http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9284186.stm

Interesting legal quandry there then….

Not sure what you’re trying to say, but you know the thread title is homophobic, right?

“This does make it harder for footballers that are gay”

Not sure what you’re trying to say

Well, the ‘hip and cool’ on here seem to refer to football with tedious regularity; so I thought the irony of the WC being held in a country where you can be executed for homosexuality was mildly amusing.

Whether ‘woofterball’ is homophobic depends on your definition. Neither I nor (I assume) the word are afraid of homosexuals, so I guess it’s not homophobic…

I always thought is was known as Wendyball. Is that Wendyphobic?

the ‘hip and cool’ on here

That’s the only irony on this thread..

I thought somebody would come up with the ‘not afraid = not …phobic’ line. Depends on your definition? Nonsense.

homophobia
n.
1. Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men.
2. Behavior based on such a feeling.

The irony of the woofterball world cup…

You’re a real class act huh?

You are Sepp Blatter and I claim my £5.

contempt

Nope, I have no contempt for homosexuals. If you’re a psychic, you’re not a very good one.

I actually think woofter is quite an amusing word per se. It’s all about having a gay* time…

* Gay
n.
1. Expression of happiness

I’m confused as to whether people on here are confused as to the common understanding of woofter, or more confusingly, whether it would be understood to be pejorative. Maybe someone can explain? I thought maybe I’d misunderstood, but for reference, the dictionary definition reads as follows…

woofter
slang
also wooftah
=POOFTER

1977 Private Eye 8 July 5/1 The headshrinker had been reduced to a nervous wreck, and was prepared to dismiss the rabidly heterosexual Tynan as a wooftah. 1980 A. N. WILSON Healing Art iv. 47 The two young woofters in the pub.

Poofter, btw, is defined as ‘A homosexual man; an effeminate or affected man. Often used as a general term of abuse to a man.’

I can’t really see how anyone understanding the commonsense use of the term woofter could use it without thinking it might be considered homophobic.

I think Zokes is being very obtuse. He wanted to imply football(ers) = gay to get cheap laughs. He should just man up and say that, rather than the bullshit he seems to be coming out with.

Meh.

He wanted to imply football(ers) = gay to get cheap laughs

Not at all actually. I genuinely did think it mildly amusing in an STW context, seeing as this forum is the only place I’ve ever head football referred to as woofterball.

Poofter, btw, is defined as ‘A homosexual man; an effeminate or affected man. Often used as a general term of abuse to a man.’

So, it could also be a reference to some effeminate diving antics. Quite an accurate way to describe many footballers then?

I can’t really see how anyone understanding the commonsense use of the term woofter could use it without thinking it might be considered homophobic.

Pretty much the same way as you can’t refer to someone as being gay if they’re happy then eh? I knew full well it might be considered homophobic by some. I should also have guessed that someone would be ‘offended’ on here – lets face it, it doesn’t take much…

it doesn’t take much

Yes just an ignorant moron using a homophobic term – such a low threshold we set

yes very poor choice of terms [do you use the N word to your black friends with such irony] and an even worse defence

To me this is a very serious issue re the treatment of Gay people in parts of the world

Former basketball star John Amaechi is one of the world’s most high-profile gay athletes, having come out in 2007.

He was highly critical of Blatter’s comments, telling BBC Radio 5 live: “It’s absurd.

“It’s not about people having sex in public and being sanctioned for it, it’s the fact that Qatar was one of 79 countries to sanction executing gays at the United Nations [where a vote in November removed sexual orientation from a UN resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions].

“One of the first things you notice is that it would actually be an insult to year seven students to say that their reactions, the giggling of grown men, sports reporters and members of Fifa, on this issue, when asked a perfectly simple and reasonable question given the worries about Qatar, that the whole room burst into laughter.

“It is the most childish response I could imagine.

“This does make it harder for footballers that are gay but let’s not limit this.

“You have to understand that this story is big enough, his influence is big enough, to impact young people in school, people in workplaces, anybody who is perceived to be gay or is gay, hears these comments and once again realises that the seat of power, straight white men normally, are very, very clearly uncomfortable with this issue and certainly not interested in taking it seriously.”

FWIW only one football player has evenr come out as gay in the UK John Fashanu

In 1990, he publicly came out as gay in an interview with the tabloid press, becoming the only prominent player in English football so far to do so. Many former colleagues spoke out in anger against him, stating that gays had no place in a team sport, and his brother John publicly disowned him. Although he claimed that he was generally well accepted by his fellow players, he freely admitted that they would often joke maliciously about his sexual orientation, and he also became the target of constant crowd abuse because of it

He committed suicide

Yes just an ignorant moron

I wasn’t talking about you

FWIW only one football player has evenr come out as gay in the UK John Fashanu

according to wiko it was his brother Justin who was gay

I’m sure the OP just doesnt like football/footballers and people who like football and thought he’d get a few cheap laughs on a bike forum where there are a few anti-football people (which is fair enough).

