September 29, 2011
no i’m sorry

turntechlongbottom:

the etymology of the word faggot:

  • a long time ago people used to burn witches and gypsies and gays and a whole lot of other people that they basically just thought were not okay to live in a good christian world because religious zealotry gets pretty horrible sometimes
  • they started the fires that they burned these people on with little bundles of sticks
  • little bundles of sticks that they called faggots

this is incidentally where the british slang term for cigarette comes from

however

  • the next time you call a person a faggot
  • in addition to it making no fucking sense grammatically
  • just try and think about how goddamn horrific that mental imagery is
  • thank you and goodnight

I’m sorry, but that etymology is completely incorrect. It is true that “faggots” does refer to the bundles of sticks and that this is where the slang for cigarettes comes from (referring to cigarettes as “sticks for burning” makes sense, doesn’t it?). BUT

  • homosexuals were not punished by burning at the stake in Britain. They were hanged.
  • in any case, the origin of the term faggot to mean homosexual did not originate in medieval Britain, but in 20th century America.
  • Faggot and fag meaning homosexual male is so definitely American in origin that the word is still used differently in Britain.

The truth is, no one really knows where we got the term. It’s definitely not because they used to burn homosexuals at the stake.

Read more: Straight Dope, Online Etymology Dictionary,  Wikipedia, SD Message Board

(Source: alexanderperchov, via homoerotics)

8:54pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z5korxA5weyE
(Notes: 244)
  
  1. maddersahatter reblogged this from capn-madd-katt
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  8. typephoid reblogged this from aforaffort and added:
    Apparently, this girl doesn’t like the word faggot. I use it all the time. I am bisexual. All of these people that get...
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  11. red-beard-jim reblogged this from sapphicdalliances and added:
    Except that “faggot” as a term used to refer to homosexual men dates to the early 20th century, in the US. “Faggot” as a...
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  19. erlking-in-the-north reblogged this from regicides and added:
    It actually used to be an insult for old people, calling them a burden, first. It’s only recently been applied to...
  20. agentsex reblogged this from homoerotics and added:
    I’m sorry, but that etymology is completely incorrect. It is true that “faggots” does refer to the bundles of sticks and...
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