Is use of the word 'f@gg0t' offensive?

Just Me 2 said:

She used it meaning wuss or weak.

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Actually, she used it completely within the context of referring to gay people. How do I know this? Because of the context she used it in. Why would she say she would have to go to rehab if she said it was meaning weak? In the context she used the word, she inferred political correctness in saying she would have to go to rehab if she called Edwards that. Would she be, according to her own logic, politically incorrect denoting the word as weakness? Of course not. She definitely meant it as a slur for gayness.

As for her logic as to whether it is politically correct or not, that is irrelevant. It is offensive. Period. Of course, there are people who would make every excuse to limit the meaning in order to defend her, just as there are plenty of others who would attempt to justify calling a black man or woman the N word, saying that it is harmless. That, IMHO, is BS. You can tell someone who lives according to hate by the words he or she uses, and the context he or she uses them in.

its up there with ni**** and cu**

star2589 said:

its up there with ni**** and cu**

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????? What's wrong with the word "cute"? Sorry, but I don't understand.:mrgreen:

danarhea said:

Actually, she used it completely within the context of referring to gay people. How do I know this? Because of the context she used it in. Why would she say she would have to go to rehab if she said it was meaning weak? In the context she used the word, she inferred political correctness in saying she would have to go to rehab if she called Edwards that. Would she be, according to her own logic, politically incorrect denoting the word as weakness? Of course not. She definitely meant it as a slur for gayness.

As for her logic as to whether it is politically correct or not, that is irrelevant. It is offensive. Period. Of course, there are people who would make every excuse to limit the meaning in order to defend her, just as there are plenty of others who would attempt to justify calling a black man or woman the N word, saying that it is harmless. That, IMHO, is BS. You can tell someone who lives according to hate by the words he or she uses, and the context he or she uses them in.

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She used it in the weak context because she at another point in the day had talked about how Edwards was weak and have no backbone. As for the rehab statement it was a joke because some celebrities recently have gone to "rehab" for using words people see as offensive.

What she said WAS offensive to some but it is words. Nothing more. People slam Bush everyday where is the outrage about that? I will never understand how people who were not there and were not the one it was directed at can get so pissed. The only person that that has the right to be pissed is Edwards.

Just Me 2 said:

She used it in the weak context because she at another point in the day had talked about how Edwards was weak and have no backbone. As for the rehab statement it was a joke because some celebrities recently have gone to "rehab" for using words people see as offensive.

What she said WAS offensive to some but it is words. Nothing more. People slam Bush everyday where is the outrage about that? I will never understand how people who were not there and were not the one it was directed at can get so pissed. The only person that that has the right to be pissed is Edwards.

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I rest my case.

danarhea said:

I rest my case.

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No not really you said she used it with a sexual meaning. I never argued it was not offensive, I simple put the use into context.

Just Me 2 said:

She used it in the weak context because she at another point in the day had talked about how Edwards was weak and have no backbone. As for the rehab statement it was a joke because some celebrities recently have gone to "rehab" for using words people see as offensive.

What she said WAS offensive to some but it is words. Nothing more. People slam Bush everyday where is the outrage about that? I will never understand how people who were not there and were not the one it was directed at can get so pissed. The only person that that has the right to be pissed is Edwards.

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How come what she says later is more important than what she says right after using the word? Also, indeed, why would she have to go to rehab for calling someone a wuss?

the Word ****** is designed and used by some to be offensive. that is the purpose of the word. It is meant to offensive, the word Queer is offensive.

If I call someone a fat slob, that too is offensive.

Ann coulter means nothing to me, and her opinions mean less. Ever read her material? she makes a living being offensive to anyone.

Let me preface this by saying that I in no way condone or agree with Ann Coulter on well pretty much anything she says. She IS bigoted and hateful and she makes money off of it.


That being said I have a very different view on words then most. Words are just that words. The only reason they have power is because people allow then to. I can take pretty much any word and make it offensive it doesn't change the original definition of said word. I am going to use the word F@ggot as an example because it is the focus of all this.

