The Word "Faggot"

Faggot.....it's a pretty commonly used word to describe homosexuals.....but....its in a very negative offensive manner.  But, it hasn't always been this way:  According to the dictionary, the word "faggot" actually reads like this:

faggot¹ esp US, fagot [ˈfægət]

n

1. a bundle of sticks or twigs, esp when bound together and used as fuel

2. (Engineering / Metallurgy) a bundle of iron bars, esp a box formed by four pieces of wrought iron and filled with scrap to be forged into wrought iron

3. (Cookery) a ball of chopped meat, usually pork liver, bound with herbs and bread and eaten fried

4. a bundle of anything

vb (tr)

1. to collect into a bundle or bundles

2. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Knitting & Sewing) Needlework to do faggoting on (a garment, piece of cloth, etc.)

[from Old French, perhaps from Greek phakelos bundle]

So, according to the dictionary, the PROPER meaning of "faggot" has nothing to do with homosexuality)....

Then we have the word "fag"...that is another word for a cigarette.  

Then look at the word "Gay"....it means "happy"!  Remember THE FLINTSTONES cartoon?  The theme song where it has the line "We'll have a gay ole time?"..do you HONESTLY think that had anything to do with Barney & Fred butt-bumping or Wilma & Betty muff-diving?

IMO...The word "faggot" is an over-hyped hateful word for homosexual men that people take WAAAAAY too much offense too.  Comedy Central even had an episode of South Park where they changed the meaning of the word "faggot" to annoyingly loud and obnoxious people who drive motorcycles (and if you were CURIOUS about getting one, u were bike-curious LOL, which when pronounced comes out as bi-curious).

Does the word "Faggot" offend me?  No, it's just a word to me...I will admit to saying a bit....To me, it's just over-hyped word by folks like the forbidden N-word...and recently, the R-word (that's so recent, I have to tell you the "R-word" is "retarded").  I personally take no offense to the word.  And yes, I am a homosexual man myself.