GribbleGrunger said:
Callum_Alexander said:
Which is a lack of freedom of speech. I am gay, but if somebody wants to call me a faggot and tell me my sexuality is wrong/sinful, they have every right to do so. Freedom of speech doesn't mean we can only say nice things, it means EVERYBODY has a right to say ANYTHING. This is something that actually really bugs me.
On topic, since joining this site I have often wondered about the credibility of whoever "runs" it. The numbers just seem ridiculously favoured toward the Xbox, even after being proved wrong (and quite frankly, humiliated) on numerous occasions.
|
Well, you would say that you're a faggot ...
Before anyone complains about that statement or it's 'moderated', I want to make it clear I'm just making a point. I've instantly dismissed everything you said by simply labeling you a 'faggot' (a word two of my gay friends don't like at all, and rightly so). The word 'fanboy' is wrong for a similar reason. It instantly undermines any meaningful discussion and infers that the poster is in no position to debate. What you, and others, are doing when you use that pathetic word is manipulating how people view a comment. It then becomes the instant 'go to' rebuttal and so negates reasoning. Recently, in a thread I started based on a site called 'Insiderp', someone anwered the question 'why do people trust this site' with 'because it suits them'. This couldn't be further from the truth. I see the debate itself as meaningful and point (a/ the propostion) and point (b/ the conclusion) to be simply the catalyst for that debate. 'Fanboy' is an instant fullstop which both irritates the poster and stymies any thoughtful discussion.It goes against everything the word 'forum' stands for.
It has NOTHING to do with 'freedom of speach', it's designed to take it away.
|
I think you misunderstood me slightly, I too think the word is abhorrent and would never actually use it, just as I would never use slurs against any "minority", but that certainly doesn't mean that other people shouldn't be allowed to. I cannot ask for the freedom to marry whom I want with one breath, and then request that another person's freedom be inhibited with the next. That is not fair. As to your declaration that you have dismissed me by calling me a faggot (even though you are just playing devil's advocate), I think it actually has the opposite effect. By calling somebody a fanboy, a faggot, or any other derogatory term, you are dismissing yourself as somebody who should be taken seriously or listened to.
As an example, I was sat in the park with friends the other day and a stranger came up to us, obviously well into his drinks, and started mocking those who wear turbans by singing rhymes to us. Me and my friends instantly dismissed him as an idiot and questioned why it was necessary for us to say, "bob,bob,ding,ding" to a Pakistani who happens to own a shop, when he insisted on forcing his prescence upon us. I guess it depends how mature the members who are having the conversation are, if somebody calls me a fanboy or faggot, I dismiss them instantly as somebody who either cannot hold a decent conversation, has rather drastic views, or is unable to debate the verbal diarrheoa that spurts from their mouth. But to be clear, they are entitled to spout as much vitriol as they want. That is their right.
