Jonah Hill on Calling a Paparazzo "Faggot"

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I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

Growing up and realising the implication of using that word in an insult I've made an active effort to stop using it. But still, hearing it doesn't make me think 'oh that person is implicating that other person is a homosexual and hence not as good as us'. I think of it as just another word to put someone down with no real meaning.

It sucks but sometimes we have to look at who using that word in what context, and not just at the words. Jonah Hill is not some closet homophobe using his power to degrade their rights. He was in a heavily agitated situation and resorted to an instinctual vocabulary of insults.

The fact he has to apologise and explain himself is ridiculous and a kick in the face to all the hard work and good he's already done for their cause. It's as if we are constantly suspicious of everyone and constantly looking for a reason to doubt them.
As a kid I was reading the newspaper everyday and was aware of what the words meant before my classmates started using them interchangeably with "idiot/stupid", leaving me really confused for a while before I eventually figured out what was going on due to context.
 
Pretty good apology I'd say.

That said, the world really needs to cool down on getting all fucking nuts when someone says a "bad" word. Instead how about people take a look at the context and then decide whether to get up in arms. When you are pissed you often tend to sling the first shitty insult that pops up in your head, even if it's not something you generally use in you vocabulary.

Solid apology, I agree. Dude's hands were shaking on the show and he was turning red because he was so upset with himself.

But I also agree, the media and pitchforkers need to take a step back and look at the overall context. Yeah, it's a shitty word, but was he trying to intentionally upset the LGBT community? Of course not. He just wanted to piss one guy off and that's it. Me personally, once I grew up and I had a few lesbian friends enter my circle, I virtually stopped using the word in almost any context.
 
black people are scary
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Because Kobe's wasn't an apology? Jonah Hill said he's sorry and that h e didn't mean it but that doesn't make it ok, Kobe said he didn't mean it so that makes it ok.

Neither of them saying it was okay, and reading a canned statement absolves one of his errors and makes him an awesome guy who "owns up to mistakes". While the other one resulted in a facepalm worthy thread and a bunch of douche hipster pseudo-intellectual wannabe psychologists skeeting their thinkpieces about how "poisonous the black culture" with shmucks talking about Prop-8 and African Americans being intolerant of homosexual with some people insinuating that African Americans are the reason same sex marriage isn't legal. All because some dude who wasn't even raised in America called a ref said insult.

Fuck I'd put a shitload of money down on a bet stating if Jonah was say Kanye West and he issued the same apology word for word the internet (and by extension GAF) would be bugging the fuck out for a good month over this.

The word faggot is offensive now? It just means asshole, which everyone uses.

It doesn't target any specific people or have any other directed use, so why is it considered more offensive?

Faggot has ALWAYS been an insult geared towards homosexuals since forever. And at no point was it EVER okay to use, doubly so toward homosexuals. And please for the love of god don't say "well they call each other fags all the time" or anything like that PLS!

That word doesn't mean gay person to me. Though I still don't use it in public obviously because it can be quite offensive.

Such an ignorant view.
 
I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

"Gay" and "fag" were common terms me and classmates would use when playing basketball during P.E./Lunch from elementary school to high school.


However since we've grown up (all around 25-27 years old), we'll still get together and play ball once in a blue moon, and I don't think anyone uses those terms anymore. Especially "faggot". IMO its a very malicious word that should not be used. The way Jonah used it was certainty malicious in the way it was used.
 
Solid apology, I agree. Dude's hands were shaking on the show and he was turning red because he was so upset with himself.

But I also agree, the media and pitchforkers need to take a step back and look at the overall context. Yeah, it's a shitty word, but was he trying to intentionally upset the LGBT community? Of course not. He just wanted to piss one guy off and that's it.

it's not like it's a bad thing to remind people "hey this isn't a cool thing to say". haven't really seen many people call him a homophobe, but he said something dumb and apologizing the way he did was a classy thing to do.
 
