"You're all fags"

ITT: Were you outraged by the title?

How do you react when you hear slurs (whether sexuality-based or not) used in daily contexts (either as insults or derogatorily)? Do you feel insulted or do you just shrug it off (be honest here; I know a lot of people lie about this)? Do you ever want to do something about it? Do you ever actually do something? How do you feel when they are used jokingly, or endearingly?

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Personally, I feel like too many people are especially keen on being politically correct. They jump when they hear the words and react in some way--whether by vocalizing or growing awkwardly silent. I absolutely hate it when I walk into a room and suddenly people prop up their speech and stop saying "fag," even though I know they say it in every other instance. It doesn't change a thing if you stop staying it around me--you're still saying it. I don't even care if you say "that movie was gay," but it does annoy me when other people make a big deal about it.

I feel like the people who outwardly oppose the use of these words are sort of pretentious. They glorify the word; and even though many say "if they use that sort of vocabulary, they aren't even worth talking to" it's obvious they have a hard time following through. I just don't get why you care. Words are just words... And I don't understand why they're made taboo. What's the big deal?

There are reasons behind people not liking these terms being used.

To say that a stupid movie is "gay" is too say that gay is stupid. That isn't exactly what I'd like to hear from people. Oh, this movie was stupid, so it's gay. Well, I'm gay, does that make me a stupid movie? Well, again, what if I said, "this movie is so straight!" about the movie I hated most? First of all, people would probably assume it to be a good thing, thereby denoting that straight is good and gay is bad. Secondly, if taken as an insult, it would be a controversial one and straight people would start to get really offended about it. I understand the reasons behind why people might get offended. I don't, really. But that's only because I'm so used to hearing this everyday, that it just doesn't phase me anymore. I honestly couldn't even still be hurt by this, or I would be an over sensitive person.

Part of what makes what someone saying be offensive is the tone that they use saying it. If someone says something in a negative, aggressive tone, then you are most likely going to take it a negative way that is made to be an attack against you. But if someone says that same thing in a joking, friendly manner. Then you don't feel as offended, because you can tell that didn't mean any offense, they were just making a joke that they thought was funny. & When the joke turns out to be something that offends them, they're still the type of person who would still be telling that joke. A little humility and the ability to take a joke is very valued in this community.

Words are strong and have power. I admit, some people take things WAY too far. Some people push the boundaries with their offensives words and terms. Some people DO say it to be offensive. But a lot of people don't. A lot of people have no intention of hurting ANYONE'S feelings. It's part of our society and are the slang words of today, I hear plenty of Gay and Bisexual people using these words. In fact, many have adopted the word "Queer" and started using it themselves, that it really isn't and offensive term anymore. It just means, weird and different, in a good way. They turned that term right around.

It is kind of two-way bridge on offensive words and terms. It is only offensive if you find it as such. If you learn to let things go and let people say as they please, then those words won't hurt you. Because let's face, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never(READ: should never) hurt me. They are just words, and while they can be powerful, one person's bad opinion to you shouldn't mean the end of the world. People are always going to find something to be prejudice about, so you might as well as get used to it.

That starred out word, if you don't know is the extended version of fag.[/FONT]

I can read exactly zero words of your post. I-I don't think I'm going to tr-- Err.

However, I'd like to add that it also annoys me when someone unwittingly calls something "gay" and someone else, knowing that I am there, calls the first person out on it. I feel that's completely unnecessary; I neither need you to defend me nor will it actually prove anything (other than the fact that he / she is more conscious than I am).

Nah, didn't bother me. I was just coming in to watch the show... but sadly, no one got banned.

I do dislike swearing in general, but honestly, I think if people get mad about something saying that something stupid is 'gay' being the same as calling gays stupid (To use the same analogy as Alley Cat), they're just over thinking things, and being overly sensitive.

Firstly, Alley Cat's etymology of the word 'fag' is an urban legend and England (a.k.a. the place English came from) never burned gay people, they hanged them.

I don't like it when people use slurs (particularly racial slurs) if they don't have N-word privileges. The problem isn't so much the words as the fact that they're used pejoratively, even calling an object gay is pejorative. Which is why in that context it's offensive when otherwise it usually isn't.

As for why words are made taboo (although honestly I don't have a problem if people swear around me), it's because of their etymology. Someone doesn't just say 'jap' is offensive. It's because articles like this existed that used the word, en masse: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932034,00.html (yes, that article is telling you how to tell if someone is of Japanese heritage so you can shun them).

If they weren't directed at anybody, I don't care at all. I make racist/offensive jokes all the time, and so do my friends and family.

Well, my boyfriend (and many of my friends) and I call each other fags all the time, so I'm usually fine with that one, and will laugh if someone tries to use it in a derogatory way.

However, I do feel offended when people who know absolutely nothing about transsexuality or gender variance in general use slurs in casual conversation such as 'Tranny' 'He-she', etc. Also using these terms interchangeably to refer to cross dressers and drag performers.

I also cringe when people who do know that I'm transgender and a little bit about it use those terms to refer to me in a lighthearted way, because I don't identify as a transgender person so much as I do a man. In fact I tend to occasionally forget that I'm even trans and not just a regular cisgender guy.. So I'm unlike a lot of trans folks in that sense I guess.

I have no problem with people calling me a fag. Frankly I find it entertaining that the only thing they can find to try and get at me is something that I'm proud of.

What does annoy me is when people use terms like 'gay' to describe pretty much everything that is bad. See Alley Cats post.

I don't really react to any of these things. They're often merely the older non-euphemised versions of words we say anyway (eg. coon > negro > black > coloured); I'm not sure how they came to be offensive, but find it funny that they did regardless.

I don't really care, but I'd rather not be around people who swear too much. God will be angry at them.

I don't like people using it in ignorance of the hatred they're spewing and I also don't like people using it to stir up trouble or as an excuse to talk about how they don't like 'political correctness.'