It stems from an old proverb: “there is naught so queer as folk”, essentially meaning “people are strange”. The meaning of “queer” has shifted and narrowed over time to refer to sexuality, but kept its ties to this idiom, resulting in the TV show “queer as folk” and the generic phrase “queer folk”.

There is nothing especially pretentious or mythical about the word. It may just be your own assumptions/interpretations of it. Far more people have an issue with the word “queer” than they do “folk”. If you don’t like it, don’t use it, but you should also aim to shake the stigma from it, as it’s not what 99.9% of people mean when they use it.

“Folk” seems to denote a culture more, while “people” seems to denote you’re just pointing and saying “them people”.

“Folk” is pretentious in your mind? I would think the opposite were more true. Having “folksy charm” means you’re more grounded and personable when describing someone you find to be outside the norm.

Folk just means people, in fact it’s less pretentious because it’s the commoner english word for people, from English’s germanic roots (see the german word Volk)

Folk is pretentious? It literally means common people, the opposite of pretentiousness. I am thinking that you don’t have much familiarity with the word nor the people that use it. It does not carry the meaning that you seem to think it does.

You are likely hearing /seeing it being used by people raised in an area where that is common vernacular to casually identify a group of people that share a culture.

I think in more recent times it has to do with using folks as an easy gender neutral address instead of saying you guys etc, and then it spread out everywhere because it is, well, easier and people don’t want to think too much.

“folk” does not refer to mythical creatures

I have mostly positive vibes with “folk”, like folk music, folk art, common folk, etc. But I understand where you are coming from with this. It kind of smacks of “other” in this particular context.

So folk songs are fairy songs?

I use the term folks to refer to my parents but that may be regional or generational.

why do people care so much about the use of one word over another?

I just want to say I get where you’re coming from. It sounds similar to the way people say “fairy folk” which I assume is why you mention mythical creatures. I guess a lot of people in this thread are less familiar with that usage.

I dont know, but did anyone else giggle like an idiot because they always liked to say to myself, Queer ass Folk instead of Queer as Folk.

And im like mostly sure thats what the show runners wanted, but im okay pretending they didnt and im just amusing myself

And for the record i just like the wordplay in spite of it not being particularly clever and very obvious.

Yes i do like terrible puns as well. Not sorry

A total guess on my part, but it’s just been in the lexicon for so long, including a title of a TV show, that its just set in at this point.

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Idk, but I had a CD by Queer as Folk given to me by a gay friend, and that music kicked ass. Maybe it has to do with that music? I think the music was the soundtrack to a TV show. Maybe it has to do with that TV show?