I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

Growing up and realising the implication of using that word in an insult I've made an active effort to stop using it. But still, hearing it doesn't make me think 'oh that person is implicating that other person is a homosexual and hence not as good as us'. I think of it as just another word to put someone down with no real meaning.

It sucks but sometimes we have to look at who is using that word in what context, and not just at the words. Jonah Hill is not some closet homophobe using his power to degrade their rights. He was in a heavily agitated situation and resorted to an instinctual vocabulary of insults.

The fact he has to apologise and explain himself is ridiculous and a kick in the face to all the hard work and good he's already done for their cause. It's as if we are constantly suspicious of everyone and constantly looking for a reason to doubt them.

Protip -- the insult really isn't calling some paparazzi homosexual; cause what the fuck, who cares about the paparrazzi and what his sexual orientation is.

The insult is that Jonah was implying to gay people that their sexual orientation is bad or wrong by using their sexuality as an insult against someone else.
 
Neither of them saying it was okay, and reading a canned statement absolves one of his errors and makes him an awesome guy who "owns up to mistakes". While the other one resulted in a facepalm worthy thread and a bunch of douche hipster pseudo-intellectual wannabe psychologists skeeting their thinkpieces about how "poisonous the black culture" with shmucks talking about Prop-8 and African Americans being intolerant of homosexual with some people insinuating that African Americans are the reason same sex marriage isn't legal.
I don't know about all that other stuff, but unless this statement was cut
What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.
he never even said he's sorry.
Fuck I'd put a shitload of money down on a bet stating if Jonah was say Kanye West and he issued the same apology word for word the internet (and by extension GAF) would be bugging the fuck out for a good month over this.
You would likely win that bet, but i don't see how it relates to Kobe and Jonah Hill.
 
How old are you? Not trying to insult you, honestly asking.

21.

And to answer everyone else, the word faggot is not used to specifically target gay people here. We use it for banter, we call anyone it. If it is ever used in a derogatory manner, its always talking about a general asshole.
 
The word faggot is offensive now? It just means asshole, which everyone uses.

It doesn't target any specific people or have any other directed use, so why is it considered more offensive?

Woof. If a word is the last thing people have heard shouted at them before getting beaten to death, it's pretty much not chill to just throw it around.

Solid apology, I agree. Dude's hands were shaking on the show and he was turning red because he was so upset with himself.

But I also agree, the media and pitchforkers need to take a step back and look at the overall context. Yeah, it's a shitty word, but was he trying to intentionally upset the LGBT community? Of course not. He just wanted to piss one guy off and that's it. Me personally, once I grew up and I had a few lesbian friends enter my circle, I virtually stopped using the word in almost any context.

Not sure there is a pitchforker/media thing here though. He's clearly going out of his way to talk about it on Stern and Fallon. TMZ are dingdongs for reporting it in the first place.
 
21.

And to answer everyone else, the word faggot is not used to specifically target gay people here. We use it for banter, we call anyone it. If it is ever used in a derogatory manner, its always talking about a general asshole.

The only reason I ask because when I student taught some middle schoolers, I had an issue where a student called another a faggot and I told him not to say that. He was confused and honestly thought it just meant "jerk" or "asshole".
 
Woof. If a word is the last thing people have heard shouted at them before getting beaten to death, it's pretty much not chill to just throw it around.

There's a whole range of words that fit that description, a big one being 'Witch'. It's obviously uncool to call anyone any word that can be taken offensively unless you and they know it's banter, but to deliberately take massive offence from a word that is used fairly generally is just weird.
 
You don't get to decide what it means and you shouldn't use it at all homie.

That's the weird thing though. Someone, somewhere made the term hateful, when originally it didn't mean anything like that at all!

The "N" word by comparison has a recognizable path of derivation historically so you can understand the basis of how it became hate-speech.
 
Faggot has ALWAYS been an insult geared towards homosexuals since forever. And at no point was it EVER okay to use, doubly so toward homosexuals. And please for the love of god don't say "well they call each other fags all the time" or anything like that PLS!

Such an ignorant view.

