Poll: Yahtzee and the use of the term "Fags"

[SantoUno]

Uhmm I don't remember him using it but it's because I don't remember such a thing. I mean come on, what's the big deal?

Unfortunately, fag has been accepted as a simple insult nowadays, so the use of it can't really be called a derrogatory term unless you are calling an openly homosexual man a fag, at which point you may just be being a bigot. However, in the context, I'd have to say stop over-analysing it and enjoy the funny.

Just like this guy says Yahtzee just used it as a cheap insult for laughs, and it really isn't a problem unless he or anyone else openly uses it to insult a homosexual.

 

[RyVal]

I thought the term "fag" was slang for cigarette in Europe, so I find it odd that Yahtzee would use it as an insult. On the other hand, Yahtzee lives in Australia and I don't know what the term means down there.

What? Where did you hear that? I thought Fag meant homosexual in Europe too, and I live in Europe so I'm very confused right now.

I have never heard that "fag" means "cigarette".

Well...it is.

Fag is rarely used as a homosexual slur in the UK; more often than not, its just slang for cigarette.

We prefer "poof" and "queer".

And since I, as an actual homosexual, couldn't really care about Yatzhee's use of the word "fag", I don't see how people who aren't even gay can get on their community standards high horse.

 

[WickedSkin]

I thought the term "fag" was slang for cigarette in Europe, so I find it odd that Yahtzee would use it as an insult. On the other hand, Yahtzee lives in Australia and I don't know what the term means down there.

What? Where did you hear that? I thought Fag meant homosexual in Europe too, and I live in Europe so I'm very confused right now.

I have never heard that "fag" means "cigarette".

This is a big pile of fags:

Spoiler

 

[chronobreak]

So why would I get offended at a word towards someone else?

I guess you wouldn't.

friend? you started off your post against my "opinion" with 'how rude', and yeah you kinda do, stop being all "proper and elegant" about this, really dude, you picked the arguement about what i said, not the other way around.

well a good 3/4 of the people in this post know what im talking about and have mentioned it, so really, your the minority who is left out of the loop, dont act all high and mighty about me referencing something

biker culture? its pretty easy to see "biker" culture, as they are at any local bar or on the roads, and i had a family friend who was one, so really, its not like they are some foreign species, they are right in our own cities. most of the actual "harley riders" or even "hog ridres" (once again, just giving an example, not saying THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES) are obnoxiously loud and annoying people who think they are badass when in reality they are nowhere near it

in your book? well "fag" in my book is a douchebag or really obnoxious person, doesn't mean the same thing as yours, now does it? so dont give me that crap about "arguement" because you clearly made it one from the get go.

and i never ONCE pointed you out nor quoted anything you said, so therefore answering your questions or talking about what you said originally has nothing to do with what i said in my post, so that was irrelevant to bring it up, im sure i just scrolled right by your post

i didn't mention at all yahtzee's video, and i never ever said thats what he was talking about, and i never said the average viewer would ever conclude that, stop making up these false accusations. they are all null and your just making up shit that has nothing to do with what i originally said

edit : so i should be "tolerant" of suicide bombers and their culture? they believe they get 72 virgins when they die, i didn't realize i should be tolerant of them and being obnoxious and killing a good round of people with them

thats an over example, but nonetheless true and applies to your whole "observe and be tolerant of the culture"

1. Your post had a very rude and belittling tone to it, so I called you out on it. Why you so upset?

2. I am "proper and elegant" because I capitalize my words? I don't understand what you mean.

3. I don't care about the biker shit anymore. You came off as intolerant of people who ride a specific brand of motorcycle. You are trying to backpedal like you didn't. I hope you don't follow everything you see on South Park.

4. I guess it is an argument, now, but one that I am certainly done with.

5. I never said you said Yahtzee did it because of South Park. I asked for a direct correlation between the show and the way Yahtzee used the term to justify his usage of it in that situation.

6. You are right, suicide bombers have nothing to do with motorcycle riders. I don't know why you made the analogy in the first place, but to run with it, it is good to understand why people to do things, so as not to be ignorant of their reasoning when they do it. We should not be tolerant of suicide bombers, but we certainly should be knowlegable about them. Now let's stop this bickering, please, so my thread doesn't get locked. I'm done addressing this issue in this thread. Back to the discussion at hand.

Like I said, 90% of the people in this thread are not even reading your post. They just read the title and make a post without reading the body at all.

Maybe I should have put this in Off-Topic. I'm not really getting much good discussion here. People get very defensive when you talk about Yathzee in the gaming section, like I'm attacking the guy personally. This is why I add my talking points at the end of my post, so I can see who read it and who didn't by their responses. I also probably should not have made a poll.

