You know, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that most people calling someone that aren't implying a damn cigarette. Yes there are times when language greatly changes how a word is perceived but this is not a new definition and there's a great difference between how each would be used.

The origins of utterances matter little in the context of the present day. If in 200 years "Hamburger" becomes known as a derogatory slur for people born on Jupiter, then it's still derogatory and offensive; no matter what the origins of the word may be.

You know, someone always pipes up with this information whenever the words "fag" and "faggot" are being discussed and I have to ask you this: "When have you ever heard the words used in the way you are describing them?"

Those words are pretty much NEVER used for their proper, original English definition.

Yes, Faggot in British terms was used to signify a bundle of sticks.. which is why it was used against homosexuals.. And they use to burn gay people as a legal action which is how the term began to be applied to gay people. Burning Faggots was a common practice up until the late 19th century when they began to just put us in jail, beat us, torture us or place us in asylums.

Many words change meaning over the years. While it's interesting to know how words started out, you have to stick with the current meaning. When I was a little girl, it was perfectly acceptable to say the word 'pussy' when you were talking about someone's cat. Try it now and see what happens, lol.

What's in a name? The word "gay" itself wasn't originally meant to describe homosexuality either but culture eventually moved to a point where it was and that's how we associate it to that now, the same applies to the term in question.

I do understand what you're aiming at, but if blizzard ever used that similar excuse it would be shot down immediately by just about everyone.

I'm not sure why people downvoted the original comment, it isn't particularly offensive and it certainly elicited some compelling dialogue. =Y

I'm gonna play devil's advocate and just put this here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_(food)

That *might* make it justifiable to allow those words through on the EU client - if only because I do know people from the UK who say they're "going out for a fag." I can't say for certain though, but I think that usage is also falling out of favour. Either way, almost nobody says that in the US.

And really, it's just one of those eye-rolling points in this argument, to constantly tread out that dead horse as though you're going to magically enlighten us gays into suddenly not being offended because CLEARLY when that clown on the other side of the internet, or the jerk in your English class, or even your superior at work calls you a "fag," they're really just doing something so mind-bogglingly ridiculous as calling you a "bundle of sticks"...

I'm old enough to remember 'Fag' being used only for 'Cigarette,' in the 16th century (no, I'm not hardly that old) the word 'Faggot' was used as an abusive term for women, usually older women. While I don't use either word now because of the abusive nature they've been transferred into, its not the words that are abusive, its how they are used. It would take an awfully intelligent filter to determine when to filter words based usage. Also, if you were to completely take both words out of the English language, the abuser/haters would find other words to use. while filters are not perfect, they are what we have now, but they need to be used in conjunction with education, of course there are people that refuse all forms of education. The answer would have to come from someone wiser than me.

There have been cases where a Brit friend has said they're going to "go burn a fag" and the reactions I've seen/heard about are 1) laughing and joking and using it *more* even among the American smokers in the group, or 2) looks of shock, followed by explaining what the word means here and why they should probably change their terminology while in the States.

It's not uncommon anymore to not know what the term means in in America; it's generally more a slip from habit.

Reminds me, too, of when "Ender's Game" was released and the term "bugger" was used for the ostensibly-antagonistic aliens, and the (anti-gay) author claimed he had no idea what it meant in *any* slang at the time of writing.

@mbison

'Those words are pretty much NEVER used for their proper, original English definition'

I agree with you wholeheartedly when it comes to the word 'Faggot', but 'Fag'? No, you are very mistaken, it is a word in common usage throughout the United Kingdom. The phrases 'I'm just popping out for a fag' or 'I'm off to buy a packet of fags' are used constantly.

"You know, someone always pipes up with this information whenever the words "fag" and "faggot" are being discussed and I have to ask you this: "When have you ever heard the words used in the way you are describing them?"

Those words are pretty much NEVER used for their proper, original English definition."

Faggot I'll give you but yeah, fag as in cigarette is still very commonly used by the British, heck I use it for that definition all the time. Like others have said though, it's very easy to tell by context what people mean, i.e. when I say "alright guys, we'll take 5 for a fag break" and when someone else says "God, that tank is such a fag" I think it's pretty clear which is offensive and which isn't.

"The origins of utterances matter little in the context of the present day."

This is one of the interesting things about the current usage of the word 'gay' whilst large sections of people who use the word do so to also insult the LGBT community, a lot of them don't and merely use it as another word for 'bad' because they see it used so commonly by their peers and communities, without meaning any insult to anyone. This is one of the things that makes fighting its use so difficult, if someone is using the word in a way that they don't think of as being offensive to the LGBT but then get attacked for their use of the word, it often leads to resentment and annoyance.

As a native English speaker, it is much more common here to call it a 'fag' instead of a cigarette. Faggots are a type of meatball made from offal, covered with gravy, tasting a bit like haggis. They don't seem to be popular to eat these days, but you can still buy them. On the English servers I play on, it is not uncommon in a raid for someone to say 'BRB fag' and for everyone to understand by this that the person is taking a break to smoke. I don't think I have ever seen 'fag' and 'faggot' used as insults. Derogatory words for gay men in this country are puff, queer, nance, arse bandit, shirtlifter, etc. While it may be appropriate for 'fag' and 'faggot' to be censored on American servers, I hope they don't ban them from British servers, as a lot of innocuous comments would not make sense, and I don't think that's the devs' intentions.

Yeah piping up as an english guy, who smokes, I can safely say that I call BRB fag into chat, vent, wherever, and everyone knows what I mean. I guess over in the states, maybe its more of an issue. But then again, in the UK, I dont know if being called gay is that much of an insult any more....

So, I guess, then, that it's perfectly okay if I say, "Pass me a fag while I light these faggots and eat a faggot, it makes me so gay."

And just how often would you ever hear anyone saying this? Even in the UK? ESPECIALLY IN WORLD OF WARCRAFT???

So, here's the thing: add "fag" and "faggot" to the filtered words list. Those of you who still want to see it? Turn your filter off - dare I chance to say that you are probably among those who were arguing about the chat filter bug being defaulted to "on" anyway?

Peter Griffin: Well, somebody tell this cigarette to shut up!

I understand your point Tokkar, and yes...using that kind of sentence is clearly rare if not down right unseen but even as a Canadian I refer to smokes as "fags" a decent bit, since I play on a NA server obviously I don't yell out in Org "BRB FAG" but in guild, and sometimes in general I do use the word to mean cigarette...

If this does offend someone I'm sorry but with all due respect, there is a line where it stops being my problem and starts being the person who has been offends problem, I draw the line when the word itself is what is found offensive in spite of it being clear that it was to mean a cigarette. In those cases where it is word with a double meaning like "screw" or "dyke"; obviously if I use those words in a vulgar/derogatory sentence it's very much my issue, if I on the other hand say "the dyke overflowed last night and my driveway washed away" and you find it offensive it's really more of you being overly sensitive, that's not to say I wouldn't try not to use that word if asked polity to avoid it but I don't feel a censoring of the word would be good idea.

Add the fact that if someone says "brb #$%" you are probably going to take it as an insult, joking or otherwise whilst someone who knew me or knew the person speaking was from the UK even would probably take it as "brb getting a smoke"

TL;DR I personally wouldn't like to have words with double meanings censored based on the fact that they COULD be used as derogatory terms if there is a COMMON ACCEPTED use outside of them being used offensively, especially when if they are used in a bad way they can be reported and reviewed if necessary.