What do you think of the word "******"? [LOTS OF CURSE WORDS AHOY]

[Treblaine]

At this point in time, I think it has two meanings.

The first is a slur word for a gay man, and the second, like you said, is something akin to 'asshole', 'dickhead', etc.

Context is everything I suppose, sometimes it's hard to gauge that context.

I use it in the second context all the time. As well as "that's so gay".

The problem with using that terms is it contorts it too much.

Classically, Gay meant simply something similar to happy or lively and confident. The term was used by homosexuals as the very term homosexual had been so demonised, there was no need to invent a harsh distinct term, so many people believed that homosexuality was a serious mental disorder that is had that negative use.

But now it has mostly been corrected that most of the attributes laymen and not-so-expert-experts used to associate with homosexuality were false, that homosexuality JUST meant the exact same sexual interest most have for the opposite gender but for the same gender.

Still, gay had two positive uses: classically meaning happy and lively, and the other being an accepting homosexual.

But using the term gay as a blanket and non-descriptive negative is too much. It completely reverses the use of a term in a useless way.

The way "it's gay" is used it has ZERO descriptive qualities. Not like saying "it's crap" as in it's low quality or "it's lame" as in it is severely weaker and less impressive than expected or "it's fucked" it is broken from once a better state. There is no logic to using the "that's gay" as a negative unless that homosexuality is in itself negative.

There is no way the term "it's gay" comes from the classical sense as implying it is too upbeat or something. It marks it out as the odd one out, like the one gay kid in class. It's wrong to use gay in this context as it seeks to contort a term that was precisely used as a positive description of homosexuals into the inherent negative that comes from exploiting group homophobia.

See people are told and know they shouldn't discriminate against homosexuals, but the homophobia is inevitable from how - especially in school - gender politics of pubescent adolescent unite so many in interest in girls, a gay kid is the odd one out. It also challenges them as they may realise what it feels like for a girl where guys are interested in them. I can tell that is PRECISELY how it is used.

So please. Use terms like crap or lame for things you hold a negative opinion of.

 

[Total LOLige]

You choob"

what is a choob? I have never heard/seen that before..

It's a Scottish word. It means stupid, the only Scottish word I can stand mind.

 

[Raika]

I pretty much just think of this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IFloXOuLgA

I do miss when that word never meant anything to me other than just a generic insult for an annoying person. I'm gay myself(albeit a gay woman, so I guess I'm a dyke, not a ******) and I think it's just too much fun to say.

 

[Schadrach]

I used to feel the same way about ****, since I never heard that in more general use either until I moved away to university. Now I use it way too much, but only ever in a joking sense and to people I know are ok with it (because I've heard them use it themselves).

All these words have double meanings though, and context is everything. Personally, I don't think I've ever used these sorts of terms as a genuine insult. I'm fine with casual use among friends, but when said with real venom and awareness of the homophobic or sexist meanings terms like "******" and "****" become all sorts of horrible.

I always find it interesting when people get all pissy about the use of words like "****" or "twat" or "*****" or "pussy" as pejoratives (because they are slang for female genitals, a term for a female dog, and something that is both slang for female genitals and a term for a female cat) but never "dick" or "prick" or "dork" or "jerk" (the first two being slang for male genitals, the next being a term for a whale's penis, and the final being short for "jerk off" with the underlying implication being that the target of the word is equivalent to wasted semen). Apparently it's only sexist to use female parts or female animals as pejoratives, but not male parts, male emissions, or male animals?

 

[Lunatic High]

I take more has just a general insult from someone too stupid to think of anything clever to say. If its addressed to me I don't care cause I'm straight, however I have one friend who is gay and another who is a lesbian, and they get offended when someone calls them ****** or dyke, and when they call me a ****** for sticking up for them thats when I start swinging, I'm not going to pay 50 bucks a month for kickboxing classes for nothing, just because someone is too dumb to keep their big fucking mouths shut.

 

[Mr Smith]

I think it's overused. It seems to have become some kind of buzzword which saw a resurgence online and then carried over into everyday speech, those saying it thinking that it makes them sound like the toughest hardarses to ever walk the school oval.

I'm not a fan of swearing. I try to avoid it myself. It just makes people sound stupid when they use it all the time. There are adjectives that don't start with 'F' and nouns that don't start with 'C', and some people need to discover these.

 

[rob_simple]

First of all, I think the word is hilarious just because of this:

I think, like every other word in the world, that there's nothing wrong with it unless there is genuine malice behind whoever is using it. But, for now at least, there's times when you just shouldn't say certain things.

I'm white as the driven snow, but I'll still say 'what up my niggas' in a high-pitched voice when I see my friends, none of whom are black. There is absolutely no hatred behind my using the word, it's merely a term of endearment, but if there was a black guy standing around I wouldn't say it because I understand that for some people the word is offensive.

That being said, I live in Glasgow, where the sentence, 'you cunts are my best friends' is perfectly normal, so maybe my compass is all screwed up.

