty word all the way around. I feel it's much like the word n*gger, except not as bad. And it's sad people are treating the word faggot like the N-word, where it's ok for people who ARE LGBT to use it, but anyone else it's not, that's stupid. I don't think anyone should use it. There are much better word choices.
     
  11. Pain

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    It's an ugly word in general. It doesn't match my aural or visual aesthetic, and it's gotten an ugly meaning. I don't like how often it is used. I really dislike it.
     
  12. BradThePug

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    It really depends for me. If somebody is using it to mess around (some of my friends used to do this.. not so much anymore though) I really don't mind. They ment it in a non-offensive way.

    If somebody is calling another person that in the negative way, then it is a terrible word.
     
  13. anonomus

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    I work in EMS and so i work with a nunch of straight males, (I.e, firefighters, medics, police, etc) and they tend to use this word a lot. which is one reason I am still burried in the closet. I hate this word it is so hateful. I mean if you are going to insult someone I would think you could find something else to bring up besides what sex they like!!!
     
  14. IrishLad93

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    I agree with Lance ^
    Its just not a very nice word, its demeaning & words hold a lot of meaning (it rhymes!). Its only not as bad as the 'n' word because there is much more violence and relevant history connected to the N-word.

    Have you ever been called a faggot by a stranger in a purposefully malicious manner and not just 'banter' by one of your friends?(this is where the difference would lie I think) I have...and to me, it makes me feel less of a person.
     
    #14 IrishLad93, Oct 2, 2012
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2012
  15. aaronq

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    It bothers me if it's said with a certain tone. If someone just says it, it won't bother me, but if they have a negative tone of some sort, yeah, it bothers me.

    Though, my closest friends and I call each other fags all the time. Between us, it's more of a term of endearment. (Our clique is mainly eight straight guys, two bi, and me.)
     
  16. Ventus

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    It depends on how it's said. Overall it's just a really ugly word.

    I'm okay with 'fag', it's the full word that bothers me for some reason.
     
  17. NicoleV96

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    I don't really care about the word all that much, but, because it has a derogatory meaning, I don't use it, and when other people call other people it, it may bother me slightly. If someone called me one, I wouldn't care, but if someone else was going to say it to another gay person, they might take it more harshly than I would, which is why there's probably better words to use, or ways to use your words.
     
  18. HatterMad

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    This for me, too.
    Both those are two words that I relaly dislike. And in an ideal world using them lightly would diffuse their meaning, but that's not how the real world has been working, now everyone slings them, and most of the people are using them in ugly ways.

    I agree, and thank you for my vocab lesson for the day!
     
  19. kestrel

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    It's a different thing to joke around with a friend using Faggot like it's just another word.
    If you can't understand why people take such offense, it's because you haven't had the same negative experience with it.
    Really, I think women have a totally different experience with it than men, at a fundamental level. I've never talked to a girl who's bothered by it.
    If you haven't had someone scream it at you with the worst intentions, it's natural you won't be offended by it.
    Say you're white and someone calls you a nigger- what significance would that have to you?
    None. It's never been used to diminish or invalidate you. Or put you in your place.
     
  20. Mogget

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    It's important to understand the context in which many people in the community grew up hearing the word. It was often a prelude to a beating, or the word they or their friends heard before being disowned and/or thrown on the streets. The fact that the word could be applied to them was used by others as proof positive that they were subhuman moral degenerates. "Faggot" meant "you are not human." It meant "anything we do to you is justified." It meant "when we kill you, no one will care, except for the people who clap us on the back and say, 'You sure got that faggot.' "

    There's value in reclaiming slurs, including "queer," "faggot," "fairy," and "dyke." But reclamation should be done in the full knowledge of why the word needs reclamation. It's not that faggot offends people in the community, it's that it terrifies them, makes them feel subhuman, reminds them of all the hatred that's been thrown at them throughout their lives.