Post #1664080

2026-03-25 08:48 UTC

@rosaaeterna @sleepybisexual It is still used as a slur in the US, a lot of you are just weirdly uneducated about that. Which results in it coming up in some bizarre locations. E.g. Weird Al's Word Crimes. But the meaning and usage are just like the r-slur, insulting someone's coordination or intelligence by referencing a disability. British use of fag is different, because they're completely different words that happen to be homonyms. The meanings are unrelated.

Replies (1)

@rosaaeterna@transfem.social 2026-03-25 09:08

@Misofist@girlcock.club @sleepybisexual@mk.absturztau.be I've genuinely never seen it used as a slur over here, and I'd consider myself relatively educated? Like, this isn't my first time hearing about it being a slur across the pond. Moreover, I don't think I've even seen it used to refer to anything living over here period. I've only seen it used to refer to inanimate things or abstract concepts, like scheduling or similar. When Nintendo doesn't even realize it's a slur across the pond (That's where I originally learned about it being a slur, was hearing about how Kamek used it in a Mario Party game when referring to messing with a train)... I think I'd say that it's not an issue of being uneducated. Also, hmm, I could have sworn I remembered hearing that the British fag was directly descended from the original use for "faggot" (a stick, or a bundle thereof) since cigarettes are pretty stick-shaped compared to other tobacco products, and thus descended from the same word as the slur variety, but evidently not. I will concede that they are different in that respect, though I still feel that it's the best equivalent for being the opposite way around. In any case, a surprising amount of misunderstanding can result from the differences in slurs and other offensive terms no matter which direction across the Atlantic you're going.

Open ##1664084