White People: What They Say in Public vs Behind Closed Doors

[ktchong]

[Longknife]

That's Oklahoma. That doesn't count.

[Volourn]

Yeah as opposed to not white people. But, yeah, contrary to what PC bullcrap pretends.. racism is NOT a white only disease.

[Namutree]

Where I grew up nearly every sentence people said had the N word in it. I'm pretty used to hearing it.

[ShadySands]

Where I grew up nearly every sentence people said had the N word in it. I'm pretty used to hearing it.

Which is also a problem

[licketysplit]

It's just a word. Relax. Black people use it all the time.

[ShadySands]

There is no consensus on the word. Not all black people use it and some are even against it being used at all

[Namutree]

There is no consensus on the word. Not all black people use it and some are even against it being used at all

Doesn't stop my friends from using it all the time. 

Edited March 11, 2015 by Namutree

[Cantousent]

I had a close friend in college, at Indiana University.  She would say 'niggah' all the time, which always made me cringe.  Growing up, we were taught that it was a horrible word that no one should use.  Anyhow, she started calling me this name after a while and some of her friends would call me the same thing.  When we were alone one time, I asked her about it and told her how it was weird to hear it and how the word was bad.  She explained that using the word was a way to own it and turn it into something good.  I believe she meant it, but I still think that it's tough to have a word that's okay for one group to say and not good for any other group.  I mean, I suppose maybe most parents don't want their kids to use profanity, but the meaning isn't explained as different for minors and adults.  It's just accepted that adults can use 'bad' words.

 

As far as the post, it doesn't offend me, but I would point out that a similar post entitled "Black (or Asian or Hispanic or Women) People: What They Say in Public vs Behind Closed Doors" would be rightfully derided as pointlessly provocative by trying to reinforce stereotypes.  After all, I thought pointing to stereotypes to vilify an entire group was bad.  :Shrug:  Hey, I believe in freedom of speech, although Obsidz might object to the video of the word on their private server.

 

EDIT:  heh, forgot to change the title.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Cantousent

[BruceVC]

Yeah this whole incident is appalling and just needs to be unequivocally condemned

 

But two students have been expelled and no one is defending what happened so we are seeing the correct response from society ?

[BruceVC]

It's just a word. Relax. Black people use it all the time.

Nah, words matter even though it may seem like people contradict themselves when a certain racial group uses a word that other racial groups can't use

 

Words symbolize things that can represent something very historically offensive, so don't ever think words don't matter

[Cantousent]

If words don't matter at all, then the majority of human interaction is meaningless.  Of course, the vast majority of human interaction might just be meaningless.  <.<

[BruceVC]

If words don't matter at all, then the majority of human interaction is meaningless.  Of course, the vast majority of human interaction might just be meaningless.  <.<

 

 

Also true, Cant has raised a more philosophical point around the meaning of words and provided us with irrefutable proof that of course words matter..or how would be able to communicate ?

[Orogun01]

There is no consensus on the word. Not all black people use it and some are even against it being used at all

Then they should really raise some hell to get rappers to stop saying it and ganstas, maybe they could get Al Sharpton on board. But if they're the kind that just gets offended when its non-black that say then that **** is racist

[BruceVC]

 

There is no consensus on the word. Not all black people use it and some are even against it being used at all

Then they should really raise some hell to get rappers to stop saying it and ganstas, maybe they could get Al Sharpton on board. But if they're the kind that just gets offended when its non-black that say then that **** is racist

 

 

I hear what you are saying and it may seem strange because the argument " if a word is so offensive it should never be used by any racial group " surly applies ?

 

In South Africa we have a very offensive word to describe black people, I'm sure most of you are familiar with it. It starts with a k. Anyway you will lose your job in the public or private sector if you use this word, you wont get prosecuted but its really considered socially unacceptable to use this word in any public forum

 

Black people normally don't use this word to describe each other but there have been cases of the odd black politician using this word and having to apologize afterwards

 

But the point is in South Africa we accept that words matter and can be very hurtful 

[Cantousent]

I just don't like making a word entirely off limits because it prevents any discussion.  For example, the word 'spic' is horrible when used as a pejorative for Hispanic folks.  When used in the phrase 'spic and span,' it's not bad.  ...And if someone calls someone else a spic, it's bad of course.  However, I shouldn't be castigated for using the word as part of a discussion about racial or ethnic epithets.  At lease I hope I shouldn't.  I'm betting the hammer comes down because of the video, personally, but that's just an assumption on my part.

[ManifestedISO]

[Valsuelm]

 

But the point is in South Africa we accept that words matter and can be very hurtful 

 

 

You're speaking for all of South Africa now?

[BruceVC]

 

 

But the point is in South Africa we accept that words matter and can be very hurtful 

 

 

You're speaking for all of South Africa now?