 

[Asehujiko]

So, the questions I'm asking are is there a double standard?

Yes. Newsroom staff is also allowed to write articles about stuff that have been discussed to death on the forum and people still get yelled at for calling them out because not reading the forums is apparently a valid excuse for that.

 

[Kruxxor]

I just finished watching the AC2 Zero Punctuation video, and noticed that the word "Fags" was used (not said, just on the screen). Does this offend anyone? It's strange to me, because it is something that we generally don't allow in these forums, because of the obvious bigoted connotation of the term, but The Escapist doesn't really seem to mind that Yahtzee does it, because, well, he's making them money.

Now, of course I know the guy is a humorist at heart, not much of a reviewer, but a pretty solid critic. I'm not a huge fan of his, and don't know if he's used it in other videos, but what do you all think about the situation? Is it alright for there to be a double standard?

Personally, I have no real problem with it, because he is not referencing the term in its derrogatory form, but more of a general sweeping insult, but if you were/are gay, do you take offense? I don't think it's that funny, myself.

So, the questions I'm asking are is there a double standard? If you think there is, is it justified because Yahtzee is a sort of comedic character? Does the use of the term bother you at all? Do you think Yahtzee will get a free pass in this poll because he has so many fans here? Please do not turn this into a flame war, this isn't about whether or not you like Yahtzee personally, but keep it to the issue at hand.

Yahtzee is set out to offend everyone. If you don't like it, don't watch it. You question whether it's okay for him to use the word 'fags'. But I didn't see you make a post saying "Is it right that Yahtzee is making fun of abortions" in another of his reviews.

I am one of these people that finds it impossible to be offended by anything. If you don't like it, don't complain, just don't watch it.

 

[Alufear]

He uses it to comedic effect. If we laugh at it, then we completely strip "offensive" language of its power and turn it into something ridiculous and hilarious.

 

[Nannernade]

Words are words, they mean nothing unless you define them to have power over you, get over it dude, live life and forget.

To think that words hold no value beyond what you give them is an absurd notion. Words hold a lot of power, and language is a very important trait linked to other important things such as culture. It does no good to belittle this fact. If you need to learn more about how words can affect people, read up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbal_abuse

It is not always as simple as turning off your ears.

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, and neither should you. If you are not personally offended by it then stop all the hand wringing and let people who may be directly offended by it deal with it. All your pandering is doing is perpetuating the belief that anyone who is not a W.A.S.P. is delicate and needs you to stand up for them.

I'm not standing up for anyone. It's a discussion, if you have nothing to add to it, why bother posting? You don't even address any of the other points I made. Did you even read the OP?

To be honest... it is that simple, if you think about it, and I mean really... really think about it words have no meaning at all, we the people give words meaning in the society that we live in, we choose what we think we should be scared of, or what we should do with our lives. Let me just run this by you, how did words get their meanings? How do you know? Why were they given that meaning? Finally, why are we offended by it? Answer all of those questions with logical answers, and not just because or because they just did I mean a real answer... then you have the right to argue to people about this topic.

 

[HotFezz8]

to answer the confusion fag in "limey" terms is usually a derogative term meaning a dirty homosexual. although it can also refer to fag as in cigarette.

and no, it doesn't bother me, i actually count it as quite a gentle offensive term, unlike fuck, which is rude.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I thought the term "fag" was slang for cigarette in Europe, so I find it odd that Yahtzee would use it as an insult. On the other hand, Yahtzee lives in Australia and I don't know what the term means down there.

What? Where did you hear that? I thought Fag meant homosexual in Europe too, and I live in Europe so I'm very confused right now.

I have never heard that "fag" means "cigarette".

This is a big pile of fags:

Spoiler

Fags disgust me... They are a crime against nature!

But homosexuals are nice. I know one and he's cool.

 

[chronobreak]

Yahtzee is set out to offend everyone. If you don't like it, don't watch it. You question whether it's okay for him to use the word 'fags'. But I didn't see you make a post saying "Is it right that Yahtzee is making fun of abortions" in another of his reviews.

I knew this post was coming. Look, I don't watch it. I even said I'm not a fan. I wanted some insight on the flaws of AC2 after reading an article on another gaming site. I saw it there, clicked on it, and the word came up less than a minute in. I finished the video, and made the thread. I haven't seen his other reviews, so I wasn't aware he talks about abortions and uses racial slurs in them. I also never said I didn't like the review or the use of the word, yet could see how some people would find it offensive. You should have known that if you read my post. I simply thought it would be an interesting discussion, but it seems to be one that not many people are willing to truly participate in.

