# What is going to be the next N-word, F-word, R-word? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151 "2011-05-25T14:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/1 "2011-05-25T14:09:08Z")
Last night during Glee, there was a public service announcement condemning the use of the R-word, _retarded_. A few nights ago during the Eastern Conference Championship, Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls center, called a fan the F-word, _faggot_. He was subsequently fined $50,000 by the NBA. I don’t think I need to explain the N-word, but in 2006 Michael Richards called a heckler the N-word, _nigger_. It was caught on video by a cell phone. Basically, Richards career is over. All of these words are considered slurs. The F and R words appeared to become slurs because they are used to describe people in a negative way, even though they aren’t mentally handicapped or homosexual. So what are the next words that will replace these words, and will subsequently become politically incorrect to use? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/2 "2011-05-25T15:47:40Z")
The bird is the word. d&r ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/3 "2011-05-25T16:14:50Z")
I’ll throw out one. I think _trailer house_ and connotations, _trailer trash_, will eventually be declared as slurs against the poor. The industry that makes trailer houses already has purged those labels from their marketing and venacular. They are _manufactured homes_. And what about _tree huggers_ as slurs against environmentalists? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/4 "2011-05-25T16:15:33Z")
Fucktard ETA: that wasn’t directed at **Omar** , rather it was an answer to the OP. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/5 "2011-05-25T16:17:16Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Fucktard > ETA: that wasn’t directed at **Omar** , rather it was an answer to the OP. 😉 I have a feeling that \*\*already is \*\*considered a slur. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/6 "2011-05-25T16:18:58Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I have a feeling that \*\*already is \*\*considered a slur. Well, that explains the minister’s nasty looks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/7 "2011-05-25T16:19:00Z")
The T-word, ‘tea-bagger’. We’re supposed to use the accurate and accepted descriptive term, ‘moron’. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/8 "2011-05-25T16:19:08Z")
Special. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/9 "2011-05-25T16:20:25Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I have a feeling that \*\*already is \*\*considered a slur. It’s an insult, obviously, but it’s not a slur on any specific group of people. This is actually kind of an interesting question. Nothing is leaping to mind for me, though. “Retard” is rude when used as an insult but not that many people consider it a _slur_ on all people with learning delays and things. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/10 "2011-05-25T16:31:20Z")
Perhaps name changes are in the offing for a certain Irish dance, those big cats from Maine, and one of the suits in a deck of cards and a type of little shovel. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/11 "2011-05-25T16:43:18Z")
_River_ is an ethnic slur? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/12 "2011-05-25T16:44:50Z")
Obese. It’ll become “gravitationally-challenged.” ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/13 "2011-05-25T17:08:17Z")
Lame? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/14 "2011-05-25T17:29:29Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Obese. It’ll become “gravitationally-challenged.” I’m obese but I prefer the term " ratio-skewed", thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/15 "2011-05-25T17:33:39Z")
Fat. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/16 "2011-05-25T18:07:26Z")
I’m sorry, but this one bugs me. Retarded is not in the same league as ‘faggot’ or ‘nigger’. Those two have no purpose other than to slur and to lessen groups of people who are not deficient in any way. ‘Retarded’ - has other uses (‘The progress on the project was retarded by external factors…’) and is a term that DOES designate an actual deficiency. I am not advocating that people with mental disabilities should be freely and frequently labeled as ‘retards’ - that’s disrespectful. The word has acquired connotations of contempt. However! Like its sister terms ‘moron’ and ‘imbecile’ and the rest, it is useful to have synonyms for ‘stupid’. So if I am frustrated with someone’s inability to grasp a concept, I might impugn their intelligence as an expression of that frustration with ‘moronic’, ‘imbecilic’ or, yes, ‘retarded’. I mean, we can all recognize that we shouldn’t call someone with a physical handicap a ‘cripple’ because it’s disrespectful, but neither should someone be excoriated for saying ‘They took the best features out of the software before it’s release, so it’s really crippled by the lack of functionality.’ I see these kinds of hyper-PC crusades as equivalent to the parents who’ve complained about the red mistake marks on their student papers making their precious flowers feel bad. Because seeing the red marks hurts their feelings! Well, it’s not the color. They’d feel bad about the marks no matter what color they were - because the mark indicates an error or deficiency. If teachers start using purple marks for errors - well, guess what? Twenty years from now, they’ll complain about the teachers using purple marks. Maybe one could argue that we shouldn’t have labels for such things at all, because labels are hurtful - but I call bullshit on that. What’s our alternative going to be when ‘mental disability’ becomes taboo? At what point do we actually educate people about mental disability and work to eliminate prejudices instead of jumping at the shadow of an adjective? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/17 "2011-05-25T19:04:15Z")
" I was at my place of non competitive co supportive employment sitting in a neutral environment with several gender non specific co employees. One of them who had a name which might identify the person by their gender and thus wil not be used due to neutrality guidelines made mention of the new automatic doors that may be utilized by those co employees who without in any way limiting or identifying them by physicality or ability might desire to make use of said automatic doors… " ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/18 "2011-05-25T20:34:09Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > " I was at my place of non competitive co supportive employment sitting in a neutral environment with several gender non specific co employees. One of them who had a name which might identify the person by their gender and thus wil not be used due to neutrality guidelines made mention of the new automatic doors that may be utilized by those co employees who without in any way limiting or identifying them by physicality or ability might desire to make use of said automatic doors… " Score. You don’t work for a municipal bureaucracy, do you? ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/19 "2011-05-25T20:46:04Z")
I definitely think the next socially-deemed-to-be-eradicated word will be fat, or specifically, using ‘fat’ as an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/20 "2011-05-25T20:54:59Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I definitely think the next socially-deemed-to-be-eradicated word will be fat, or specifically, using ‘fat’ as an insult. Do you think that _fat_ will be used as an insult or derision towards people that aren’t actually fat, but as a way of demeaning them? Because that’s how _retarded_ and _faggot_ are commonly used. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151.md?page=2)