Slip of the Slur

Joakim Noah was playing a game, making millions of dollars, and then a fan started taunting him. His blood pressure started to rise. His face flushed with anger. He couldn't take it anymore. He unleashed, doing his best to degrade the fan by calling him a faggot. (See my own dealings with the word "faggot" here.)

Collective gasp!

Wait, wait, wait. Joakim "<didn't> mean no disrespect to anybody." He was just caught up in a heated moment.

I understand, Joakim. I know when someone starts to razz me in the grocery store and I can't take it anymore, I do my best to degrade them by calling them the N-word.

I'm just joshin' ya, Joakim! I don't call people the N-word. The only time I ever refer to the word is when I'm rapping along with NWA. (The bass really thumpa-thumps in the Subaru.)

Sucks you're taking heat, though. If people understood you don't usually talk like that - those words are reserved for your finest moments with friends - then everyone would realize your homophobia is a secret and "faggot" was a slip of the tongue.

You've said it's no indication on how you feel about gay people, but the way the word was so readily available makes me feel like you're trying to pull one over on me.

You know why I keep the N-word out of my mouth, regardless of how upset I am, Joakim? Because it's an indication on how I feel about people of color. Funny how we see slurs so differently.

You're anything but a faggot, Joakim. But just so you don't go getting The Big Head, you should remember, every once in a while, that you're a man who plays with balls for a living.