Now, he’s making himself look an arse by defending his post.

Silly little boy.

Now, he’s making himself look an arse by defending his post.

This is true, however I’m only trying to fit in. I forgot the offended of Royal Tunbridge Wells inhabit this place.

No matter, but I do hope that noone on here has even so much as smirked at that STW/Hitler downfall video – Hitler was hardly something to laugh about now was he (Duntmatter, for starters…)?

Pretty sure John Fashanu is still alive…..

I’m sure the OP just doesnt like football/footballers and people who like football and thought he’d get a few cheap laughs on a bike forum where there are a few anti-football people (which is fair enough).

Does no one understand the OP post ? He either has no opinion of football or likes football.

However there are a few people on this forum who seem to be quite anti football and often call it wendyball/woofterball and seem to suggest that football is a more effeminate sport than mtbiking/rugby/kayaking/hill walking/etc/etc

The OP is pointing out the irony in this in relation to the above article. He is not taking any sides or being homophobic. More to the point thoose calling it woofterball probably are being homophobic.

Actually there are quite a few things which the average singletrack world denizen seems to be anti to.

1. Football
2. Religion
3. Aluminium

what scu98rkr says. Pretty much this thread sums up STW nowadays. Everyone is just a little touchy and argumentative.

Zokes- I wasn’t having a go at you, just confused as to what you were getting at with your post. I have no idea if you’re homophobic or not, but would assume if you use a term like ‘woofter’, you understand what it generally means within a wider audience. Unlike ‘gay’, which you cite in your defence, woofter has (to my knowledge) exclusively negative connotations.

Your defence is slightly bizarre in any case. Are you suggesting that your intention of the term woofterball was to depict footballers are effeminate? Or gay? I wasn’t aware that diving (or playing football generally) was a particularly effeminate practice (who cares??), and as Junkyard’s post suggests, professional football (like many sports) has some serious unresolved issues regarding homosexuality. Maybe that’s what you mean by ironic- an apparently homophobic (at the highest level in the UK at least) sport being played in a nation that has institutionalised homophobia, thus perpetuating an image of the sport as hostile to a significant proportion of the world? But to me that isn’t ironic, just sad.

BTW Junkyard, I also think you mean Justin Fashanu, not John (unless he appeared in Gladiators posthumously, of course. Awooga.

Scu98rkr – I don’t think anyone could care less about the ‘effeminacy’ of various sporting activities- it’d be pretty tragic/laughable if they did. Of course if anyone wanted to, then we could add a whole new level of gender-prejudice to the debate 🙄 . But it’s all pretty boring really.

seeing as this forum is the only place I’ve ever head football referred to as woofterball.

The only thread in the history of the (post hack) site that uses the offensive term

^ and that was a year ago. Just because 1 person used an offensive term once doesn’t make it OK.

Well, the ‘hip and cool’ on here seem to refer to football with tedious regularity; so I thought the irony of the WC being held in a country where you can be executed for homosexuality was mildly amusing.

I’m confused too. Is the OP trying to say:
1) The ‘hip and cool’ (eh?!) on here like football and because they are hip and cool they’re probably pro-gay and therefore isn’t it ironic that the World Cup is going to an anti-gay country?

or

2) The OP likes football and is annoyed with the ‘hip and cool’ (eh?!) on here who dislike it and keep referring to it as wendy/woofterball cos they’re comic geniuses and he is looking forward to 2022 when they’ll be stymied in their masterly humourous description when the beautiful game is held in a wendy free country?

And please let’s not end up in a ‘definition of irony – Alanis Morrisette’ cliched thread.

Definitely not 1)

Probably closer to 2) although the OP doesnt say he likes football

A game of wooferball, yesterday.

sorry yes it is his brother- john simply disowned him when he admitted he was gay

Yes just an ignorant moron

I wasn’t talking about you

Both a poor joke and a poor insult must try harder. Surprised you went to insults you seemed to be getting your point across so well 😉

Well, the ‘hip and cool’ on here seem to refer to football with tedious regularity; so I thought the irony of the WC being held in a country where you can be executed for homosexuality was mildly amusing.

Whether ‘woofterball’ is homophobic depends on your definition. Neither I nor (I assume) the word are afraid of homosexuals, so I guess it’s not homophobic…

is there a prize for talking shite because if there is this is going to take some beating – spongebrain to the forum

LOL @ Graham!

Surprised you went to insults you seemed to be getting your point across so well

Double irony (I see you are being facetious), but I guess you missed the bit where you called me an ignorant moron? One day you might actually post something intelligent on this forum, rather than resorting to insults in your first reply to every thread…

The OP is pointing out the irony in this in relation to the above article. He is not taking any sides or being homophobic. More to the point thoose calling it woofterball probably are being homophobic.

Thank you – this was my point precisely. Any offence, inferred or otherwise was not intended (except to those who choose to be offended on the internet just to babble on about how high their sanctimonious horse is).

