[Mod Hat]
We do “get” abbreviations and acronyms, you know.
Telling someone to “shut the fuck up” or “go fuck yourself” is way over the line for IMHO and the latter is even especially prohibited even in the BBQ Pit. I’m lenient enough to make this a Mod Notice only, but going any further in this thread - or indeed anywhere else than the Pit and there only according to such rules as apply - will result in this being upgraded to a Warning.
[/Mod Hat]
I think the issue is that the “acceptability” of a particular word or name depends a great deal on personal, individual relationships. The vast majority of the time, it would be improper to call a black man “nigger” or a gay man “fag.” Those are words with powerful social and emotiona attachments, which is why they are used as slurs.
But I’ve had friends whom I could call horrible things, and they could do the same to me, because we had a relationship in which we both understood it was all in fun.
This will seem an odd analogy…when I was growing up my family had an Alaskan Malamute, pure-bred, around 110 pounds. Big, powerful dog with big powerful teeth, who I always knew could hurt me very very badly in the blink of an eye. But I could rough-house with that dog, smack her around, throw her around, and she didn’t harm a hair on my head. It’s because we trusted each other. There’s no way she would have allowed that from a different person (well, other than the rest of the family), and there’s no way that I would have walked up to a random dog and smacked it across the face.
Are we still allowed to use WTF? I use it in situations where I’d never use “What the fuck!!??”
You’re so gay.
Yes, of course. It is just a word. A powerful one certainly and with it comes a duty to use it with care, but just a word nonetheless.
Both of course. It is shared experience that we all join into, to and fro, back and forth.
You do have to know your audience of course and seeing as we live in an imperfect world there is always the chance that we get it wrong from time to time.
In my opinion, that is a risk worth taking.
The important think is always…always, the intent of the words. The foulest language can be used in an affectionate way and the most innocuous phrases can be poisoned by ill-intent.
Yes, it’s OK. You’re not using the abbreviation to insult anyone. You can even say, “What the fuck?” But I know you’re way too nice a guy to do that. 
I’m Scottish and find the US stereotypes of British people as having bad teeth and poor hygiene offensive. Mainly inexplicable, but still offensive. Same goes for the reputation of our food as bad, and don’t even get me started on the assumption that me and my bighearted generous countrymen are a nation of stingy misers.
I know I don’t speak for every single Scot/Brit on the board, but rest assured at least one of us doesn’t find outdated prejudices particularly funny.
Going through all your threads/comments, the best points regard what some have termed as “growing a thicker skin” but also agree that at times “fun” can go overboard to the nth degree.
Ones sense of humour is the key. You yourself use the term mock and in essence its all just a war of words, parleying thoughts and opinions with each other, but leave it at that because thats all it is. As an Australian I feel we are aligned more with the English sense of humour, Americans can be somewhat crass if not plain ridiculous in getting their cultural, political et cetera and they do, as we say in Australia, “rub us the wrong way”.
Instead of letting it depress you think of the humour of John Cleese as Basil Fawlty and handle it in the same way, or Ricky Gervais with his subtle stupidity, or even think of how John Inman as the camp Mister Humphries.
Laugh at yourself, with others, grow a thicker skin and for Gods Sake don’t take it to the nth degree.
Ps-us Aussies are full of Bullshit aren’t we!!!
Thing is, Americans’ sense of humor tends to be either crude, cruel, or nonexistent.
Is there any country on earth that’s mocked more than America? And guess what? I simply could not give less of a shit. Some of it’s funny and I laugh. Some of it isn’t and I don’t. What I don’t do, ever, is let it get to me and somehow undermine my self esteem. That would be pathetic.
Developing thicker skin is the only solution. Period.
As long as its good natured I don’t mind. I’ve engaged in self deprecating ethnic humour.
Ehh… As far as I’m concerned, one can (and should) mock ones’ own culture to folks within it, so long as it’s justified. Other peoples’ cultures are outside the mockable range, though.
Here in Minnesota, during a session with friends from Iowa and North Dakota, telling jokes about their states, I stopped & asked them who they told jokes about.
The Iowa guy said they told jokes about Missouri, while the North Dakotan said theirs were about Montanans. And that they were mostly the same jokes, just the locations changed.
I recall some jokes in the ancient Greek comedy plays about other Greek city-states that would work just fine if you changed them to be about Iowa or North Dakota. So I don’t think this has changed much over the centuries.
I have a friend from England (Croixdon) who has told me more jokes about the Royal Family than I had ever expected. And some pretty nasty ones, too.