This is an ignorant view. If you can't accept that word meanings transgress and change frequently, then you're been just as ignorant.

Yes the word started off as a slur. Yes people use it as a slur. But many people absorb words in the context they are used. Not through the meaning behind them.

There are people who use it just as a word that has impact, not because it has a deep routed meaning.

So next time someone lets it slip, take a good look at who they really are before you immediately grab the pitchforks.
 
21.

And to answer everyone else, the word faggot is not used to specifically target gay people here. We use it for banter, we call anyone it. If it is ever used in a derogatory manner, its always talking about a general asshole.

So if Pankratous became widely used to mean a sub-human, disgusting weakling (what homosexual slurs were used for in the past), you'd be cool with that?

Honest to god -- I have zero tolerance for the sort of short-sighted self-centeredness you are describing. Words have meaning, and words can truly hurt and devastate people. Think of what you say and how it sounds to others every once in a while.
 
Faggot has ALWAYS been an insult geared towards homosexuals since forever. And at no point was it EVER okay to use, doubly so toward homosexuals. And please for the love of god don't say "well they call each other fags all the time" or anything like that PLS!
.

I believe it actually means a stick or a bundle of sticks.


It's just a word. If you went over and said "hey cupcake" with ill intended malice it could be just as bad. Words are overrated. The intent behind the words is what people should focus on. It's like the trolls behind the Colbert "scandal". Trolls decide they don't want to understand the point he was making and just decides to play dumb on the word play. It's obviously bullshit, but that's power of political correctness if you want to linger in these semantic details.

The censorship of words is not what is gonna reduce homophobia for the ignorant. There are other ways that actually works.
 
I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

Growing up and realising the implication of using that word in an insult I've made an active effort to stop using it. But still, hearing it doesn't make me think 'oh that person is implicating that other person is a homosexual and hence not as good as us'. I think of it as just another word to put someone down with no real meaning.

It sucks but sometimes we have to look at who is using that word in what context, and not just at the words. Jonah Hill is not some closet homophobe using his power to degrade their rights. He was in a heavily agitated situation and resorted to an instinctual vocabulary of insults.

The fact he has to apologise and explain himself is ridiculous and a kick in the face to all the hard work and good he's already done for their cause. It's as if we are constantly suspicious of everyone and constantly looking for a reason to doubt them.

Not for me, it wasn't. I always got called those terms growing up, before and after everyone realized what they meant. More so after...nothing like getting told what a "fag" I was in the gym locker room and told to stay away from everyone because I'd get a stiffy if I saw men changing their clothes. Don't pretend for a SECOND that people don't use that term exactly the way we all know it is. Important to note too that he used the word in that context, too.

He absolutely did the right thing in apologizing. People were absolutely right to look for an apology and/or a statement.

And let's not forget that anger and agitation aren't excuses for bad behavior, or derogatory language. Sure, it might be instinct, but that doesn't mean it's right.
 
Solid apology, I agree. Dude's hands were shaking on the show and he was turning red because he was so upset with himself.

But I also agree, the media and pitchforkers need to take a step back and look at the overall context. Yeah, it's a shitty word, but was he trying to intentionally upset the LGBT community? Of course not. He just wanted to piss one guy off and that's it. Me personally, once I grew up and I had a few lesbian friends enter my circle, I virtually stopped using the word in almost any context.

And then Jimmy breaks the tension and said "It's good that you came out..." and got the crowd laughing.
 
The overall difference in reaction between when Jonah said it then apologized and when Kobe said it is amazing.

Was the ref specifically trying to antagonize Kobe at the time?

Did the ref sexually harass Kobe, commenting on his ass (among other things)?

That might have something to do with the difference in reaction to the apologies. From what's out there, the Paparazzo was just digging into Hill who finally snapped. And that's likely the reaction the Paparazzo was going for in the first place.

Like Hill said in his apology, it's not right, but it's not quite so black and white when you know what instigated the action.

what if he is genuinely sorry? I don't know if he is (he seems like it really effected him ) but the dude is a celebrity everything he does is online and on the news.

