Hmmm...I'm getting the creepy suspicion this may be behind quite a bit of misunderstanding the past week.
We have always allowed the word fag in the manner in which it was used. (In the BR/WT) The question is whether we want to change that.
Also, the finest of .org traditions demands that one approaches subjects such as this lightheartedly, and slightly naughtily. The famous 'which Bitish slurs are allowed' thread, with legends IA, EA, and Adrian outdoing each other:
'Why does the Mersey run through Liverpool?
...because if it would walk it would get mugged'
Londoner EA: 'It's going to be a bit of a strain to have to remember not to ask InsaneApache where his whippet is, and he'll have to get used to not calling me a soft shandy drinking poof'.
Sheer genius. Alas, all of that is no longer possible in 2011. In the current internet climate of permanent outrage, the lighthearted approach was a bad choice, destined to fall flat.
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