I remember almost getting my teeth knocked out by an American marine (big laddie).
We were in Canada on Detachment and there were a few USMC guys there and they were totally genuine and great company in the bar. I offered one guy a 'fag' and he got up to knock me out until one of his mates told him what I meant. Was ok though he bought the next few rounds

So this thread did pick up?
I would rather not say jerk, as on principle i would not like to censor myself to not hurt the "sensibility" of others in the sea of internet. It's not hate speech and it is certainly not degrading anyone so I don't see what the guy got all butthurt about.

just to prove my point. my CoD clan tag is F4gs. and I am certainly not gay.

it is hilarious though, when people start yelling at us because of that. And it is even more hilarious (and awesomer) when we win the match and end up yelling back " fags on top, fags on top" oohhh it pissess people offf!!!!



Agreed, but you know, it IS the internet, and internet slang is part of it. so, get with the program. My original contention is that I should not cater to other people's biggotry.

exhibit A: Niggardly

I guess they don't want their MTV. cartoon network banned speedy gonzalez, as it was racially tainted and bias against mexicans. Interesting point is that most mexicans that grew up with it actually loved the little dude and petition to bring him back.

I don't mind with the wetback jokes and whatever, there is a slight difference between jokes and stigmatization AND hate speech. big one. as I said (and thanks mimi for claryfing) the constant used of the "no homo" seemed far worst to me than f4g

__________________

"Curses are like young chicken: they always come home to roost."

I prefer the words tw@t or t!t for jerks. Why does a word insult you so much? It's only a word. Why is the word Vagina ok to say but ©unt is somehow insulting? Get over it they are just words.

Anyone hear pinks latest song? Played on the radio every day... the lyrics.... "you're f-ucking perfect".

The word sh!t is used fairly regularly on Irish radio these days. Language evolves, new words get added, meanings change, but at the end of the day they are only words.

Its not so much a 'replacement' but a word we use to mean what you mean by Jerk. Does that make sense? Jerk is not a word that is used in the UK. I always thought it came from a cross between twit and prat (prat being another word that gets used alot to mean an idiot. Tbh I may be a little naive but didn't realize it was an offensive word in other countries.

I'm black, and I liked Blazzing Saddle, I also like the 1970's Blaxplotation film "Boss N----r", I often joke with my fiancee I will run for office on the SVP ticket (list) under the name "Chief N----r (German word)" with the statement..."Chief N----r says it's time for the Muslims to leave"... No I'm not Islamaphobic, our neigobors are from Tunisia and very cool, I just think it is funny that a black man, an obvious minority and a foreigner might be able to get away with making anti-Muslim statements a white Swiss person could not.

Seriously though...I think that it matters how it is used. I listen to Kanye West and Common, they both use the "n-word", Eminem uses the "F word" all the time, but is friends with Elton John!!

As the OP stated, if you are calling a homosexual a "filthy f----t", that is different then telling an idiot you are acting like a "f-word"...just like Kanye West using the word to talk about his friend Jay-Z is different then a Skinhead calling me a "n----r" on the street.

I don't know how the court of law is in much of continental Europe, but our system in the U.S. considers "intent" strongly. It gets tricky though because you have people using these words to be offensive, but pretend like they are not trying to be offensive...that is a fine line. So many people want to ban them completely. I guess I see both sides, but in general, I am for freedom of speech.

As a member of a visible minority, I have always felt as Malcolm X on this.

Malcolm X said: "I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he's wrong. Than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil."

• Oxford Union Debate (December 3, 1964)

So I seriously disagree with many laws in Europe that ban "Holocaust denial". I'm black and I would give skinheads a permit to march through my town, if I had to (if I was mayor) because I think they have this right, just like I have the right to counter-protest or find out who they are, publish their names in the paper and pictures. Freedom of speech should be an inalienable human right, not based on it's utility (what you will do with it).

@breagh - Going off topic briefly. For some reason, up until reading this post and, yes, in spite of your avatar, I thought you were female.

Soooooo sorry about that dude.

Nitty-gritty is an other one.

Here's some more f@gg0ts.

Wooooooow, wait a minute! Am I too nice or something ? [must harden up more for the EF]

We should make the term "EF'er" an insult

Smart enough to spot an urban legend.

(I'm thinking this was a joke anyway)

I'd say "Twat" was deemed offensive in UK too. More so in the North. In the south it seems to be milder (they said it on Radio One once), like "twit".

I'd say the nearest English replacement would be "Wanker". Pretty much the same meaning too, if I understand the US word correctly.





Used to work with a lovely lady who called people "berk" without realising its meaning...

Best watch what I say when I'm up North then. Such a shame...tw*t is my favourite word.

My mother will wash out your mouth with soap and water.

You're fine just as you are dude.

Was just me having an avatar vs comments posted mental fuNk (). All sorted now with that US marine incident earlier post.

I remember this add got a lot of flak because of the title...

using "faggot" to replace "douchebag", or using "gay" to imply "stupid", and "No homo" which I'm still trying to figure out, all come from the same hateful source, which is to imply that the subject of such a label is somehow abnormal, by equating them to a homosexual.

I abhor these terms when used in such ways. Advocates call it "evolution of language" but that's simply a rouse. If the word was "nigger" or "jew" they'd say "but it doesn't mean that anymore!" It is still wrong.

The bottom line is that, though the use of these insults (playful as it were in South Park, or joking amongst friends) may not be hurtful to whom (person) or what (object, situation) it is applied, it can be deeply injurious to minorities who witness it.

So you ARE advocating that you should cater to other people's ignorance and bias when speaking.

Like in said cases of niggardly, tar baby or watter buffalo. As it is "injurious" to the witnesses.

I don't know how you got that from what I wrote, but I went back and made some clarifications.

Hey there Ouchboy, I disagree with the above cartoon, and although I'm the world's most super deluxe South Park fan, I do disagree with that episode.

Should we cater to the ignorance of others? Yeah. A bit, anyway. Also, there's a spot of logic to it (as if we really required any).

"Hey, don't call me a dirty Jew - that's anti Semitic!".

"Ha! That's where you're wrong. Language has evolved. Right now, it means anyone who's miserly, greedy and with a big nose. It has nothing to do with actual Jews, irrespective of their cleanliness."

Is he being anti-Semitic, even though he is insulting, in this case, an Irish Catholic? Yes, of course. He is using a term of racial hate to express the pejorative nature of something else. If anything, it becomes even more offensive.

What South Park is really saying is that we find homosexuals so disgusting that the pejorative word used to describe them has now evolved to become a pejorative word to describe a whole variety of things.

Now how offensive is that?