I can see the argument behind "Don't like, don't watch", as you said, but "Don't like, shut up about it" is not one I follow, and would eliminate a lot of good discussions.

 

[Nevyrmoore]

This thing about fag referring to someone who rides a Harley...is it just that particular brand of cruiser, or all cruisers in general?

 

[Acidwell]

I think people are too sensitive these days. He isnt talking to a specific person so why do random people eg op take offence

 

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

I didn't find it offensive. I think Yahtz has come out with far more offensive things, especially with the 50 Cent review. But at the end of the day its still humour, people go to his page to laugh at his latest review.

Oh, and pro avatar Chronobreak. Roll on next month <3

 

[MiracleOfSound]

It seems like a large portion of the posters in this thread completely missed the point of the thread creator's post.

He's not asking whether or not it's acceptable to use the word fag, or how he was offended by it. He's asking if it's an acceptable double standard to allow Yahtzee to use the word and then not let the forum posters use it.

Read for comprehension next time.

Listen to the newbie, he speaks the truth.

And yes, it is a double standard. It's not the only Yahtzee related double standard either.

Blood on the Sand, anyone?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

So why would I get offended at a word towards someone else?

I guess you wouldn't.

friend? you started off your post against my "opinion" with 'how rude', and yeah you kinda do, stop being all "proper and elegant" about this, really dude, you picked the arguement about what i said, not the other way around.

well a good 3/4 of the people in this post know what im talking about and have mentioned it, so really, your the minority who is left out of the loop, dont act all high and mighty about me referencing something

biker culture? its pretty easy to see "biker" culture, as they are at any local bar or on the roads, and i had a family friend who was one, so really, its not like they are some foreign species, they are right in our own cities. most of the actual "harley riders" or even "hog ridres" (once again, just giving an example, not saying THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES) are obnoxiously loud and annoying people who think they are badass when in reality they are nowhere near it

in your book? well "fag" in my book is a douchebag or really obnoxious person, doesn't mean the same thing as yours, now does it? so dont give me that crap about "arguement" because you clearly made it one from the get go.

and i never ONCE pointed you out nor quoted anything you said, so therefore answering your questions or talking about what you said originally has nothing to do with what i said in my post, so that was irrelevant to bring it up, im sure i just scrolled right by your post

i didn't mention at all yahtzee's video, and i never ever said thats what he was talking about, and i never said the average viewer would ever conclude that, stop making up these false accusations. they are all null and your just making up shit that has nothing to do with what i originally said

edit : so i should be "tolerant" of suicide bombers and their culture? they believe they get 72 virgins when they die, i didn't realize i should be tolerant of them and being obnoxious and killing a good round of people with them

thats an over example, but nonetheless true and applies to your whole "observe and be tolerant of the culture"

1. Your post had a very rude and belittling tone to it, so I called you out on it. Why you so upset?

2. I am "proper and elegant" because I capitalize my words? I don't understand what you mean.

3. I don't care about the biker shit anymore. You came off as intolerant of people who ride a specific brand of motorcycle. You are trying to backpedal like you didn't. I hope you don't follow everything you see on South Park.

4. I guess it is an argument, now, but one that I am certainly done with.

5. I never said you said Yahtzee did it because of South Park. I asked for a direct correlation between the show and the way Yahtzee used the term to justify his usage of it in that situation.

6. You are right, suicide bombers have nothing to do with motorcycle riders. I don't know why you made the analogy in the first place, but to run with it, it is good to understand why people to do things, so as not to be ignorant of their reasoning when they do it. We should not be tolerant of suicide bombers, but we certainly should be knowlegable about them. Now let's stop this bickering, please, so my thread doesn't get locked. I'm done addressing this issue in this thread. Back to the discussion at hand.

Like I said, 90% of the people in this thread are not even reading your post. They just read the title and make a post without reading the body at all.

Maybe I should have put this in Off-Topic. I'm not really getting much good discussion here. People get very defensive when you talk about Yathzee in the gaming section, like I'm attacking the guy personally. This is why I add my talking points at the end of my post, so I can see who read it and who didn't by their responses. I also probably should not have made a poll.