The definition of F@ggot ironically enough is

• [SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]
• ornament or join (fabric) by f@ggot stitch; "He f@gotted the blouse for his wife"
• fasten together rods of iron in order to heat or weld them
• bind or tie up in or as if in a f@ggot; "f@ggot up the sticks"
• fagot: a bundle of sticks and branches bound together
  [/SIZE][/SIZE]

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Now over time some one took that word and made it a negative. That does not change the original definition of the word. If the person that the word was directed at didn't allow the word to have the power of what some think it means now it would still have the above definition no more no less.

My point is that people today are WAY to sensitive to words. If you are not the definition of the word what do you care. Someone can call me a Wh0re and well since I am not one I am not offended.

I realise that there are some words that were "created" with the sole purpose to insult and I am not speaking about those for example the N word was created with the sole purpose to offend, looked up the history of the word and the N word clearly has no other definition then a derogatory one.

The Spanish word negro originates from the Latin word niger, meaning black. In English, negro or neger became negar and finally ******, most likely under influence of French nègre (also derived from the Latin niger).

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I guess what I am saying is that if a person is offended by a word that was not created with that intent it is silly. If we as people would not give the power to offended to the word then it goes back to being just a word. With all the things we have to be concerned about in this world this is the stuff we chose to waste our time on. It makes no sense. Let words be what they are just words base your outrage on actions not the words.


Again, I am not defending Ann Coulter I don't like her but not because of something like this, I don't like her because she makes money at other peoples expense.

galenrox said:

I have a problem that something as trivial as semantics is such a focus. I don't care if words offend you, deal with it, they are words. There are real issues that matter when it comes to the pursuit of equality and equitability, and they are trivialized when they generate at best similar amounts of attention and indignance as something as absolutely pointless as Anne Coulter calling John Edwards a ******, or someone calling someone else a ******.

They're words. They remind people of things as per their history, but at the end of the day they're just ****ing words. In a lot of places it isn't illegal to fire a homosexual solely for being a homosexual. Black people are extrordinarily disproportionately impoverished, and all the problems that go along with poverty. Where's the indignance? Oh, but someone drops the f bomb or the n bomb, now everyone's pissed off.

It's ridiculous.

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funny how every body just steps around your simple common sense post

I voted no.

Never mind that "free speech" covers the right to say things that offend people.

Goobieman said:

I voted no.

Never mind that "free speech" covers the right to say things that offend people.

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all you ******s that are offended by the word ****** are nothing but a bunch of ******s

dont know about where everybody else grew up, but my parents and teachers all made a big deal about
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

grow up, grow a pair, and get over it

than realize the ones who resort to using these words are beneath you

DeeJayH said:

dont know about where everybody else grew up, but my parents and teachers all made a big deal about
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

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I grew up in Northern California.

I am not a mindless product of my environment, however, since I am capable of thinking independantly of my social conditioning.

Perhaps I just didn't have enough sheeple in me as a kid, but when a teacher offered me this platitude, I chalked it up to their abandoning the responsibility that comes with their authority.

DeeJayH said:

all you ******s that are offended by the word ****** are nothing but a bunch of ******s

dont know about where everybody else grew up, but my parents and teachers all made a big deal about
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

grow up, grow a pair, and get over it

than realize the ones who resort to using these words are beneath you

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So, what word are you using? F@gg0t? N!gger? Hey, how about Jewboy? Spic? Wetback? Chink? Gook? Slope? Wop? Dago? C*nt? Ho? Those words are all OK to you? You seem to indicate so.

One thing these words have in common - They are all used to denigrate other people who are not straight white males, so I can see why none of those words seem to bother you. Too bad you don't fall into one of those groups, so you could see first hand what those words really mean. If you did, I am willing to bet, dollars to donuts, that your answer would be much different.

Goobieman said:

I voted no.

Never mind that "free speech" covers the right to say things that offend people.

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Yes you have the right to say it and people have the right to be offended.

danarhea said:

So, what word are you using? F@gg0t? N!gger? Hey, how about Jewboy? Spic? Wetback? Chink? Gook? Slope? Wop? Dago? C*nt? Ho? Those words are all OK to you? You seem to indicate so.