 

[Eamar]

I always find it interesting when people get all pissy about the use of words like "****" or "twat" or "*****" or "pussy" as pejoratives (because they are slang for female genitals, a term for a female dog, and something that is both slang for female genitals and a term for a female cat) but never "dick" or "prick" or "dork" or "jerk" (the first two being slang for male genitals, the next being a term for a whale's penis, and the final being short for "jerk off" with the underlying implication being that the target of the word is equivalent to wasted semen). Apparently it's only sexist to use female parts or female animals as pejoratives, but not male parts, male emissions, or male animals?

Logically you're right, but again I think it's about exposure and context.

First off, the "male" words you listed have been used in a jokey/casual context more commonly than the female equivalents (though I think "twat" and "pussy" are more or less in the same bracket as them nowadays).

Secondly, men just haven't historically been subject to the same amount of sexist abuse (verbally) as women have. inb4 "feminazi," but the penis has rarely been something to be ashamed of, whereas women's genitals have been seen as such.

I have never, ever heard someone call a guy a "dick" with real venom and deliberate focus on his gender. I have heard people spit out the words "****" and "*****" in those ways, and it's disgusting when it's done like that. I am NOT saying that anyone who uses the terms and is aware of their original meanings is disgusting (as I've said, I use them myself) just that those words can still, on occasion, be used in a deliberately sexist manner.

 

[Ryank1908]

I don't really care. I can see how some people would find it offensive, but...political correctness is stupid. No one should actually believe in black and white portraits of what is acceptable and what is not. I can see that words can be hurtful, and that's very sad and all, but attaching too much value to ****** or Retard or whatever else is a 'offensive' term atm is stupid. They may be crude, but justifying them by creating a sort of cultural shock value is stupid.

Words are just words. It's how you use them that matters. Insults are insults regardless of how politically correct or incorrect they are. Why make a big deal over it? it is pointless: ignorance, prejudice, and general douchebagery will be around as long as free will is. we can't change that, so why be offended by it?

EDIT: (btw, I'm probably among a very small group of forum goers who is actually hurt by stuff people write on the internet. It's stupid, but it is extremely easy to hurt my feelings.) My point with this edit I guess is that ALL words have the ability to be hurtful. Attaching any sort of negative stigma to certain words is just stupid.

The reason certain words procure negative stigma is not just because people attach it to them. It's because those words have previously been used directly and created specifically to attack certain facets of an individual, and the word in question in this topic is one of those words for homosexuals. A word like that doesn't need to exist.

 

[Schadrach]

I always find it interesting when people get all pissy about the use of words like "****" or "twat" or "*****" or "pussy" as pejoratives (because they are slang for female genitals, a term for a female dog, and something that is both slang for female genitals and a term for a female cat) but never "dick" or "prick" or "dork" or "jerk" (the first two being slang for male genitals, the next being a term for a whale's penis, and the final being short for "jerk off" with the underlying implication being that the target of the word is equivalent to wasted semen). Apparently it's only sexist to use female parts or female animals as pejoratives, but not male parts, male emissions, or male animals?

Logically you're right, but again I think it's about exposure and context.

First off, the "male" words you listed have been used in a jokey/casual context more commonly than the female equivalents (though I think "twat" and "pussy" are more or less in the same bracket as them nowadays).

Secondly, men just haven't historically been subject to the same amount of sexist abuse (verbally) as women have. inb4 "feminazi," but the penis has rarely been something to be ashamed of, whereas women's genitals have been seen as such.

I have never, ever heard someone call a guy a "dick" with real venom and deliberate focus on his gender. I have heard people spit out the words "****" and "*****" in those ways, and it's disgusting when it's done like that. I am NOT saying that anyone who uses the terms and is aware of their original meanings is disgusting (as I've said, I use them myself) just that those words can still, on occasion, be used in a deliberately sexist manner.

Exclaiming "You *****!" if a woman does something to anger or mistreat you is misogynist, exclaiming "You dick!" if a man does something to anger or mistreat you is entirely different and not at all gendered though, gotcha.

In comparison, I know a man who will sling the "misogynist" insults around like there's no tomorrow, but only in regards to one specific woman, who has repeatedly caused him no end of pain, and almost entirely in forms that are specifically dependent on her being a woman. Last time he got called a misogynist for doing so, he proceeded to go through every woman he might meet or encounter in a day, including misc unknown women, and express exactly how he felt about them in simple and generally polite terms, then resumed referring to this one specific woman by the same terms, just to be perfectly clear that his bile is directed specifically at one specific woman, and that that does not necessarily imply anything about any other woman.

That's one of those aspects of "the radical idea that women are people too" that it always seems like feminists just never seem to "get" (despite being the one, singular statement that they do all agree on). If women are individual people, then it is possible to hate specific women without hating all women as a collective. Likewise, if women are people, then women can act in cruel, deceitful, and malicious ways because *people* can act in cruel, deceitful, and malicious ways.

