The Batlord

I absolutely agree. "Faggot" wouldn't have any weight if it weren't a slur for the most egregious sin a straight man can supposedly commit. But the simple weight of that word has become its own monster that can be used to bludgeon someone very directly while only indirectly implying the real meaning, even possibly so indirectly as to not even particularly imply it.

I'm not defending the casual use of the word in general as probably most of the people I can think of who I've known who'd use the word in public without heavy irony would most definitely be homophobes. I'm defending the idea that the word has evolved a distinct, perhaps not exactly meaning, but a distinct context that is entirely down to it being the most insulting thing you can verbally inflict upon a male.

Is the homophobic definition the reason that it is the most insulting? Absolutely (along with just how guttural and abrasive the word sounds, which really does matter) but the sheer disrespect that comes with simply evoking the word makes it kinda important as simply a means to show just how much you dislike someone. I could call somebody a queer and it would mean exactly the same thing but it wouldn't have the same effect because it simply doesn't have the same weight.

I didn't accuse you of doing so. I was speaking in general.

__________________