# 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:** 2
**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, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/21 "2011-05-25T21:14:41Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Score. You don’t work for a municipal bureaucracy, do you? I can neither confirm nor deny. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/22 "2011-05-25T21:29:37Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > And what about _tree huggers_ as slurs against environmentalists? I resemble that remark and I don’t mind it at all. :: goes out to hug a tree :: > [@CandidGamera](#): > > 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? Bra-fucking-vo! I heartily endorse this post. The only thing wrong with it is that you apologized for it right off the bat. There is absolutely no need to apologize for it. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/23 "2011-05-25T21:33:34Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > 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. Shut your fat face, retard! Nobody calls \*white \*people niggers. 😛 ---
**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, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/24 "2011-05-25T21:46:49Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > 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. It’s not used that way as often as the other terms, but it does happen. I’m thinking here of people who are well within the range of normal weight but who might have a chubby face or thick legs. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/25 "2011-05-25T23:00:19Z")
Obviously sensitivity keeps marching toward the extremes. So “word” will be the next language construct to become offensive, since you have the n-word, the f-word, the… well, you get where I’m going to with this. Obviously the word WORD is the problem here. ---
**Author:** ![blueskiesfrompain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@blueskiesfrompain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueskiesfrompain)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/26 "2011-05-26T01:01:23Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > 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? Unless it’s pronounced _phat,_ then it’s a compliment! _Minority_ might be on the way out. Not only because of changing demographics, but because the word may make minorities feel like, well, minorities. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/27 "2011-05-26T03:05:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > _River_ is an ethnic slur? 😕 I think he means gettin’ jiggy with it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/28 "2011-05-26T03:09:16Z")
I think we need to establish a Rule of Seven. There are seven traditionally banned words: ass, balls, cocksucker, cunt, fuck, motherfucker, piss, shit, tits. If you add a word to the banned list, you have to remove a word from the list. So if we’re not allowed to say retarded, faggot, or nigger, we are allowed to say piss, shit, and tits wherever we want. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/29 "2011-05-26T05:45:30Z")
Is “the R-word” actually settled? Proponents of treating it like a terrible slur seem to act like it is, but I don’t think they’ve made their case. I’ll just copy and paste what I posted the last time I was involved in a discussion on the matter (wherein “retarded” was compared to racial and homophobic slurs), and hope to get a decent response: > [@Max the Immortal](#): > > I see it as more akin to “blind” or “deaf”. Blindness and deafness are objectively undesirable traits. If they invented a pill that gives perfect vision to the blind, it’s perfectly fine to say, “Great! Let’s get this pill to as many blind people as possible.”. Likewise, it’s fine to want to distribute a hearing-granting pill to as many deaf people as possible. It’s not acceptable to mock a blind person for being blind or to mock a deaf person for being deaf, but saying “What are you, blind?” or “What are you, deaf?” to the unafflicted are acceptable because it is understood that the intention is not to disparage the blind or the deaf. > > In contrast, being black is not an objectively undesirable trait. Slurs like “nigger” carry with them the assertion that blackness is a bad thing. If they invented a pill that turns black people white, it is not at all okay to say, “Great! Let’s get this pill to as many black people as possible.”. The same rules apply for the word “faggot” and a pill that turns gay people straight. It is not acceptable to mock black people for being black or gay people for being gay. It is also unacceptable to use expressions like “That’s so gay.” in a sense that does not mean homosexual, because the statement still carries with it the assertion that homosexuality is a bad thing. > > Now let’s consider mental disabilities. Is a mental disability an objectively undesirable trait? If they invented a pill that grants normal mental faculties to the mentally disabled, would it be helpful or hateful to try to distribute this pill to as many mentally disabled people as possible? I think we all agree that it is not acceptable to mock a mentally disabled person for being mentally disabled, but does saying “What are you, retarded?” to a normally bright person when they fail to understand instructions or a joke also disparage people with mental disabilities? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/30 "2011-05-26T05:50:49Z")