I agree its unacceptable but its not unforgivable.

It's kind of funny how no one is calling for the Paparazzo to apologize for the harassment that he directed at Hill.

Solid apology, I agree. Dude's hands were shaking on the show and he was turning red because he was so upset with himself.

But I also agree, the media and pitchforkers need to take a step back and look at the overall context. Yeah, it's a shitty word, but was he trying to intentionally upset the LGBT community? Of course not. He just wanted to piss one guy off and that's it. Me personally, once I grew up and I had a few lesbian friends enter my circle, I virtually stopped using the word in almost any context.

Everyone has a limit. For some that limit is much higher than others. But if you push anyone long enough, they're going to hit that limit and likely lash out just to get the harassment to stop.
 
The word faggot is offensive now? It just means asshole, which everyone uses.

It doesn't target any specific people or have any other directed use, so why is it considered more offensive?

Unfortunately, this is incorrect. From Wikipedia:

Faggot, often shortened to fag, is a pejorative term used chiefly in North America primarily to refer to a gay man.

The American slang term is first recorded in 1914, the shortened form fag shortly after, in 1921. Its immediate origin is unclear, but it is based on the word for "bundle of sticks", ultimately derived, via Old French, Italian and Vulgar Latin, from Latin fascis.

The word faggot has been used in English since the late 16th century as an abusive term for women, particularly old women,[9] and reference to homosexuality may derive from this.

Hopefully that helps explain the context. In case there was any doubt that Jonah Hill had recently become British and was bizarrely calling the person a cigarette, he added "suck my dick," which makes the primary meaning unavoidably clear.
 
This is an ignorant view. If you can't accept that word meanings transgress and change frequently, then you're been just as ignorant.

Yes the word started off as a slur. Yes people use it as a slur. But many people absorb words in the context they are used. Not through the meaning behind them.

There are people who use it just as a word that has impact, not because it has a deep routed meaning.

So next time someone lets it slip, take a good look at who they really are before you immediately grab the pitchforks.

This is a great post. Words have different meanings to different people over time, class and geographical location. To give the term a blanket meaning is ridiculous.
 
I believe it actually means a stick or a bundle of sticks.


It's just a word. If you went over and said "hey cupcake" with ill intended malice it could be just as bad. Words are overrated. The intent behind the words is what people should focus on. It's like the trolls behind the Colbert "scandal". Trolls decide they don't want to understand the point he was making and just decides to play dumb on the word play. It's obviously bullshit, but that's power of political correctness if you want to linger in these semantic details.

The censorship of words is not what is gonna reduce homophobia for the ignorant. There are other ways that actually works.

Don't think think it's awful that a word that is widely known as a pejorative for homosexuals (faggot) and black people (nigger) is the first thing that comes to mind when someone is really angry?
 
21.

And to answer everyone else, the word faggot is not used to specifically target gay people here. We use it for banter, we call anyone it. If it is ever used in a derogatory manner, its always talking about a general asshole.

Are you related to this lady?
“Quite frankly, if you look it up, nigger means an ignorant person,” she replied. “It has nothing to do with race. But it’s okay for him to call me a racist or honky. That’s racist.”
 
I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

Growing up and realising the implication of using that word in an insult I've made an active effort to stop using it. But still, hearing it doesn't make me think 'oh that person is implicating that other person is a homosexual and hence not as good as us'. I think of it as just another word to put someone down with no real meaning.
What's the difference between using gay as an insult and idiot, moron, or wanker? One of them is a synonym for homosexuals, with the implicit value of the insult being that being homosexual is bad, stupid, undesirable. You don't insult someone by calling them or equating them with good or neutral things, you call them a faggot or retard to imply they're not normal or as good as their peers.

I mean, how can you hear a slur used as a put down and not think the exact thing you said you don't, that they're equating them with homosexuals and homosexuals are bad or undesirable? It's like hearing someone use nigger as a put down and not thinking it's really a racist term. It boggles the mind. The same reason you wouldn't use one means you shouldn't use the other.

