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Has the use of the N-word suddenly become acceptable?
- Thread starter bill0527
- Start date
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Reminds me of the news story where a teacher used it towards a kid in his class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XURRzofbMc0
Priceless at 2:25 and on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XURRzofbMc0
Priceless at 2:25 and on.
Tristam said:
I live in South Florida and pretty much only hang out with blacks/hispanics and they don't give two craps if someone uses the word around them. So, stop acting like every black person gets bent out of shape and is able to explain the reason you act like is so obvious.
ProfessorLobo
Banned
Tristam said:
Nigga, please.
Kusagari said:
Good for you. Just because not every black person is annoyed when a white person says the word doesn't reduce the term's potent racism nor does it erase its history (btw, what about Hispanics not caring? :lol ). I also hang out mostly with black people, and every single one of them would be offended if I used the term.
Rorarsch said:
Sense of empowerment, probably -- as you can see from this thread, there's a perceived double standard between black people using it and white people using it. It's just another forbidden word people want to use because it's forbidden. That or they're blatantly fucking racist.
way more
Member
Tristam said:
I think this is a case where there is a reason for the double-standard. After all, legitimate double-standards exist. A doctor is allowed to stick his hand up your ass and cut pieces but you wouldn't allow a plumber to do the same thing.
I think the next question to ask is why white people feel the need to say that word. Maybe it's just homogenization of hip-hop.
mac said:
I understand that it literally is a double standard, but double standard typically carries a negative connotation -- e.g., in this thread, some people are complaining about (rather than merely observing) a double standard. But otherwise, yeah, I agree. I offered my own explanation for why white people feel the need to say it, but yours also works.
Tornado Condor
Member
Gantz said:
you stfu ese
George Carlin says it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HAGc521SAo
Nothing wrong with the word, the problem is that there are still morons around who think that being black is a bad thing and that calling someone black is some kind of supreme insult. The racists are the problem, not the word. Changing the word without changing the meaning just results in the racists using the new word as a slur in addition to the old. You can see this in the way nigger, negro, colored and even black(to some people anyway) are all seen as derogatory though none of them started out that way. You can see the same thing with cretin, idiot, imbecile, moron, retarded, mentally challenged have all become insults over the years. If what the word describes is generally seen as a bad or negative thing to most people, the word will invariably become derogatory. Changing the word without changing the perception of what the word describes does absolutely nothing.
I like to think we are getting close to where the vast majority of people see nothing wrong with being black and thus all the derogatory terms for black people will lose all their weight. If being black isn't seen as a bad thing, then its hard for any term referring to blacks to be used as an insult. Still have a bit further to go though.
I personally have never found much of a use for the word, but I don't think the double standard thing holds true anyway. White people can and have used the word without too much trouble, as long as the proper context is used, ie a non derogatory joke like Carlin's or a discussion of the merits of the word like this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HAGc521SAo
Nothing wrong with the word, the problem is that there are still morons around who think that being black is a bad thing and that calling someone black is some kind of supreme insult. The racists are the problem, not the word. Changing the word without changing the meaning just results in the racists using the new word as a slur in addition to the old. You can see this in the way nigger, negro, colored and even black(to some people anyway) are all seen as derogatory though none of them started out that way. You can see the same thing with cretin, idiot, imbecile, moron, retarded, mentally challenged have all become insults over the years. If what the word describes is generally seen as a bad or negative thing to most people, the word will invariably become derogatory. Changing the word without changing the perception of what the word describes does absolutely nothing.
I like to think we are getting close to where the vast majority of people see nothing wrong with being black and thus all the derogatory terms for black people will lose all their weight. If being black isn't seen as a bad thing, then its hard for any term referring to blacks to be used as an insult. Still have a bit further to go though.
I personally have never found much of a use for the word, but I don't think the double standard thing holds true anyway. White people can and have used the word without too much trouble, as long as the proper context is used, ie a non derogatory joke like Carlin's or a discussion of the merits of the word like this one.
miyamotofreak
Banned
Honestly isn't the word just going to mean nothing as time goes by and the older gen dies out. Like 32 bit.
Stoney Mason
Banned
miyamotofreak said:
No.
miyamotofreak
Banned
Fuck it, I'll just use jiggaboo instead. Everytime I ever said jiggaboo I just get laughs.
