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Kman Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

(05-07-2014, 10:20 PM)Bridge Wrote: The meaning of words depends on the context. If you say for example that a movie is lame are you deliberately drawing a parallel between the movie's poor quality and actually lame people, thereby insinuating that lame people are inferior to "normal" people? Or are you appropriating the word and altering its meaning in the context just like the words gay and faggot have been? Neither of them have any origin in homophobia.

"Barbarian" is a famous example, originally used by the Greek to refer to people that didn't speak the Greek language (also derogatory.) Nowadays it has an entirely different meaning because over time people used it to refer to a different idea than the one it originally expressed. Nowadays when you call someone a barbarian there are no xenophobic connotations whatsoever. There is nothing absolute about words - they are only sounds with no meaning except one which you assign them. It is only homophobic to call somebody "gay" if homophobia was actually intended.

the difference is gay and faggot are still very very much linked to homophobia and so regardless of the context they're still going to be upsetting to people. maybe like 100 years from now if that trend continues faggot will actually be disassociated from its origins enough that when you say it you won't automatically link it with gay men, but as it stands regardless of how out of context you're using it when you say it people are still going to think "that's a derogatory term for gay men" so it's still going to hold its power.

for that reason i think its important to respect someone if they say it upsets them or offends them or to save yourself the trouble just don't use the words at all since there's like 3580837 other words you could use that would communicate the same message and wouldn't potentially seriously upset someone. for me personally i don't give a shit if people use those words in that way but i'll most definitely say it'll put me on edge and make me weary of someone until they've shown me that they're not homophobic. similarly i can completely understand and sympathize gay people who get offended regardless of the context when they see it being used and get angry and lash out as a result. it's not really your place to be telling someone who is directly impacted by that kind of language how they should feel or that they're being too sensitive by not understanding context, cause they can be incredibly hurtful regardless of how you use them.

also yeah dogfood i got u its cool

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(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 12:39 AM by Kman.)
05-08-2014, 12:37 AM
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Bridge Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

(05-08-2014, 12:37 AM)Kman Wrote: the difference is gay and faggot are still very very much linked to homophobia and so regardless of the context they're still going to be upsetting to people. maybe like 100 years from now if that trend continues faggot will actually be disassociated from its origins enough that when you say it you won't automatically link it with gay men, but as it stands regardless of how out of context you're using it when you say it people are still going to think "that's a derogatory term for gay men" so it's still going to hold its power.

The only difference is time. We live in a time where those words are perhaps generally accepted to have homophobic connotations but there will never be a time when they aren't if people insist on the definition. "100 years from now" doesn't exist in a vacuum - it is a gradual process. Enough people are using the word gay to refer to a specific idea unrelated to homosexuality that it can be considered an alternate definition. Especially in gaming "gay" is a shorthand for bad although it has perhaps been falling out of style recently. It doesn't necessarily imply that gamers are homophobic, especially evident if you compare "gay" to completely uncharged words that do not necessarily invoke all of the possible homonyms or shades of meaning. In that case it is less offensive and less tempting to argue words actually have any inherent meaning. It means what you and other people agree it means, nothing more and nothing less. Trying to ensure that everybody is free from any possible unintended harm is one of the worst things about PC culture.

Quote:save yourself the trouble just don't use the words at all since there's like 3580837 other words you could use that would communicate the same message and wouldn't potentially seriously upset someone.

Why filter yourself? If the first thing that comes to mind is the word "gay" and it accurately expresses what you want it to express, and you can be reasonably sure that the people that hear it will understand the meaning, why not use it?

Quote:it's not really your place to be telling someone who is directly impacted by that kind of language how they should feel or that they're being too sensitive by not understanding context, cause they can be incredibly hurtful regardless of how you use them.

No, but it's also not anybody's responsibility to ensure that their speech is so neutral and beige that absolutely nobody will be offended by it. I choose not to constantly parse my thoughts for "offensive" language and spew out the most disgusting prose. I don't personally use the word gay to mean bad because the word doesn't appeal to me very much although I do sometimes use it to refer generally to homosexual people (and it's my experience that people, even homosexuals, are starting to use it more and more in that sense although that's beside the point.)

Let's not forget that we live in a technological age of the internet and mass media. Ideas can be transmitted extremely quickly and its effects on language are already apparent. It doesn't take decades for a specific word definition to become standard usage anymore, it can happen in a matter of weeks.

EDIT: But you know, whatever. If you feel differently then power to you.
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 01:49 AM by Bridge.)
05-08-2014, 01:44 AM
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Kman Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

i mean personally what it comes down to is i know many many other queer people who have been beaten made fun of and harassed by people for years with a lot of that torment being fueled by those words so i can completely understand how much it would hurt for them to hear people throw them around casually without any thought to how it might effect others. for me personally i know that a lot of the way people at my school use faggot/gay/generally joke about and demean homosexuality at my school has kept me from trying to be open about myself because it most definitely can make me uncomfortable.

and beyond that it's really not hard to work words out of your vocabulary - i've made an effort over the last 8 months or so to work a lot of questionable language out of the way i speak (mainly the casual use of retard and nigga but w/e) and ive pretty much gotten to the point where when im formulating thoughts i no longer feel a need to censor myself cause those words don't make their way into my thought process anymore. it's not hard, it doesn't take any of the power out of your language itself since generally there's dozens of other substitute words that get across the same idea, and you'll avoid offending and potentially aiding to the oppression of others so like what's the down side.

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(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 02:02 AM by Kman.)
05-08-2014, 02:02 AM
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Bridge Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

Never mind, actually. Let's just say everybody has to do what they think is right.
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 02:47 AM by Bridge.)
05-08-2014, 02:28 AM
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RedKnight Offline
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RE: Random Stuff




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05-08-2014, 09:43 AM
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Nice Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

so i just realised that while i was blasting music really really loud, the door was open...Ooops... sorry neighbours Blush


Sorry but we cannot change your avatar as the new avatar you specified is too big. The maximum dimensions are 80x80 (width x height)
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 01:48 PM by Nice.)
05-08-2014, 01:48 PM
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Deep One Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

resisposse?
05-08-2014, 01:52 PM
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Nice Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

(05-08-2014, 01:52 PM)Deep One Wrote: resisposse?

ha i wish Big Grin

it was this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdF5Cumi2PI dat bass though


Sorry but we cannot change your avatar as the new avatar you specified is too big. The maximum dimensions are 80x80 (width x height)
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014, 09:05 PM by Nice.)
05-08-2014, 02:15 PM
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Red Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

What is the reason behind these, Google, Baidu, Yahoo! Etc. In online list?
05-09-2014, 08:31 AM
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PutraenusAlivius Offline
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RE: Random Stuff

(05-09-2014, 08:31 AM)Red Wrote: What is the reason behind these, Google, Baidu, Yahoo! Etc. In online list?

Probably bots.

"Veni, vidi, vici."
"I came, I saw, I conquered."
05-09-2014, 08:42 AM
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