Every morning is the same old thing. After hitting the snooze button multiple times, I eventually hop up out of bed, brush my teeth, shower and put on some clothes. But there's also one other thing that I never leave the house without doing–turning my "fag on", obviously.
The above is an alternate version of maybe-gay rapper Souljah Boy's "Turn My Swag On". What do you think of the creator's decision to reclaim the word "fag"?
In the past, I had personally been uncomfortable when individuals used the word even jokingly. My mind was opened up when I read a quote from DT, half of Philadelphia's openly homosexual hip-hop duo Sgt. Sass.
"A lot of people have an issue with us using the word 'faggot,'" he told Philadelphia Weekly. "But I hear that word every day and I probably will for the rest of my life. So you have to own it."
What about you? Do you own the word or get insulted when someone uses it around you? Does the context of the usage matter, or do you find it offensive either way? And is there a difference between saying "fag" or "faggot"?
– Dewitt
I work in a retail clothing store in the midwest, and I hear the word ‘fag’ tossed around by customers pretty frequently … it’s very easy to ignore when it’s teenage boys using it, but every once in awhile I’ll hear a mom or a dad use it in conversation with their kid, and that can be pretty hard to hear.
i think theres a difference between fag and faggot. to me faggot just sounds very harsh, like a knife. but fag is just whatever.
It’s the context that packs the punch.
Saying someone is a faggot in an effort to hurt them is noticeably different than saying it to a friend jokingly.
knowing the origin of the word, i just can’t get my head around accepting it.
i laugh at people that attempt to use words in a hurtful manner, their IQ amuses me.
he also use the “N” in the “rap” and I’m not talking nagger..I guess he is trying to make a point or something?
eddie, which “origin” are you referring to? There are several things you could mean by that.
For me, fag and faggot are the same thing, and offensiveness is definitely contextual. I even use them sometimes meaning offense, and sometimes not. There are some people who are not allowed to use those words except in specialized situations, though, definitely.
It does bother me when people censor “faggot” and “nigger” in conversations ABOUT the WORDS, though. In my opinion, that just gives them more power as slurs.
It’s all in your perception. To me bitch and nigger are two words I can’t stand to hear because in any context I take them personally and I find them offensive. A lot of my friends toss around bitch jokingly between themselves but never with me nor I them because they know I get pissed. But anytime you use a word to negatively describe someone it’s offensive. It just depends on the person’s sensitivity to the word. I’m not bothered by fag, pussy, ass, or any other “vulgar” words. Just the two I mentioned earlier.
Just a thought- isn’t a fag a cigarette?
I think his decision to reclaim the word fag’s a good one.
one origin of the word is that it originally meant a bundle of sticks. the term was applied to gay men during the inquisition when they were subject to be burned at the stake along with witches.
I am pretty sure that etymology is disputed.