The word faggot is offensive now? It just means asshole, which everyone uses.

It doesn't target any specific people or have any other directed use, so why is it considered more offensive?
The fuck? When has it ever only meant some, and not been a targeted derogatory word against homosexuals?

That word doesn't mean gay person to me. Though I still don't use it in public obviously because it can be quite offensive.
It does to a lot of people so, hence your not using it, so I'm not sure why you think it doesn't.

Are you both eight years old? This makes sense for kids, who learn the slur as "idiot" before learning what it really refers to (see: The Louis CK bit), but at some point the real meaning should make itself obvious...
It's been my experience growing up that people knew exactly what that term meant and that's why they used it. No one wants to be called gay, so the worst thing you can do is call out someone's masculinity saying they're a faggot.

In fact, if kids didn't know what it meant, they wouldn't try the old "what I'm just taking about cigarettes lololol" bullshit.
 
This is a great post. Words have different meanings to different people over time, class and geographical location. To give the term a blanket meaning is ridiculous.

I agree, nigger just means ignorant person, it doesn't mean you're a racist for using it.

EDIT: DAMNIT.
 
I honestly wouldn't care in the slightest.

Really? If generations of the entire United States, including religious leaders and the federal government, used your identity as a short-hard slur, you'd be down with that? You'd be OK if your name to be the gut reaction, simple minded put down used by children and small-minded bigots, and that's not an issue for you?

less soap-boxy: Think about how Homer felt in "Homer, Defined."
 
That's... not a bad apology. Now I have to prepare the most evil word I can think of in case I get famous.
 
Neogaf is giving me a headache today, why are there so many ignorant people posting absolute guff seemingly all the time? Still not as bad as 90% of the internet.
 
I believe it actually means a stick or a bundle of sticks.


It's just a word. If you went over and said "hey cupcake" with ill intended malice it could be just as bad. Words are overrated. The intent behind the words is what people should focus on. It's like the trolls behind the Colbert "scandal". Trolls decide they don't want to understand the point he was making and just decides to play dumb on the word play. It's obviously bullshit, but that's power of political correctness if you want to linger in these semantic details.

The censorship of words is not what is gonna reduce homophobia for the ignorant. There are other ways that actually works.

Quite an interesting view on words.

Is using a word with no negative connotations with completely malice intent worse than using a word with negative connotations with positive intent?

But that's a discussion for another time probably, as obviously this case was ill intent.
 
I find it hard relating the insults like 'gay' and 'faggot' to homosexual people.

I have to admit growing up in the playground the word 'gay' was a standard put down amongst us kids. But it was just another word amongst an range of other silly words, idiot, moron, twat, wanker etc etc.

Growing up and realising the implication of using that word in an insult I've made an active effort to stop using it. But still, hearing it doesn't make me think 'oh that person is implicating that other person is a homosexual and hence not as good as us'. I think of it as just another word to put someone down with no real meaning.

It sucks but sometimes we have to look at who is using that word in what context, and not just at the words. Jonah Hill is not some closet homophobe using his power to degrade their rights. He was in a heavily agitated situation and resorted to an instinctual vocabulary of insults.

The fact he has to apologise and explain himself is ridiculous and a kick in the face to all the hard work and good he's already done for their cause. It's as if we are constantly suspicious of everyone and constantly looking for a reason to doubt them.

This seems like a stealthy way of saying let there be homophobes. "oh but I don't think it's actually that bad" god, go tell that to the young gay kids that see this, shit like this contributes to the reason gay kids are by far among the highest suicide rate.

Utter ignorance on your behalf, hang your head in shame.
 
Is using a word with no negative connotations with completely malice intent worse than using a word with negative connotations with positive intent?

But that's a discussion for another time probably, as obviously this case was ill intent.

That is literally this discussion.

Words have weight in meaning. The word I chose was grotesque. No one deserves to say or hear words like that.

And you're wrong.
 
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