Azealia Banks Not Okay With Gay Men Using the Word 'Bitch'

[PARADIXO 32,925]

Azealia Banks has taken to Instagram to rail against the double standards she feels apply to the words people use to talk about women and gay men. 

 

In a post with the caption "Azealia Banks is Homophobic 1" she writes, "Why is it okay... for a gay man to colloquially use the word 'Bitch' to refer to women, but is it not okay for me to colloquially use the word 'faggot' to refer to myself or an opponent? Do gay men get a special pass to say misogynist things simply because they like dick? The argument is that countless gay kids hear the word 'faggot' before they are beat to death... But do you know how many women hear the word 'bitch' before their husbands beat them to death? Before they are murdered/raped...?"

 

As the Huffington Post notes, this isn't the first time Banks has shared her thoughts on using the word 'faggot,' and it likely won't be the last, either. 

 

Source

 

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I think she's kinda right...

[Sitar 22,207]

"World News"

[Trash Magic 28,284]

"World News"

dethroning Ke$ha taking Dr. Luke to court as the top thread for the past 3 months    this site is trash

[Sitar 22,207]

defroning Ke$ha taking Dr. Luke to court as the top thread for the past 3 months    this site is trash

 

Lana taught us to ignore social rights

[comeintomybedroom 8,648]

I don't really agree because "bitch" has always been used towards men and women.

[evilentity 13,341]

I don't really agree because "bitch" has always been used towards men and women.

Kinda like how "racism" has always meant only systemic rac... er, prejudice.

 

inb4 @ chastises me for trying to (hu)mansplain to her (technically a bitch) the definition of the word "bitch".

[comeintomybedroom 8,648]

Kinda like how "racism" has always meant only systemic rac... er, prejudice.

 

inb4 @ chastises me for trying to (hu)mansplain to her (technically a bitch) the definition of the word "bitch".

Oh he brings out the textbook definitions. Look, if a woman told me yes it's offensive and to stop using it, I'd listen. But you're a male (masculine?), so…

[Atom Heart 1,929]

I don't really agree because "bitch" has always been used towards men and women.

In my eyes, bitch is a term against women and only used toward men to attack their masculinity (their ego) and make them feel like women.

 

As an LGBTQ person, Azealia is called a bitch anytime she presents an unpopular opinion. She never used the word faggot in her music. She has refered to herself (or the character her lyrics portray) as a dyke plenty of times and nobody bats an eye. But once she called one person a fag (Perez Hilton) everyone is in an uproar.

[YUNGATA 14,955]

bitch = no

bad bitch = hells yeah

[Sitar 22,207]

So much of my vocab is based on "bitch" though so okay Azealia I'll trade you, you can call me a fag

 

I don't really agree because "bitch" has always been used towards men and women.

 

evilentity teas

 

(evilentiteas)

[YUNGATA 14,955]

for real tho, isn't it all circumstantial? like, who you say it to and how close you are to them, the way you say, the words before/after saying it. surely there can't be a universal yes or no for saying bitch/fag

[Viva 3,168]

I don't really agree because "bitch" has always been used towards men and women.

 

You're joking right? Since when 2 straight gays call themselves, either to offend or compliment as buddies, bitch? When to offend they say "don't be a little bitch" basically "femanizing" the other male. So when a guy calls another a bitch or he's calling the guy a girl or a faggot, neither as a compliment. So no, in this case I guess she's right. Nothing against the word faggot or bitch between friends or in moments of need, but to say wither word doesn't carry a weight isn't quite fair

[fl0ridakil0s 3,959]

You're joking right? Since when 2 straight gays call themselves, either to offend or compliment as buddies, bitch? When to offend they say "don't be a little bitch" basically "femanizing" the other male. So when a guy calls another a bitch or he's calling the guy a girl or a faggot, neither as a compliment. So no, in this case I guess she's right. Nothing against the word faggot or bitch between friends or in moments of need, but to say wither word doesn't carry a weight isn't quite fair

agreed

[evilentity 13,341]

Oh he brings out the textbook definitions. Look, if a woman told me yes it's offensive and to stop using it, I'd listen. But you're a male (masculine?), so…

LOL. You're a parody of yourself yet again:

Dismissing out of hand what someone says entirely because of who they are rather than what they're saying, as usual.

