You either didn’t read the article, or you have poor reading comprehension skills. Did I not acknowledge that the word isn’t being used as a slur anymore? Did I not also state that it’s unrealistic to try and remove the word from everyday speech?

But yeah, make blind assumptions.

And it’s not being used as a slur anymore “even moreso after this episode?” Wow. So less than a week later, and you can determine that the use of the term “fag” has changed because of an episode of South Park. Amazing. One of the more outlandish things I’ve read recently.

Thanks for reading. I think.

Thanks a lot. My girlfriend is a schoolteacher, so maybe that rubs off on me a bit. Kids always repeat what they hear and often don’t know the meaning or the origin of what they’re saying, as I am sure you know. So punishing them isn’t fair, since they weren’t trying to be mean…educating them is the way to go. If they do it again, then I guess a punishment is appropriate!

Thanks for reading.

As a school teacher, I hear idioms that came from derogatory terms all the time . “Alex is being Jewish (stupid).” “He gypped me on that trade (Cheated).” “You fag (idiot).” “Don’t be gay (stupid).” “Indian giver.” I doubt you would be surprised at how many kids do not know the origin of the phrases. If I mention that the phrase was an insult towards a specific group of people I always get the response of “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” I don’t punish the students just for using the phrases, but I will generally let them in on the secrets of their origin.

Thanks for the comment…some context really goes a long way. And thanks for reading.

to be perfectly honest i think that anyone who gets so worked up over one little word which really doesnt mean anything any more is… welll… a fag

But I have to say, I’m thankful for people like you who make the effort to understand the implications and the nuances enfolded in the slang used commonly today. Especially words that carry such an ambiguity as the word fag.

And should I be completely honest? I am a Belgian, but English is one of my mother languages, and I immediately understood the connotation for the word, from when I was very young. But that was ten years ago or more, and as I stated in my other post, a LOT of things have changed since then. Nowadays I find it very hard to see when that word is used by people to describe a douche, and if they mean it in a demeaning way, as in, “Quit being a fag, you biker, you’re really annoying because you are actually a ridicilous pussy and possibly a closet case because you want to emphasize your masculinity in such a moronic way”, or if they just use it in a new composite, like “You’re such a fag because this term is offensive on its own, no gay implication intended”..

It’s like the question of the chicken and the egg, it just keeps turning back on itself.. And that’s why I think maybe South Park DIDN’T miss the point, because they also realise that the nuances are too complicated AND it’s impossible to banish the word from our language altogether, so let’s just get over it and start from scratch; let’s give a new meaning to the word. And I can only hope it catches on.

When I was younger I used to hate South Park because it was crass and vulgar, and sometimes vicious. But it’s always had a moral kernel (however well disguised under all the crudeness) and I think in the latter years, while maybe having lost some of it’s originality, it has certainly gained very much in growing into an accurate and almost moral cultural satire. There have been moments in this series, I’d even say a good few ones in this new season, where they hit the nail squarely on the head. For example in the Pirate episode, never mind they killed them all of at the end (that’s just South Park, they can’t be ALL goody-goody moral guardians, it’s just their edge), when that one pirate made the speech about how horrible it is to live the life they way they have to, I actually felt my stomach knot up. That was ON IT, man.. And especially compared to Family Guy, where however awesome the animation can be sometimes (the Disney rip-off with the pie-song? Already a legend), that series never has a leg to stand on because they don’t give a crap. About anything. Exhibit A; the fact that Macfarland wanted to use an abortion storyline in the series. Because, uh, he felt like it.

no thanks.