The thing is the “F word” or any other word is not equal to the “N word” in any way. Can you imagine a white player using the “N word”? He would never have gotten off so easy as a fine and a forced apology. This reminds me of _the Simpsons_ episode where Mr Burns is fined two million dollars and he shrugs and pays it, then says “I’ll buy that statue of justice too.” ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/31 "2011-05-26T05:52:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Fucktard > ETA: that wasn’t directed at **Omar** , rather it was an answer to the OP. 😉 But that’s my favorite one. ☹ I have a feeling that “fundamentalist” will make its way up there. Well, if they ever get their PR straight. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/32 "2011-05-26T05:55:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There are seven traditionally banned words: ass, balls, cocksucker, cunt, fuck, motherfucker, piss, shit, tits. That’s an interesting definition of “seven” you’ve got there… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/33 "2011-05-26T05:55:47Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Is “the R-word” actually settled? Proponents of treating it like a terrible slur seem to act like it is, but I don’t think they’ve made their case. I’ll just copy and paste what I posted the last time I was involved in a discussion on the matter (wherein “retarded” was compared to racial and homophobic slurs), and hope to get a decent response: I’m sorry for the double-post, but I just saw this and I _had_ to comment. Deafness is _not_ an undesirable trait to the millions in the Deaf community. Many many many Deaf people OBJECT to ‘fixing’ their deafness. My Deaf friends are Deaf. It’s like me being Jewish or my best friend being Chicano. It’s nothing you fix. It’s just part of who you are. Sorry, I felt compelled to correct that. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/34 "2011-05-26T09:20:29Z")
This is a timely thread. I’m house-hunting and just south of Aberdeen, an easy commute to my workplace, is a place called Nigg… 😃 ---
**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 26, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/35 "2011-05-26T13:00:58Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > I’m sorry for the double-post, but I just saw this and I _had_ to comment. > > Deafness is _not_ an undesirable trait to the millions in the Deaf community. Many many many Deaf people OBJECT to ‘fixing’ their deafness. My Deaf friends are Deaf. It’s like me being Jewish or my best friend being Chicano. It’s nothing you fix. It’s just part of who you are. > > Sorry, I felt compelled to correct that. Well, you felt compelled to nag someone about it, anyway. ‘Correct’ implies that your position has some objective truth, and it’s really just an opinion. ---
**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 26, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/36 "2011-05-26T13:02:25Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Is “the R-word” actually settled? Proponents of treating it like a terrible slur seem to act like it is, but I don’t think they’ve made their case. I’ll just copy and paste what I posted the last time I was involved in a discussion on the matter (wherein “retarded” was compared to racial and homophobic slurs), and hope to get a decent response: I think your post was tickling the back of my brain when I wrote mine. I remembered seeing someone make the same point as me, but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/37 "2011-05-26T13:09:48Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Well, you felt compelled to nag someone about it, anyway. ‘Correct’ implies that your position has some objective truth, and it’s really just an opinion. :rolleyes: So if someone said something derogatory about black people, I can’t correct that mindset? Whatever. The idea that deaf = undesirable is wrong. And the idea that Deaf would be taking 'hearing pill’s by the millions IS wrong wrong wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/38 "2011-05-26T13:28:15Z")
I always just found it odd that other ethnic disparities don’t get the same treatment. Why isn’t, say, chink the c-word, or spic the S-word? They’re still offensive enough that I feel I need to add a disclaimer that I would never actually use these words. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/39 "2011-05-26T13:41:32Z")
Something related to women - maybe “bitch” will go from swear word to career-ender. (I would go with Hispanics but I don’t know of any common word that can be bannable.) Remember that these words get banned not based on how offensive they are, but because those groups have _political power_ behind them. Fat people aren’t politically powerful yet. (Nor, **BigT** , are Asians.) And “fundies” and “teabaggers” belong to the side of the political spectrum that hasn’t yet successfully banned lots of words. ---
**Author:** ![blueskiesfrompain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@blueskiesfrompain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueskiesfrompain)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151/40 "2011-05-26T13:48:30Z")
You’d think that as society evolves (if we really are), the list would grow shorter. Anticipating the eventual backlash to the list growing out of control, I will add to it the word _tolerance._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-to-be-the-next-n-word-f-word-r-word/583151.md?page=3)