Immediately deflecting with the phrase "textbook definitions" because you have no argument when someone calls you out for having your facts wrong.

Saying you don't agree something is offensive, but that you'll stop doing it if a woman tells you it's offensive in a thread about a woman saying it's offensive.

Are a man expressing an opinion contrary to a woman on a subject while saying men's opinions on the subject shouldn't be listened to in response to someone who hadn't even expressed an opinion on the subject yet.

 

And look at @@Atom Heart knee-jerk "Like"-ing every post of yours in disagreement with me no matter how poorly argued. You should really ask the admin for an auto-"Like" button for that shit. It would really save you a lot of time.

 

evilentity teas

 

(evilentiteas)

evilentitties?? jacktitties??? 

 

Ha, yeah, it is super ironic that @@comeintomybedroom, not a member of the group most affected, is arguing that a word has always been used more generally than just that group, after complaining about me doing that. The key difference, of course, being that in my case that was actually true.

 

But once she called one person a fag (Perez Hilton) everyone is in an uproar.

This is far from the only time she's said really questionable shit about gay men. I'm really mystified why so many people, especially gay men, are giving her a pass on that. Is this sort of like how so many of you give Lana a pass on stupid shit she says because you stan her music? Are you so dug in defending Azealia's side in other Twitter spats that you can't do the mental gymnastics required to side against her in this one? I've never understood why it's so hard to say someone's in the wrong when they are just because you generally like them or generally agree with them, or say someone's right when they are just because you generally dislike them or generally disagree with them. I've never had much of a problem with that.

 

Which is why-- to actually express an opinion on the subject now-- I have no problem saying I think perpetual Twitter troll Azealia has a point here about the use of the word "bitch". (Although I think the answer is not to justify the use of the word "fag" or "faggot" as a slur, as she does, but to stop using the word "bitch" offensively.) As @@YUNGATA points out, it's all about context, of course. I could write a book length post on which instances I think are OK and which I think are not, and whether Lana's uses of the word herself are problematic, but one use in particular I've seen on this forum that makes me cringe is when people say about Lana or other women "this bitch needs to do X" or something like that. Intentionally or not, that comes across with a misogynistic undertone.

[Baby V Alex 2,859]

I agree with her in her recent tweet rant, she says that we should stop giving a lot of power to the words people tell to us and learn to stop getting beatdown by them. So I'm cool with people using the word fag, it doesn't botther me tho.

[Hundred Dollar Bill 21,803]

[Hello Heaven 1,578]

I'm kinda surprised how much I agree with her. It's definitely debatable as everyone reacts to both words differently .

 

As a girl, I would call a guy a 'bitch' either as a joke or if they're genuinely being an idiot because unfortunately I go to school with a disgusting amount of sexists and I know that 'bitch' will really piss them off because it's associated with femininity. But then, I'd feel uncomfortable calling someone a faggot even though boys in my school are even more homophobic than sexist because I'm straight(ish) so I feel like I'm being offensive myself.

 

I'm fine with girls calling each other bitches but I hate it when a guy calls me a bitch because for some reason it reminds me of a frustrated business man from the 50's talking to his degraded wife before slapping her.... idk so that's why I don't include 'faggot' in my vocabulary because it refers to people I'm not included in.

[Atom Heart 1,929]

And look at @@Atom Heart knee-jerk "Like"-ing every post of yours in disagreement with me no matter how poorly argued. You should really ask the admin for an auto-"Like" button for that shit. It would really save you a lot of time.

 

Ha, yeah, it is super ironic that @@comeintomybedroom, not a member of the group most affected, is arguing that a word has always been used more generally than just that group, after complaining about me doing that. The key difference, of course, being that in my case that was actually true.