Probably closer to 2) although the OP doesnt say he likes football

Yup, although I do actually quite like football. What I do find tiresome is the woofters (as in effeminate) like Ronaldo, who fall over and burst into tears as soon as the opposition come near them. Seeing as it’s these players who probably give some credence to the wendy/woofterball moniker the game has here. Still we all ride kids pushbikes, so who are we to judge?

is there a prize for talking shite because if there is this is going to take some beating – spongebrain to the forum

Impressive, an insult without even an attempt to contribute – what was that about spongebrains again?

I saw Justin Fashanu score the goal of the season in 1979. Beautifully executed volley it was. In that game Kenny Dalgleish scored a hat-trick and Liverpool beat Norwich 5-3. Cracking game.

Effiminate is a curious word? It might seem that there’s not many instances where it’s use is flattering. Maybe a case it being most commonly used as a derogatory term. Just a bit of tangential wondering…
<edit> case in point above – what is effeminate about Ronaldo diving? Surely it’s just cheating and you choose to use a further arbitrary term as insult.

Put down the shovel and step away…

The Qatar world cup will be a strange celebration – the issue of repression, no alcohol and exhausting temperatures that will slow games down to the speed of snooker.

<edit> case in point above – what is effeminate about Ronaldo diving? Surely it’s just cheating and you choose to use a further arbitrary term as insult.

I am indeed using it as an insult in this instance. It is quite appropriate seeing as he is more than capable of standing on his feet when he wants to, and feigns lack of strength or over-sensitivity to try to gain an advantage.

I wonder whether ‘wuss’ or ‘wimp’ would be less offensive to the offended?

I wonder whether ‘wuss’ or ‘wimp’ would be less offensive to the offended?

You seem to be making progress. 🙂

I’m afraid I still don’t see why the arbitrary lines of ‘offence’ get drawn where they do. Clearly a number of 4-letter words are deemed offensive by Mark et al. (except when they’re posting videos with them in), yet I’m sure they all use them several times each day.

You might describe a homosexual as someone ‘who bats for the other side’. Is that offensive? I’ve never heard it be used offensively, yet what appears to be the correct word – ‘gay’ – is frequently used as such. Is describing gays gay now offensive? Is the use of the word in its original meaning also offensive?

I just don’t get why:
a) people choose to be offended by what in the grand scheme of things are very minor issues, and

b) why those people then feel the need to demonstrate to the rest of the internet how righteous and pure they are by denigrating the ‘offender’.

And will someone, please, tell me why ‘woofter’ may be considered offensive, any more so than ‘idiot’, ‘imbecile’, ‘stupid’, or ‘moron’. I’m sure someone with learning difficulties could take offence at all those terms, yet they are bandied about often enough. Ironically, as ably demonstrated by Junkyard above, it’s usually the ‘offended’ who resort to these insults first.

wuss/wo?os/
Noun: A weak or ineffectual person (often used as a general term of abuse)

A general term of abuse you say? Nope too offensive….

Wimp may refer to: A cowardly or unadventurous individual

Ah, maybe we have it. Assuming that cowardly isn’t offensive, I’ve found an STW-safe word to describe Ronaldo. Sorry to cause all this bother – I should have checked earlier 🙄

no one is listening

Zokes, I see being upside down hasn’t changed you one bit. Would join in, but its a bit like shooting fish in a barrel isn’t it? Wheres shane when you need him eh??

Zokes – The offence occurs when you use a word generally accepted as meaning homosexual as a derogatory term.

However on a scale of one to ten this rates about this much

I’m afraid I still don’t see why the arbitrary lines of ‘offence’ get drawn where they do

If we have a negative term , in common use, for a number of people it becomes acceptable to say poofter and woofter to mean all gay men are somehow effeminate and not proper men. Clearly it is a real issue as words have meaning and these are both derogatory words. I am not sure why you are surprised that they are offensive as that is there purpose.
Clearly gay people face many barriers in life that straight people do not and they are often not treated as equals – in many countries the death penalty still applies for homosexuality and no professional football player has come out etc. As to your attitude who knows – it is the internet sometimes you cannot tell as the real problem is the attitude the words conveys rather than word. Perhaps you are an open minded individual with tolerance flowing through your heart who just happens to use the term woofter in a post ironic manner and are accepting of homosexuality in general – I don’t know but I would not use the term myself as it is not a pleasant or inclusive term that shows affection – see also the difference between calling someone scottish a Scot and some one from Pakistan a **** – they are both simple abbreviations but one is used exclusively as a derogatory term.
Would you call black people the n word and then ask them not to get all sensitive on you and think it was their fault for being offended ?

You’ve not really thought this one through, have you Zokes?

Here, this might come in handy:

I remember being confused years ago when sitting at my mates house, resting my feet on a black leather foot rest piece of furniture, my slightly racist and homophobic mate asked me to move my feet off the “Justin”.

Zokes is fighting the fight for free speech here guys. Stop giving him such a hard time.