The name calling thread.

[hacko]

I was kidding about PC world

I’m old school - I stand by “ Mother Fucker”

[Mithrandir]

I’m old school - I stand by “ Mother Fucker”

Fuck is such a great word. I use it quite often.. After all it's just a word.

[TranaGreg]

Gregg asked "What are your guidelines for name calling?" I draw a strong distinction between "curse words" on the one hand and "slurs" on the other. I also try to be sensitive to context, both personal and historical. I'm not personally comfortable with straight people calling each other "faggot", given the slur and historical context of that word, even though Mith and his daughter use it within a presumably benign personal context. I'm also not personally comfortable with the "n-word" in any context, but recognize that it's certainly not my place to police its use among Blacks. I also don't like name calling when wielded in anger, abuse or mean-spirited ridicule/teasing, but am certainly open to its use in good-natured teasing within the context of trusting, supportive relationships.

Good post. I swear a lot but I do try to stay away from slurs, even in private settings. I don't see it as PC, it's just basic decency (respect isn't something that's only to be practiced in public)

[nullnor]

we're a species built on using symbols and identity. because we developed language the very essence of our nature depends on name calling. so you could look at it as being bad sometimes but necessary.

at work i had an up and own relationship with my boss. our personalities clashed. i considered him a 'jock'. of course this would be a bad example to go into on a baseball message board. and might get me burned at the stake. many people here if not everyone left i also consider to be intellectuals. experienced. many very wise.

i played and really enjoyed sports when i was eligible. but i'd probably consider myself a druggie. so what made me not like my boss? he was very impatient. but then everyone it seems is impatient. he played favorites. which is kind of like either you're a member of the team or not. so you have a inner circle of 'teammates'. he was stubborn. the way you have to be in sports. you have to block out all the distractions and get a first down or hit a home run. sure there are people like Tom Brady that say all the right things, but there are also people that by nature of their personality and profession sometimes get in trouble. when we didn't get along he would say if he ever saw me outside of work he would punch me. which i thought was lame because he was 60 years old, and if that's how would solve his problems.. and he would kick my ass. you couldn't criticize him. he was an organized or neat person, if something was out of place it had to be fixed right away. and he had a lot of older brothers that must've teased him a lot growing up, so you had to tread carefully when fucking with him. he was kind of like that Jim Croce song, you don't tug on superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger, and you don't mess around with Jim.

after 16 years of working together we left it like fuck you. which is actually unusual for me. i'm pretty high maintenance but also resilient. i don't know. can i just sum it all up by calling him a jock. and then here i am venting about it on a baseball message board with people that are serious athletes.

[Gregg]

Fuck is such a great word. I use it quite often.. After all it's just a word.

Yep that is the one everyone wants to hear from a 13 year old girl. Look at her with all of her F bombs isn't that cute.

[Fresno Bob]

Yep that is the one everyone wants to hear from a 13 year old girl. Look at her with all of her F bombs isn't that cute.

I'd rather my 15 year old daughter casually toss off "Fuck" than "faggot", in fact, I've removed "gun fag" from my vocabulary, replaced it with "ammosexual". Living 5 blocks from the Castro has clued me in to the hateful way "gay" or "fag" have been used.

My wife and daughter however have become recently enchanted with "Cunt" as their shock word, based off the causal way they heard it tossed about from our last trip to the UK. My daughter also uses "Step off my dick" when she wants to make a specific point about getting mansplained or blocked from doing something "because she's a girl".

[heyelander]

yeah, my name calling is curtailed to when my brother makes a particularly good shot in racquetball or something of the sort... then he'll be called an asshole or the like.

I curse a ton.

the last thing I managed to get rid of was jokingly calling things gay. I realized how demeaning that was for people I never meant to demean.

[Mithrandir]

Yep that is the one everyone wants to hear from a 13 year old girl. Look at her with all of her F bombs isn't that cute.

So why do words shock you? No one said it was cute. it's a word. it's an adjective. it's a noun. it's an exclamation. But ooh it means a "dirty" thing.

And just to make it clear Gregg, my 13 year old daughter is forbidden to use this word in public. Behind closed doors its a laugh. Your sense of humor may vary.

Is it cute when a kid says "poop" ? Then why isn't it cute when that kid says "shit"?

[Gregg]

So why do words shock you? No one said it was cute. it's a word. it's an adjective. it's a noun. it's an exclamation. But ooh it means a "dirty" thing.