 

This is far from the only time she's said really questionable shit about gay men. I'm really mystified why so many people, especially gay men, are giving her a pass on that. Is this sort of like how so many of you give Lana a pass on stupid shit she says because you stan her music? Are you so dug in defending Azealia's side in other Twitter spats that you can't do the mental gymnastics required to side against her in this one? I've never understood why it's so hard to say someone's in the wrong when they are just because you generally like them or generally agree with them, or say someone's right when they are just because you generally dislike them or generally disagree with them. I've never had much of a problem with that.

 

Which is why-- to actually express an opinion on the subject now-- I have no problem saying I think perpetual Twitter troll Azealia has a point here about the use of the word "bitch". (Although I think the answer is not to justify the use of the word "fag" or "faggot" as a slur, as she does, but to stop using the word "bitch" offensively.) As @@YUNGATA points out, it's all about context, of course. I could write a book length post on which instances I think are OK and which I think are not, and whether Lana's uses of the word herself are problematic, but one use in particular I've seen on this forum that makes me cringe is when people say about Lana or other women "this bitch needs to do X" or something like that. Intentionally or not, that comes across with a misogynistic undertone.

Okay I put the only parts of your post that are relevant to me at all in bold.

 

I liked his post because I agreed with his statement, like I did for any other post I agree with on this forum. It's not based in personal attack or to 'come for you' in any way. And the fact you are immature enough to complain about me liking a post is infantile. I'm not on this forum to back up anyone's ego, it's a post that I liked, end of story. I do however agree with you when I see people across the forum/internet use bitch to present orders to Lana (or any other artist), it's a terrible thing that needs to stop. There is no point in saying it, and serves no purpose than to fuel the misogynistic views of women all of the internet.

 

I'm defending Azealia's recent rant because everything she said is true, people give her shit for saying faggot where as they call her bitch/cunt/:)/etc. without batting an eye but if she retaliates then she's in the wrong. But for you to justify the use of bitch in the world is also wrong. Bitch is used to a) insult women b) attack the male ego, thus making him conform to the "weaker" role, thus feminizing him (treating him as they would treat a woman) c)as a general insult similar to cunt or anything of that nature d) reclaim the word, by women in order to feel empowered.

[Hello Heaven 1,578]

Which is why-- to actually express an opinion on the subject now-- I have no problem saying I think perpetual Twitter troll Azealia has a point here about the use of the word "bitch". (Although I think the answer is not to justify the use of the word "fag" or "faggot" as a slur, as she does, but to stop using the word "bitch" offensively.) As @@YUNGATA points out, it's all about context, of course. I could write a book length post on which instances I think are OK and which I think are not, and whether Lana's uses of the word herself are problematic, but one use in particular I've seen on this forum that makes me cringe is when people say about Lana or other women "this bitch needs to do X" or something like that. Intentionally or not, that comes across with a misogynistic undertone.

I also cringe a little when people do this. I mean, it's literally replacing the word 'woman' with 'bitch' as if that's some sort of substitute which is really degrading, even if it isn't at all intentional. 

[longtimeman 8,908]

I'm defending Azealia's recent rant because everything she said is true, people give her shit for saying faggot where as they call her bitch/cunt/:)/etc. without batting an eye but if she retaliates then she's in the wrong. But for you to justify the use of bitch in the world is also wrong. Bitch is used to a) insult women b) attack the male ego, thus making him conform to the "weaker" role, thus feminizing him (treating him as they would treat a woman) c)as a general insult similar to cunt or anything of that nature d) reclaim the word, by women in order to feel empowered.

But a lot of us hate people using any of those terms as a way of putting people down.

 

I was called a faggot plenty of times when I was in high school and it hurt me a lot - not because of any issues around my actual sexuality, but because I was being associated with the lowest type of person in society - someone who wasn't a real man. But I at least had the comeback "fuck you - I'm not really a queer". Unfortunately, I now know there was at least one person also there who couldn't do that, and was being told by the group "that thing you actually are - which boils down to loving the wrong people - makes you actually worthless, so you better keep hiding it".

 

It took me a while to realise this, and work out that I didn't become a more worthwhile person by calling other men I didn't like 'faggot', and it's why I cringe any time I hear the word.