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Цитата: mwanamaji от июня 11, 2011, 22:18
Also, some americans freak out when the word "russkii" is used. They think it is an offensive term to label Russians.

Even Russians do that.

There was a story about a Russian woman from Poland who was offensed by Poles calling her "ruska" instead of "rosjanka". She even took the matter to court (which ruled out that "ruski" isn't a slur, just a colloquial word).

Such cases.

Цитата: mwanamaji от июня 11, 2011, 22:18

Also, some americans freak out when the word "russkii" is used. They think it is an offensive term to label Russians.

also cf. Polack and Polak, Polka

Also, some americans freak out when the word "russkii" is used. They think it is an offensive term to label Russians. 

Цитата: WorldTraveler от июня 11, 2011, 14:30

Цитата: iopq от июня  7, 2011, 19:08
Jokes aren't about repeating racial slurs

jokes that have the word "nigger" in them are, and that's what my post was about.
i want to see one of you jokesters tell an "N-word" joke to a black person's face, that might teach you a whole lot more than any dictionary ever will

I've told a few of these jokes to my black friend and he told me he doesn't get it

Цитата: iopq от июня  7, 2011, 19:08
Jokes aren't about repeating racial slurs

jokes that have the word "nigger" in them are, and that's what my post was about.
i want to see one of you jokesters tell an "N-word" joke to a black person's face, that might teach you a whole lot more than any dictionary ever will

"Fag" is a big no-no word,almost like a taboo at work or among people whom you do not know very well.

As for  the word "freak", it actually depends. Once i used "Jesus freaks" naming a couple of patrons who stopped by our library. One of my colleagues came up to me and said "Hey! You might be reported for using this expression at work." I had not even thought about it at all at that time; now i watch my mouth     But my husband uses the expression 'What a freak!" all the time for many situations, referring to bizarre people, or hipsters.

Цитата: WorldTraveler от июня  7, 2011, 11:13

Цитата: iopq от апреля  9, 2010, 07:20
somehow white people love telling each other nigger jokes

That is perhaps they ARE racist, don't you think? They can say it is a joke all they want, but repeating racial slurs isn't exceptionally funny

Jokes aren't about repeating racial slurs

here's an example:
Why are black people tall?
Because their knee grows.

It alludes to the word "negro" which isn't a racial slur, even though the word has fallen out of favor in recent years.

Цитата: WorldTraveler от июня  7, 2011, 11:13
That is perhaps they ARE racist

"because they are racist"
"Fag" is generally an offensive word, and not necessarily with a sexual connotation. It can denote either a "homosexual" or a "person whose behaviour is inadequate/offensive/stupid and therefore strongly disapproved". I'm guessing it got it's second meaning from being used pejoratively towards gay people, and now it is used more often to offend anyone. So Russian equivalent would be something like "pidoras" or "pidor", also possibly "kozel".
"Freak" means somebody abnormal, a person with some kind of deviation: in appearance, in character, in behaviour. The latter is especially true in modern usage; for instance, a "neat-freak" is someone who obsesses with cleanliness and order. It can be used as a general (not in any way scientific!) word for some psychological disorders. It is true, freak is not always an offensive word, but not a very polite one either.
Freak is used quite often to describe a person with a sexual abnormality, or simply someone who engages in unconventional sexual practices. I suppose that's when "freak" and "fag" can be used interchangeably, or, at least, synonimically. Hope that answered the OP's question

Цитата: iopq от апреля  9, 2010, 07:20
somehow white people love telling each other nigger jokes

That is perhaps they ARE racist, don't you think? They can say it is a joke all they want, but repeating racial slurs isn't exceptionally funny

"Fag" is a rude way of referring to a homosexual, and it can be considered insulting.

"Freak" is a very general term, and it is not necessarily a negative thing.  In reality, it can mean many different things.  For example, if you are very interested in learning and studying foreign languages, you could be called a "language freak".

It can also refer to a crazy person, or someone who has unusual characteristics.  I am not sure if they do this today, but certain carnivals used to have "freak shows" where they would display people with unusual physical attributes, such as having two heads or five arms.

There's also the phrase "to freak out", "to freak out about something", which means to become angry/emotional about a certain issue.