Shaw using a homophobic slur in the penalty box.

DISCLAIMER: I am keeping my opinion on the subject completely out of the following comment. I honestly want no part of this as I can see it getting messy quickly. The following is just my objective observations on the subject.

This is the same shit as calling someone a nigger.

This is the problem here. This is where the disconnect is. This statement you just made is basically Reddit's majority stance on this slur. The problem is, Reddit actually represents a minority in the real world. Most people don't see it as a slur equal to the N word. Most people just throw the word around pretty casually when they're either hanging out with friends that they know won't be offended or if they're angry at someone, in which case they probably don't care who gets offended.

And one last thing, context is pretty important here. Calling a white guy the N word is pretty harmless. They aren't gonna be offended by that because it doesn't even apply to them. If nothing else, it's a pointlessly stupid and racist insult. Using it on a black person, however is extremely racist because it implies there is something bad about being black and the word has an extremely long history of racism, oppression, and hate behind it.

Calling someone the F word (I'm really trying my best to just avoid use of these words entirely), however, can easily be insulting to someone who may not be gay. It's a jab at their sexuality and a lot of people identify heavily with their sexuality. It's why that word is so offensive to homosexuals in the first place. It's basically an insult to their very character because you're calling them something they aren't. I don't believe it has anything to do with implying that there's something wrong with being gay. At least not when it's used this way, like the way Shaw used it. And then of course if you are using it against a homosexual, well then it's exactly like when you're using the N word against a black person. You're implying that there's something wrong with being gay and using a word tied with oppression and hate to offend them.

/r/hockey Thread Parent Link - twitter.com