Stoney Mason
Banned
Yep. Pretty much time to lock this one up.
OpinionatedCyborg
Member
Cauliflower of Love
Banned
miyamotofreak said:
Jesus.
miyamotofreak
Banned
RumpledForeskin said:
holy shit, such A VILE WORD! The word that ruptures minds, corrupts the innocents, rapes the women.....
Stoney Mason
Banned
RumpledForeskin said:
He's taking it Back
The line between what's bannanble and what isn't blurs a little every day.
And with that off to bed.
Stoney Mason
Banned
mac said:
This is one of those myths popularized by black and white hipsters. Walk up to your average black guy and in your friendliest tone call him a niggah and see worlds collide...
I'm not black, but it bothers me a bit when I hear white people using the word casually around themselves. It's weird because it's obvious they wouldn't have the audacity to say it if there were any black people around.
I don't say it myself, though oddly, people have called me 'nigger' before in the non-term-of-endearment sense. I think they were probably confused...
I don't say it myself, though oddly, people have called me 'nigger' before in the non-term-of-endearment sense. I think they were probably confused...
miyamotofreak
Banned
Fuck this system of unspoken rules that are broken repeatedly with case by case results and bullshit double standards. I hate all races: crackers, spics, jiggaboos, whatever they're calling people of my descent these days, chinks. It does not fucking matter. What I'm saying is by just not giving a fuck about something that no one really seems to really understand that your putting an end to the bullshit.
Cheers, since I figure a ban will arrive soon.
Cheers, since I figure a ban will arrive soon.
WickedAngel
Banned
Tristam said:
I know why and it doesn't fucking matter; if something is unacceptable for one ethnicity to say, it should be unacceptable for another. Anything less is racism.
way more
Member
Stoney Mason said:
I figure it must be bullshit and just another step to legitimize the idea that it's funny when you are a bigot but racist when other people do it.
He wasn't confused. He was a minority hating bigot. Do you think if you went up to him and said, "I'm sorry sir. You seem to have me confused for a African-American when in fact I am just a dark skinned person of this nationality," he would suddenly apologize and say he only is a racist towards black people?
These people are bigots. They have a warped sense of entitlement and believe in their own superior genes. They're no better than those GodHatesFags.com wacko's who believe God gave the the right to be assholes to everyone.
Wicked Angel said:
What about things that would be unacceptable for other people to say about your wife and family but that you are allowed to say? That's the double standard in this case.
? said:
Ease up on the martyrdom, chief. You need to be a little more articulate when being offensive for people to care.
Plaid Socks
Member
Real Nigga Roll Call
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7l43D9xZA0
Bad Karaoke song, but showed, no matter how much you say it, no one will care.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7l43D9xZA0
Bad Karaoke song, but showed, no matter how much you say it, no one will care.
WickedAngel said:
I don't really understand this logic. Why is it hard to accept that a word can take different connotations depending on who's using it? Lots of words are altered based on the context in which someone uses it, and this is another example. And either way, it certainly isn't racism. Racism means that you actively believe that one race is superior to another. Maybe it's a double standard (an understandable one, IMO), but racism it ain't.
WickedAngel
Banned
mac said:
Except the practice of blacks calling other blacks "niggas" isn't limited to family members and your argument addresses decency/civility/etiquette, not race.
kablooey said:
Telling white people that they can't say something while black people can isn't racism? People like you really are incredible; you expect everyone to make concessions without making any yourself.
IronicallyTwisted
Banned
I don't use it, but i'm not sympathetic to the people who use it day in day out and then become offended when a white person uses it. Those people are fucking hypocrites.
way more
Member
IronicallyTwisted said:
Would you not be offended if a stranger said the things you say about your family in public? I'm sure there are words you use on the golf course that you would never say in the boardroom or in front of your pastor.
Edit:
I think we all agree that nigger is an insult. And sometimes insults become terms of affection. You might refer to your friends as "jackass," or "dumbass," but when someone yells it to you one the highway you take offense. Is that a double standard? Yes. And it's an example how something between those people you know and others has different meanings.
