Ah, monetary Tourette’s.
The greater price for incidents like this is with the hit he can take in the salability of endorsements.
Do “we” ever solve any arguments here? Basically never, when it comes to people’s ingrained feelings on certain matters.
The issue seems to be that people like saying “fucking faggot” and “stupid nigger” and they figure since they use those words, they own those words and all they have to do is keep using them, then claim that everyone uses them and all it means is “lame” and oversensitive people are lame, not the people who like to use certain words like faggot and nigger.
If someone wanted to attack the gay community they could think of a better phrase than the same one teens use to insult each other over video games.
I’m just ackowledging that there are differing opinions on that issue and that I’m not eager to get into it again. But here I am anyway.
That’s actually not a bad summary, although it doesn’t include the “that’s not what it means” part.
Are we still talking about the word faggot? I’ve never ever heard it used that way. I’ve heard gay used as meaning lame and such, but I have never ever encountered this. If you call someone a faggot, you’re calling them a homosexual. And if that we’re now hearing “faggot != homosexual,” that pretty much kills the “gay != homosexual” thing anyway.
I believe you can write it off as a charitable donation, sice that money does eventually get donated to charity.
I think we can all sympathize with what you gone through, but your logic here is terribly flawed. Cocksucker is clearly still “spendable currency” as a gay slur, and bitch still has obvious gender connoectios. Most of the time, when men call other men a bitch, they are implying they are acting too womanly, or not manly enough. If Bryant, who I hate btw, had called the ref a bitch, few would say he is demeaning women despite the sematic connection. They wouldn’t say that because that’s clearly not his intent. The same applies to his use of the word faggot. Clearly it’s not something that should be said, but let’s not unnecessarily escalate or personalize this. I was just an offhandedly attempt to be cruel.
But Kobe didn’t say it to you. Are you trying to argue that he was trying to comment on the ref’s sexuality?
Really? You think if he’d called you or the ref a cocksucker, people wouldn’t have though he was trying to make a more direct reference to sexuality? That cocksucker isn’t really connected to anything offensive to a group?
Perhaps it’s a byproduct of your baggage that you assume he thinks it’s the worst thing he can say at the moment. I guess that understandable given your history, but it’s a faulty assumption nonetheless.
That is apropos of nothing. Even if I accept your perception of our collective homophobic baggage, the “black community” doesn’t get it’s cues from any one person any more than the white community does. More importantly, those watching saw him apologize, and get punished for using that language.
First, nigger, like most racial slurs, is almost exclusively used towards a specific maligned racial group. Unfortunately, the word faggot is used commonly enough that it is often used towards people who are not gay. Obviously, the word shouldn’t be used at all, but it’s not a homophobic slur in the way nigger or spic is as a racial slur.
It’s also funny you mentioned Charlie Sheen, who has repeatedly called his ex-wife a nigger to little uproar. I think it’s largely because his ex is white, and because he is a crazy person. So your presumption is demonstrably false. The use of a racial slur out of context clearly doesn’t sink all boats. However, the reality is that the vast, vast majority of people use the word nigger exclusively for black people, which has gives it an overt racial connotation that faggot doesn’t have anymore for gay people.
No, it’s not. I have asked a gay black guy that, and he said they weren’t really comparable. Furthermore, I, as a straight black guy have been called both, and can tell you one was intended to be far more personal and hateful than the other.
Do people often call non-Jews, kike? Not usually, and that’s why your analogy fails.
Here is one openly gay former NBA player’s take on the issue:
Former closeted ex-NBA player Amaechi reacts to Bryant’s gay slur
One snippet:
We had a thread here a while back where I noted that the fund that NBA fines go to is not a 501(c)(3), so it’s not a charitable donation. I believe that Kobe’s accountants will have the fine taken out of a future check so it doesn’t count as income, as you suggested.
At the very least he could have bought the ref a nice ring.
Aren’t most of the large fines reduced later? I seem to recall reading that somewhere.
Naturally, the comments section of that article is filled with the usual trash (“Waa waa waa people call me a closed-minded bigot just because I think everyone who isn’t exactly like me should be shot”). But what really gets me is how every damn time something like this comes up, out come the “don’t we have free speech??” and “what about the 1st Amendment??” comments.
Gaaaa! Look, I understand that you have to have been whapped about with the idiot stick for a bit to proudly declare your ignorance like that, but cripes, you’re at least literate, aren’t you? Would it kill you to actually take a second to read the damn Amendment? It’s one sentence long – the portion relevant to your stupidity is 11 words. Hell, if you need me to, I’ll be happy to read it to you.
Congress has make no law abridging Kobe’s freedom to call a ref a “fucking faggot”, and David Stern isn’t Congress. Now kindly fuck off.
Where do you contend the NBA fines go? According to this site, they go to a variety of unnamed charities that are presumably non-profits.
Also, as far as I can tell, the fines other leagues impose can be deducted from taxes according to many experts(Cite, Another, Another) Do you have a cite for your claim?
I saw what you did there
If someone has it in them to say ‘faggot’ or ‘nigger’ as an insult to anybody, that tells you that the person saying those things is an asshole. No apology is possible, unless it takes the form of ‘I apologize to the world at large for being such an asshole as to use those words to describe anybody.’ It is his own actions and his own words that condemn Kobe Bryant to being characterized as an asshole, and until he apologizes properly for the fact that nothing but shit comes out of him, an asshole he will remain.
Given the spate of bullying and suicides surrounding the troubles facing gay teens and gays in general, I simply cannot stand the use of the word and the idea that it is used often without meaning gay is in fact irrelevant. It is a nasty ugly word when used to disparage someone that simply cannot be divorced from its homophoic undertones.
I have a question for those who agree with Sampiro (and/or ARE Sampiro)…
I say, as an insult, to many, both men and women, jokingly. “Suck a dick.” I say this when I have been overcome some way.
I would never say ‘faggot’, in the same manner I would never say ‘nigger’- both are outmoded and any use will be seen as offensive and/or archaic, unless I am one of the groups who choose to use it on themselves…
Is that offensive? If I say suck a dick to someone who would never, or to someone who does, does it matter?
I am not trying to create a strawman- it is definitely a diff issue, but would it matter?
That’s true, but the fund itself is not a non-profit. If the fund was a 501(c)(3), it would have to declare an IRS Form 990, which would state which charities receive the money. But it doesn’t.
Those fines can be deducted from players’ tax income, but they’re not charitable deductions; rather, they’re considered “ordinary expenses” according to your cites. So on your Schedule A (yeah, I just did my taxes), it’s under Line 21, employee expenses, rather than Lines 16-18, charitable deductions. A fine point, I agree, but an important one. And as I alluded to, one way or another Kobe won’t be paying taxes on that $100K.
Fair point, thanks for the clarification.
Things said to friends or people who know you really well don’t really count. If a gay or straight friend tells me “you’re fagging out Jon” if I start oohing over Ikea or singing an unsolicited showtune or whatever I take no offense at all. I make horribly politically incorrect jokes with friends of all ethnicities and orientations and the like and they with me and I really don’t think anybody’s feelings are hurt.
Now if the teller at my bank or my boss said “Don’t fag out”, then I’d probably go into full “Off with the clip ons and off with the slip ons, bring it bitch!” mode, but I can’t see that happening.
One exception: on Facebook there are some fratboy types who seem to think calling each other fag or gay or making gay accusations is the height of comedy. It’s really irritating to gay friends who read it.
Thank you!
I don’t usually ‘count’ friends either, but I guess I wouldn’t say ‘suck a dick’ to a non-friend or someone in the same situation…
Thanks for the fast response!