Terms of abuse

DublinWriter

I was strolling through boards today, when I found not just a boards.ie Mod, but a boards.ie CMod post a single sentence reply to a user in a thread in the feedback forum:

"****** banned from ***** *** for being a complete ****."

(Asterisks used to protect to innocent!)

And it make me kind of curious as to how the Gay Community feel about terms like that being used as terms of abuse in society in general these days. Comfortable? Uncomfortable?

Rev Hellfire

Will no one think of the children?

While there's certainly no denying that the word **** is used in certain contexts as a slur for homosexuals. The fact is that online both the words gay and **** are not used with homosexuals in mind. These are words which where slurs even before they where associated with homosexuals.

This strikes me of knowingly taking a post out of context it is in and then letting on your insulted.

damien

Generally it's used by paedophiles to call each other names. Paedophiles is the new term used for gamers by the way so it's ok to use that. Paedophiles can find some other term to describe themselves now. Like elves or something. It's only a word for God's sake. Queue Boston disagreeing with white and saying black.

Rev Hellfire

I just don't buy into this idea that these words are the exclusive domain of the homosexual community. The cutural significance of words change over time. I see no reason insults which have had there meaning narrowed down to refer to the homosexual community should some how be exemt from change.

Should we ban all words to which some grouping may take offence even when culturally the word has moved on from them.

I'm sure the homosexual community has enough problems to deal with without creating insults where none was given. But then again maybe some people just wish to create a siege mentality.

Boston

Rev Hellfire wrote:

Should we ban all words to which some grouping may take offence even when culturally the word has moved on from them.

Has it really?

Nevyn

It hasn't.
The gamer/lanner/rpger community has it's own culture but it is not the norm.
That community used to be the vast majority of people who frequently used the internet but guess what things have changed.

It may be culturally acceptible to call your close friends a complete bastard and an utter **** but you certainly would not do so out side of your social circle.

I don't agree with those terms being used in a gamer/lanner/rpger context
and I don't agree with the term rape being used either, really there are other terms such as onwed, ownage, pwned ect.

If the terms were replaced with Pedo and knobjockey they would not be acceptible.

this has already been discussed here I think it would be a good idea to move this thread to humanities for a wider disscussion.

Rev Hellfire

I believe it has. Now I accept you may believe it hasn't, but do you honestly believe that when a teenager says 'thats gay!' they're thinking to themseves 'Ohh my word thats so homosexual !'. The word when used in that context has no sexual assoications and really the only implication they intend to put across is something is lame for what of a better word. But maybe we should ban that word as well because I know when ever anyone says that they're directly insulting me.

Nevyn

What is accepted culturally by a certain grouping in a certain gneration is one thing but that is not socially and culturally the norm in the wider socitey.

Boards.ie is no longer just a forum for gamer/lanner/rpger types,
yes there is a boards.ie culture that incorperates many of the expressions
taken from these subcultures but they are still subcultures (albiet growing ones),
yes there is a learning curve but the days of such arberatry insults are gone
with boards.ie being googlible and bringing many new people to that site
what have no part or knowlege of gamer/lanner/rpger culture.

Now I know the terms have different meaning in thier cultural context and
generational context and the fact there is a difference between Gay and Ghey
is clear to me but it is not to many many others.

Really I think it is a case of people growing up and minding thier manners
and having some consideration for what is the now wider community.