And just to make it clear Gregg, my 13 year old daughter is forbidden to use this word in public. Behind closed doors its a laugh. Your sense of humor may vary.

Is it cute when a kid says "poop" ? Then why isn't it cute when that kid says "shit"?

Well for starters, I never said it was shocking.

If you truly believe it's just a word, an adjective, a noun, an exclamation then why on earth would you forbid her to use it in public? Then on top of it call me out when we are apparently on the same page?

I warned my daughters when they were younger that if they "practiced" the F bomb, someday they will use it when they don't want to or mean to. They did not listen.

[Mithrandir]

Well for starters, I never said it was shocking.

If you truly believe it's just a word, an adjective, a noun, an exclamation then why on earth would you forbid her to use it in public? Then on top of it call me out when we are apparently on the same page?

I warned my daughters when they were younger that if they "practiced" the F bomb, someday they will use it when they don't want to or mean to. They did not listen.

Actually forbid is the wrong word. It's like you said to your kids, a warning that she has to face consequences because society frowns upon it. If she drops some f bombs in public i won't really care, but it would cast negative light upon her by those with a more strict sense of decorum.

[B-Fly]

I think non-slur curse words are something where there are a lot of different religious, cultural and geographic subcultures that have completely different perspectives. Cursing a situation rather than a person barely even draws notice in the NY Metro Area, and even cursing a person when the tone is clearly not hateful or aggressive, is more a sign of intimacy and comfort than disrespect.

[Teenwolf]

Gregg asked "What are your guidelines for name calling?" I draw a strong distinction between "curse words" on the one hand and "slurs" on the other. I also try to be sensitive to context, both personal and historical. I'm not personally comfortable with straight people calling each other "faggot", given the slur and historical context of that word, even though Mith and his daughter use it within a presumably benign personal context. I'm also not personally comfortable with the "n-word" in any context, but recognize that it's certainly not my place to police its use among Blacks. I also don't like name calling when wielded in anger, abuse or mean-spirited ridicule/teasing, but am certainly open to its use in good-natured teasing within the context of trusting, supportive relationships.

Do you believe it's your job to shut down a friend or co-worker who is white and jokingly using the n-word? I hate the confrontation, but I recently had to step up.

A co-worker who I'm friendly with kept on using the n-word as a "street slang" sorta thing, and after about the 3rd time he did it, I had to tell him it's not right. He was quite defensive, but I think he got my point. The last time he used it, we were in traffic and he said "outta the way, my nigg@s!""...

I regretted not shutting down the last white guy I saw doing that (a client, grrr...) and felt obligated to say something the next time, especially given it was a person I like and respect.

[B-Fly]

Do you believe it's your job to shut down a friend or co-worker who is white and jokingly using the n-word? I hate the confrontation, but I recently had to step up.

A co-worker who I'm friendly with kept on using the n-word as a "street slang" sorta thing, and after about the 3rd time he did it, I had to tell him it's not right. He was quite defensive, but I think he got my point. The last time he used it, we were in traffic and he said "outta the way, my nigg@s!""...

I regretted not shutting down the last white guy I saw doing that (a client, grrr...) and felt obligated to say something the next time, especially given it was a person I like and respect.

My job, no. The right thing to do, yes. I can't remember the last time I heard someone use the n-word in conversation with me, however. It's mostly just a word I hear kids saying to each other on the subway or on the street, and no, I don't confront kids on the subway or on the street about their language. If I'm talking with someone and they use "faggot" or "gay" as an insult, I'll say something. And I'm pretty active at calling foul on slurs in the online/social media communities in which I participate.

[Whitey]

Fuck is such a great word. I use it quite often.. After all it's just a word.

I think this belongs in the "Moments You Began Feeling Old" thread.

[Redbirds Fan]

I'd rather my 15 year old daughter casually toss off "Fuck" than "faggot", in fact, I've removed "gun fag" from my vocabulary, replaced it with "ammosexual". Living 5 blocks from the Castro has clued me in to the hateful way "gay" or "fag" have been used.

My wife and daughter however have become recently enchanted with "Cunt" as their shock word, based off the causal way they heard it tossed about from our last trip to the UK. My daughter also uses "Step off my dick" when she wants to make a specific point about getting mansplained or blocked from doing something "because she's a girl".

Perhaps an odd time to mention it, but I generally admire your punchy, professional prose.