Star Power
Member
Really, to me it's about intent. People that I grew up with use the word all the time, my cousins my friends whatever... it's like some people say "dude". Not necessarily a term of endearment per se, it's just something you say. But on the other hand, this white guy called me a nigger once and I was taken aback and offended and pissed off. It's different. Is there a double standard? Probably.. but why would any white person want to use that word anyway? I understand if you grew up in a predominately black mneighborhood like Paul Wall.. then maybe you have a hood pass or somethig :lol But suburban and upper-middle class whites bitching about "double standards" is ridiculous to me. There's historical context, reasons why the word "nigger" in any permutation is offensive and cutting coming from a white person Just deal with it.
IronicallyTwisted
Banned
mac said:
There are two stances a black person can take on the word nigger. Either its offensive to their races history, and shouldn't be used, or they don't care about the word, and aren't offended by its usage.
There is no rationality in using the word nigger like its the word of the day and then spouting white people who are using it are committing a hate crime.
miyamotofreak
Banned
Maybe you should just deal with being called nigger. I have the right to say any word I damn well please.Star Power said:
Star Power
Member
miyamotofreak said:
Well, obviously. You also have the right to join the Klan. No one is begruding you that right, there's nothing preventing you from saying nigger. I wouldn't suggest going around calling people niggers though, they have the right to kick your ass.
WickedAngel said:
:lol
Fuck, it's not a concession. I've never been called a cracker by a black guy, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't care if one did.
IronicallyTwisted said:
How don't you understand the difference between a white guy using the term to denigrate a black person's race and heritage and a black guy using the term in an attempt to rob it of its power?
If someone called me honky, whitey, or cracker, even if they were being derogatory, I'd probably laugh in their face.
I just don't feel like those words have near the same meaning as calling a black person the N-word. The difference is, my race (white European), has historically been the race of conquerors, oppressors, and enslavors, compared to the black race which historically were the enslaved. This is a clear difference to me as to why I wouldn't get offended if someone called me whitey, but can see why a black person would be offended if I called him the N-word.
Intent seems to be the recurring theme in this thread, but I don't see how you can use intent as a scapegoat because you can't read someone's mind and tell their true intent.
I guess the thing that surprises me is to see how many black people nowadays tolerate the use of this word, especially from other races. Like I said, 10-15 years ago, if you saw white kids running around the mall calling each other 'niggas' , you'd see a beatdown about to commence. Maybe in some cases, you still might see it happen, but its very clear that the word is tolerated a lot more than it used to be.
I just don't feel like those words have near the same meaning as calling a black person the N-word. The difference is, my race (white European), has historically been the race of conquerors, oppressors, and enslavors, compared to the black race which historically were the enslaved. This is a clear difference to me as to why I wouldn't get offended if someone called me whitey, but can see why a black person would be offended if I called him the N-word.
Intent seems to be the recurring theme in this thread, but I don't see how you can use intent as a scapegoat because you can't read someone's mind and tell their true intent.
I guess the thing that surprises me is to see how many black people nowadays tolerate the use of this word, especially from other races. Like I said, 10-15 years ago, if you saw white kids running around the mall calling each other 'niggas' , you'd see a beatdown about to commence. Maybe in some cases, you still might see it happen, but its very clear that the word is tolerated a lot more than it used to be.
WickedAngel
Banned
Star Power said:
I love this kind of argument. You acknowledge (And even defend) a racial double-standard without any logical justification aside from the idea that we should "just deal with it".
That's a great stance to have. Don't like sitting in the back of the bus? Just deal with it. Don't like being hosed down and attacked by dogs? Just deal with it. Don't like segregation? Just deal with it.
Star Power
Member
WickedAngel said:
Those analogies are really weak. I mean, have you studied sociology at all? It's a common practice among oppressed groups to re-claim and re-contextualize the words used to oppress them. Feminists often use the word "bitch" among themselves, as a term of female empowerment.. a "fuck you" to the patriarchy.. it's different coming from a male. You're being really obtuse if you don't see the difference. You're trying to boil a complex cultural phenomenon based on a history of oppression down to "fairness". Double standards exist. Again, deal with it.
WickedAngel
Banned
Star Power said:
Then deal with the fact that white people will continue to use the word because some blacks are too ignorant to stop.
Tristam said:
I understand the rationale perfectly; the acceptability of this word depends on your skin color. The whole argument about context is absurd; I highly doubt that the rap artists that started this trend had any grandiose ideas about reclaiming a word from their oppressors.
Star Power
Member
WickedAngel said:
...
Star Power said:
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