 

[Wintermoot]

for me not it rather means asshole/idiot
ex.
Robbert acted like a ******
this doesn't mean he acted gay but acted like a asshole I would never use it as a derogatory towards homosexuals I also don,t use it IRL.

 

[FilipJPhry]

Aren't faggots Harley Riders?

Holy shit, that made my day. I'm gonna go watch that episode after work.

 

[Eamar]

Exclaiming "You *****!" if a woman does something to anger or mistreat you is misogynist, exclaiming "You dick!" if a man does something to anger or mistreat you is entirely different and not at all gendered though, gotcha.

In comparison, I know a man who will sling the "misogynist" insults around like there's no tomorrow, but only in regards to one specific woman, who has repeatedly caused him no end of pain, and almost entirely in forms that are specifically dependent on her being a woman. Last time he got called a misogynist for doing so, he proceeded to go through every woman he might meet or encounter in a day, including misc unknown women, and express exactly how he felt about them in simple and generally polite terms, then resumed referring to this one specific woman by the same terms, just to be perfectly clear that his bile is directed specifically at one specific woman, and that that does not necessarily imply anything about any other woman.

That's one of those aspects of "the radical idea that women are people too" that it always seems like feminists just never seem to "get" (despite being the one, singular statement that they do all agree on). If women are individual people, then it is possible to hate specific women without hating all women as a collective. Likewise, if women are people, then women can act in cruel, deceitful, and malicious ways because *people* can act in cruel, deceitful, and malicious ways.

Woah, I wasn't trying to turn this into a debate about feminism. I don't know if your sarcastic comments about "the radical idea that women are people too" were meant to be directed at me, but please don't throw all your preconceptions or experiences of feminism at me because I mentioned gender differences.

What can I say, I'm not responsible for how anyone else feels about or reacts to particular words. I've only been speaking from my own experiences, since the OP asked what we individually thought of the word "******." I've stated several times that I jokingly (and sensitively) use words that some people consider offensive. I am most certainly not going to be calling someone misogynistic because they use the word "*****" to describe a women (I've done it myself), so please don't expect me to be able to explain why some people do any more than I already have. Unless someone is saying these things to someone else's face AND in a deliberate attempt to belittle them on account of their gender (either gender), I couldn't care less. Those situations are pretty rare, but they do happen, that's all I was saying.

 

[Jegsimmons]

my definition:

******, noun,
1. Any person who is flamboyant or over the top to the point of general annoyance. regardless of sexuality.
2. Assholes
3. Your average 8-16 year old Call of Duty player who keeps fucking yelling.
4. An insult that pisses off the PC crowd to the point of hilarity. Never apologize for using it. Unless you are using it as bigoted insult towards a specific group...then apologize you ******.

 

[blank0000]

to me, its a slur used by people I generally don't want to associate with. I've never met a grown man who used it in a sentence and then said to myself "Hey, now theirs a fella I'd like to kick back with!".

 

[Microman4]

Well, in my experience (around school), it's used as an insult (like twat), in a similar way that the word 'gay' is used (gay is used to replace 'bad' or 'disappointing', normally). I think both of these words lost some amount of their homophobic meanings, and now have just become general insults.

However, this may be more to do with location. I'm assuming most of these perspectives are from Americans, where 'fag' has been used more often compared to the UK. Most of the time, fag is used to mean cigarettes (as well as the aforementioned insults). I would like to say that people around school who say it, only mean to use it as an insult in general, rather to homosexual people, but that's begin optimistic about my generation, and my age group (i'm 15, if that is relevant/interesting).

 

[Mournful Crow]

As a homosexual myself, I take no offense to it. Frankly, I don't take offense to anything. If a joke is funny, be it racist, sexist, or sexuality-ist (don't know the right word for it, sorry), just say it. Chances are, you'll get a laugh. Names are names, and every race, color, creed, and sexuality have slang terms for everyone. People who take offense to it, just need to back off, and get a sense of humor. Now, while I don't take offense to the word itself, the way it is said may indicate whether or not I'll fight... If it's said in a joking manner (or, with gamers, an angry, stressed manner), then I'm cool with it. If it's said in a discriminatory manner (like these narrow-minded jack arses you see on the news headlines saying it, or someone else with similar motivations, but not as famous... Anyway,), Then I will probab- no, I'll definitely go into lecture mode with it... Either way, I take no offense, as long as it is said in a harmless, joking manner...

 

[Mournful Crow]

I would also like to take the time to point out that there is a difference between a gay and a ******. A gay person is someone who is simply attracted to someone else of the same gender, whereas a ****** is someone who tries to make a point/big deal about it...

 

[RagTagBand]

It has probably been posted, but this right here

 

[Mikkel421427]

To this date, this is the most memorable use of the word "******", I have ever heard.
http://youtu.be/X49_aOqdSIA?t=4m40s
But yeah, it's mainly just a slur to me. It has lost it's original meaning which actually had to do with fires