I stopped by my schools GSA club the other day and they were discussing what effect words have on people and who can use them. Fag and gay are thrown around everywhere these days, sometimes as insults and other times jokingly. If you are GLBTQ, can u only use these words? Should we all really be so sensitive about saying these words if they are not used like "you're a fag."
I have jokingly used fag and gay and I don't really get the whole hyper-sensitivity around using these words, after all they are only words.
Post edited by: joe, at: 2007/12/02 18:11
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/02 22:24
By: Kanae
Status:
Words have much more powerful social conotaitions than your realise. "Fag" carries with it centuries of bile and hatred and people being burnt at the state with it, just as "paki" carries decades of racial hatred and "nigger" contains a whole shipworth.
I myself lean more towards identifying with "homosexual": I'll accept "gay" as the common venacular provided I can tell people off for using it in a harmful way.
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/04 20:13
By: joe
Status:
I understand it carries a long history of hatred, but by reconizing its social conatation aren't we feeding it and furthering this stigma.
Sorry I just like playing devils advocate. I believe it should be used seldom or not at all.
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/05 08:20
By: Kanae
Status:
By recognising the social conatation we reinforce it and further the stigma, as well as the stigma that is then placed on the people that use it, in the same way that we further the stigma against the word "nigger" or "paki" which is then pushed on to the racists and bigots that use it. So, yes, we do reiforce the meaning as harmful, and that is a good thing. Hopefully we can create enough stigma that we can cordon off the whole section of society that perpetuate a homophobic ageneda in the same way that we cordoned off the section of society that wore white hoods and burnt crosses.
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/11 03:21
By: cokemachine
Status:
WOW! i wud just have to say its a bloddy word! its reli not gunna kill u, and peopl who can role with insults (of any type nt just sexually replated) have much more fun then ppl who get all snooty over it. Also have a heart! imagine how hard it is to say 'homosexual' every time they describe/talk about you... its such a mouthful!! lmao lol. Honestly, not matter how rightious thinking/acting you are ppl will always use those phrases... and before we all yell 'but we shudnt have to put up with it' ... sadly.... we do. (And i use sadly in its weakest form as fag is my fav word for me and everyone lmao)
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/11 03:25
By: cokemachine
Status:
WOW! i wud just have to say its a bloddy word! its reli not gunna kill u, and peopl who can role with insults (of any type nt just sexually replated) have much more fun then ppl who get all snooty over it. Also have a heart! imagine how hard it is to say 'homosexual' every time they describe/talk about you... its such a mouthful!! lmao lol. Honestly, not matter how rightious thinking/acting you are ppl will always use those phrases... and before we all yell 'but we shudnt have to put up with it' ... sadly.... we do. (And i use sadly in its weakest form as fag is my fav word for me and everyone lmao)
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/11 03:26
By: cokemachine
Status:
WOW! i wud just have to say its a bloddy word! its reli not gunna kill u, and peopl who can role with insults (of any type nt just sexually replated) have much more fun then ppl who get all snooty over it. Also have a heart! imagine how hard it is to say 'homosexual' every time they describe/talk about you... its such a mouthful!! lmao lol. Honestly, not matter how rightious thinking/acting you are ppl will always use those phrases... and before we all yell 'but we shudnt have to put up with it' ... sadly.... we do. (And i use sadly in its weakest form as fag is my fav word for me and everyone lmao)
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/11 08:59
By: holasoydavid
Status:
The problem with that line of thought becomes the line where being "offended" starts. People use it in a jokingly way all the time, which in a sense, is okay. But you have the majority of the homophobic population who use it to promote their rude and bigoted way of thinking. WE can't change how they use it, but if it changes into a socially acceptable word because I don't get offended when people call me that, it will become another euphemism (not like there aren't enough already). You just have to ask yourself where you want to draw the line. Better to die standing than to live on your knees. ~d
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/15 06:24
By: RSco
Status:
The problem is that saying things like "you're a fag" or "you're so gay" ( I don't have a problem with the word gay, as long as it's not used as an insult. fag, in my opinion, is always rude and insulting) can change someone's life. I'm not kidding. I've seen it happen. My straight best friend is perceived to be gay, because his behavior follows certrain stereotypes. Whatever. I know that for him the most supportive thing I can do is take it that he's straight until he comes out to me. But because of comments like that, he has given up ballroom dancing, hooked up with random girls who he barely knows and doesn't like, the breaking their heart because they thought he did, destroyed friendships by trying to get physical with his friends to prove he's not gay...it is really horrible seeing him do this to himself. I have dealt with homphobic comments for years and can brush them offf, temporarily only if its one of my friends though, but...words don't just hurt. they destroy. "Be who you are and say what you feel-those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind."
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/16 06:16
By: bloodangelXD
Status:
well i never call anyone 'gay' as i dont see it as right. although i do call my friends 'fags' but i have a reason, they smoke. its why i love being british. teachers in my school have a small go at me and i say 'its coz they smoke' and they just go 'ok' and leave me alone. ladies and gentlemen! PM me please if you want to chat
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/16 06:16
By: bloodangelXD
Status:
well i never call anyone 'gay' as i dont see it as right. although i do call my friends 'fags' but i have a reason, they smoke. its why i love being british. teachers in my school have a small go at me and i say 'its coz they smoke' and they just go 'ok' and leave me alone. ladies and gentlemen! PM me please if you want to chat
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Re:The F word
Date: 2007/12/20 13:01
By: MichaelLefranc
Status:
I am not so much offended by petty insults from random people.. i have been putting up with these for years..
what i do not like, is being insulted by close friends, being called a faggot is one thing i hate more than anything!
When your out with a group of supposed "mates" that know your gay and the topic all night is gay jokes of course your going to be offended!
As for the the rest of the stuff its the way people interpret gay, they see "gay" as a bad thing, when in effect all it is, is a word to describe men that fancy men.... Feel Free To PM Me.