1.im not upset at all, i have nothing to be upset about? so i dont know where you get that false pretension about being upset, when in fact your more then likely "upset" even though you wont admit to because you are supposedly "starting discussion" even though all your starting is bad arguements that you dont even directly support

2. I was saying it the nice way, but you in fact act like a smart ass, everytime you have commented back to anyone you do it in a smartass tone, and yes i can claim this since you obviously claimed that i posted as "intolerant". so really dude just stop the whole bullshit, i was posting as sarcasm from the beginning, which i even stated after you had to take my post so seriously the first time
3. specific brand? once again, i was REFERENCING south park, as a joke, humor, sarcasm, satire, jeesh, you must be a harley rider if you are getting into this arguement this much about it.
4.it was one when you decided to single out my post and say how rude it is and try and say my opinion had no weight, which not saying it did have much from the beginning, but neither did your responses
5. but i never once mentioned yahtzee at all, not even a thought, so that question should have never arose, therefore you were trying to find a flaw in my opinion when in fact it wasn't there.
6. it was a bad example like i said, but it does state that it is a "culture" and that being passive isn't always the answer. and obviously everyone who participated in the poll gave their 2 cents on it and about 90% from last time i checked weren't offended by it at all, and you were probably one of the 2 or 3 that do get offended by it, judging by your responses, so obviously you wont find any allies in this thread that you created and basically destroyed with picking out peoples opinions

 

[funguy2121]

I just finished watching the AC2 Zero Punctuation video, and noticed that the word "Fags" was used (not said, just on the screen). Does this offend anyone? It's strange to me, because it is something that we generally don't allow in these forums, because of the obvious bigoted connotation of the term, but The Escapist doesn't really seem to mind that Yahtzee does it, because, well, he's making them money.

Now, of course I know the guy is a humorist at heart, not much of a reviewer, but a pretty solid critic. I'm not a huge fan of his, and don't know if he's used it in other videos, but what do you all think about the situation? Is it alright for there to be a double standard?

Personally, I have no real problem with it, because he is not referencing the term in its derrogatory form, but more of a general sweeping insult, but if you were/are gay, do you take offense? I don't think it's that funny, myself.

So, the questions I'm asking are is there a double standard? If you think there is, is it justified because Yahtzee is a sort of comedic character? Does the use of the term bother you at all? Do you think Yahtzee will get a free pass in this poll because he has so many fans here? Please do not turn this into a flame war, this isn't about whether or not you like Yahtzee personally, but keep it to the issue at hand.

He also frequently insinuates that he is gay, as a way of self-mockery, and occassionally even ends a review by stating "I'm not gay," obviously being humorous.

Outright outlawing of the terminology is not what they're going for. That would be 2-dimensional thinking and wouldn't really accomplish much. I curse like a sailor on here and I've only been on probation for a pointless thread. His usage of the word "fag" is never in-context. It's when he's embodying the tone of your older brother who's picking on you. When discussing language in general, I'm not averse at all to using the word "******," but never in context. I do not refer to people as either. It's the usage that defines the word as negative. If you don't believe me, ask Dave Chappelle or Mos Def what they think of the notorious n-word.

Here is a picture of Jessica Rabbit.

 

[chronobreak]

To be honest... it is that simple, if you think about it, and I mean really... really think about it words have no meaning at all, we the people give words meaning in the society that we live in, we choose what we think we should be scared of, or what we should do with our lives. Let me just run this by you, how did words get their meanings? How do you know? Why were they given that meaning? Finally, why are we offended by it? Answer all of those questions with logical answers, and not just because or because they just did I mean a real answer... then you have the right to argue to people about this topic.

Thank you for having an honest discussion with me. My problem with what you are saying, is that if you simplify anything, then everything means nothing. We give meaning to everything beyond it's intentions, because that is just what humans do. If we ignore that, we are just going to all be so apathetic towards everything that nothing will ever get done. Words get their meanings through the implied message they are trying to convey. It is easier than spelling things out with body motions and grunting. How do I know? If we're going with this existential argument, than I know nothing, and nobody really knows anything, maybe we just think we know... you see where that road leads. I know because that is the intention of language, to convey points to each other in an easy to understand method. Now, maybe I am wrong, but I am certainly no expert, nor claimed to be.

I don't think there is a "why" words have the meaning they do. That is just the progression of language from whatever original intent the word had. I also stated this in another reply before.

We are offended by it because we are human, and language carries a lot of weight with us. It always will. It is, in most cases, how we understand things and shapes the way in which we percieve things. That is about as logical as I can get on the subject, I hope that is sufficient for you, though I don't know why I'm trying to live up to a standard of someone on the net who I will probably never meet.

Oh, and pro avatar Chronobreak. Roll on next month <3

Indeed. I cannot wait to find out they are all mental patients, and the island doesn't exist outside their own minds. And then, I will rage.