Impact in South Park

The typeface appeared at another point in the show as well, but it was in the message "YOU'RE FAGS!" written on tiny flags planted in Eric Cartman's turd, and that's not the message I.O.I. is trying to send the children.


I objected to the episode, and not because of the liberal use of the word "fag." I acknowledge the point the writers made: several different groups have been targeted with the word "fag" throughout time, and to today's youth, "fag" doesn't mean gay person as much as at it means loud annoying douche bag. But they lost me at the part when the characters tried to persuade dictionary writers to change the formal definition of the word. 


As if a change in the dictionary definition would somehow magically change everyone's use of the word. Changes in definition follow widespread shifts in usage, not the other way around. A word means whatever the people who use it say it means. So even if the characters all understood "fag" to mean a Harley-riding douche, the majority of people who would use the word would still have a different understanding of it.


If you want to change a word's meaning, don't call up the dictionary editors, just start using the word differently, and the world may or may not catch on. 


To put it simply: The dictionary doesn't determine our speech. Our speech determines the dictionary.


/gets off high horse