One thing these words have in common - They are all used to denigrate other people who are not straight white males, so I can see why none of those words seem to bother you. Too bad you don't fall into one of those groups, so you could see first hand what those words really mean. If you did, I am willing to bet, dollars to donuts, that your answer would be much different.

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Wops and Dagos are whites. So are Gunieas. Crackers, too.

See, here's the thing:
You have the right to insult anyone all you want.
But if that's what you have to do to make your point, then you clearly dont have anything worth saying.

Goobieman said:

Wops and Dagos are whites. So are Gunieas. Crackers, too.

See, here's the thing:
You have the right to insult anyone all you want.
But if that's what you have to do to make your point, then you clearly dont have anything worth saying.

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Sure, people have the right to say words like that, but should not be angry because the vast majority of people are offended by those words, and see them as uneducated bigots. BTW, this poll is not about the right to say the word, but if the word is offensive.

danarhea said:

Sure, people have the right to say words like that, but should not be angry because the vast majority of people are offended by those words, and see them as uneducated bigots.

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Not to mix topics, but many took exception to the virtual excommunication of the Dixie Chicks by the country music establishment because of what they said re: Bush.

Eh.. there's very little I find offensive, since I choose not to be offended by much. Especially when it's just talking we're refering to. There are some *actions* I find offensive, but words? Pfftt.

Even if I did choose to find it offensive... so what? There's no such thing as a right to not ever be offended. Suck it up and deal with it and move on.

danarhea said:

So, what word are you using? F@gg0t? N!gger? Hey, how about Jewboy? Spic? Wetback? Chink? Gook? Slope? Wop? Dago? C*nt? Ho? Those words are all OK to you? You seem to indicate so.

One thing these words have in common - They are all used to denigrate other people who are not straight white males, so I can see why none of those words seem to bother you. Too bad you don't fall into one of those groups, so you could see first hand what those words really mean. If you did, I am willing to bet, dollars to donuts, that your answer would be much different.

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I am fine with all those words
the word itself, whatever it is, dont mean shiite
and it just happnes, she did not call Edwards a F@ggot, she alluded to it. But that dont make it right. and yet here she is the topic of 1 of many msg boards, all the news channels, blah blah blah

Goobieman said:

Wops and Dagos are whites. So are Gunieas. Crackers, too.

See, here's the thing:
You have the right to insult anyone all you want.
But if that's what you have to do to make your point, then you clearly dont have anything worth saying.

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Except for cracker the other 3 are used to insult Italian Americans or Italians....

List of ethnic slurs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guineas is also used for Italian or Italian Americans...

Hatuey said:

Unless you're Italian I dont see who Wop and Dago apply to you...

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Danarhea said:

One thing these words have in common - They are all used to denigrate other people who are not straight white males,

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I noted that two of the terms included whites.

Hatuey said:

Except for cracker the other 3 are used to insult Italian Americans or Italians....

Guineas is also used for Italian or Italian Americans...

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They are, for the most part, considered "white" though.
I'll put it this way, I could have plenty of stuff to be offended by, if I would so choose, being that I am of spanish, german, english portugese, and cajun decent. I could see it now, being called a sp2c, coon!*(, lim@y, K*aut, however, I don't really care, they are just words, and I would much rather just let people say it and move on than to let it affect me and ruin my mood. I guess I'm just saying that too many people feel these days because of political correctness that they have some kind of right to be unoffended and have some kind of avenue to restrict speech they don't like, then get pissy when they don't get to control said dialogue.

Yes, she knew what she was doing. Speaking that word is no different then using the N word. Have you noticed most of these American slang words mean something completly different in UK English language, and they are not in a derogortory way.

imprtnrd said:

Yes, she knew what she was doing. Speaking that word is no different then using the N word. Have you noticed most of these American slang words mean something completly different in UK English language, and they are not in a derogortory way.

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Of course she knew what she was doing. She was dwindling out of the news and needed something to jump start her publicity so she could get her bank roll back.

What do the words mean in the UK vs. USA?