 

 

Well for the majority of reasonable people  it is known in South Africa that in public certain words are intolerable 

 

Are people still insensitive and use offensive words? Yes but there is no credible debate that tries to make allowances for the usage of historically unacceptable words

[Valsuelm]

Yeah as opposed to not white people. But, yeah, contrary to what PC bullcrap pretends.. racism is NOT a white only disease.

 

Indeed.

 

Insert 'Black', 'Gay', 'Yellow', etc in place of 'White' in the thread title, and some people (likely many of the same folks who are bothered by the 'N' word) would be freaking out, and the mods would likely have already have done something.

 

Yee ole double standard is still strong.

 

Seriously, super poor judgement on the thread title there OP.

[Valsuelm]

 

 

 

But the point is in South Africa we accept that words matter and can be very hurtful 

 

 

You're speaking for all of South Africa now?

 

 

Well for the majority of reasonable people  it is known in South Africa that in public certain words are intolerable 

 

Are people still insensitive and use offensive words? Yes but there is no credible debate that tries to make allowances for the usage of historically unacceptable words

 

 

I imagine that excepting those who live under rocks or are genuinely mentally disabled in some manner, 100% of the reasonable and unreasonable people are aware that some words are not acceptable in many public atmospheres. Profane and other tabooish words in culture X generally are known to all within that culture after a young age.

 

As for there being a credible debate or not. Credibility with such things would be in the eye of the beholder. For you, I imagine that if Piers Morgan had a debate of such things on his show, or Obama said we should have a debate on such things, etc, they would be credible.

[BruceVC]

 

 

 

 

But the point is in South Africa we accept that words matter and can be very hurtful 

 

 

You're speaking for all of South Africa now?

 

 

Well for the majority of reasonable people  it is known in South Africa that in public certain words are intolerable 

 

Are people still insensitive and use offensive words? Yes but there is no credible debate that tries to make allowances for the usage of historically unacceptable words

 

 

I imagine that excepting those who live under rocks or are genuinely mentally disabled in some manner, 100% of the reasonable and unreasonable people are aware that some words are not acceptable in many public atmospheres. Profane and other tabooish words in culture X generally are known to all within that culture after a young age.

 

As for there being a credible debate or not. Credibility with such things would be in the eye of the beholder. For you, I imagine that if Piers Morgan had a debate of such things on his show, or Obama said we should have a debate on such things, etc, they would be credible.

 

 

Good points raised and you are right. If Obama or Piers Morgan really had this debate I would consider it credible but we both know they would never insult the intelligence or sensitivities of people by suggesting that there is a place in society for the n***g word ( or other offensive words ) ...don't you think?

[Gorth]

In South Africa we have a very offensive word to describe black people, I'm sure most of you are familiar with it. It starts with a k.

I know your word. Working with South Africans for more than a decade, it's hard not to learn a bit about some aspects of South Africa, even if not visiting the country itself. It is indeed considered more offensive than the 'n' word by an order of magnitude.

 

Yeah as opposed to not white people. But, yeah, contrary to what PC bullcrap pretends.. racism is NOT a white only disease.

South Africa not only had white/black racism in the past, asian immigrants and day labourers were considered third rate human beings, despised by both whtie and black people. Not sure what their status is today in modern South Africa. Phillipinos are considered slaves and personal property in many Arab countries. Newly rich Chinese are some of the worst bigots you can run into today. Feel free to add to the list. It is indeed not limited to a particular group of people.

[Gromnir]

when our sister went to Cal, she lived at rochdale for a few years.  "roachdale" were a +200 person co-op with units that had 1- 4 apartments attached to a common living area.  our sister had between 6-7 lesbian and transsexual roommates.  we learned stuff from visiting sis. we visited frequent.  we actual enjoyed most o' her roommates company, and for some inexplicable reason, they always wanted to play basketball when we visited.  Gromnir is an indifferent basketball player, but it were nice to feel like michael jordan for an hour or so.  anyways, one thing we learned is that lesbians, at least back in the early/mid 90s, had a peculiar fascination with calling each other b**** and c***. it were not an attractive habit, but even the "lipstick lesbians" would use that crude identifier.  we surmised that the lesbians used such a vulgar descriptor for two reasons:

 

1) say c*** makes folks uncomfortable, and the lesbians wanted us to be uncomfortable.

 

2) they believed that their use o' the word robbed it o' its power to hurt. 

 

*shrug*

 

am suspecting most disenfranchised groups do similar stuff.  

 

also, words do have different meanings depending on who says them to you.  we had a college roommate that called us tonto, if you can believe it.  now, Gromnir is an easy going kinda person, but we would be a bit offended if a random stranger called us by the same name as the lone ranger's companion.  random guy calling us tonto would be meant as something other than a compliment, yes? nevertheless, our college friend, for reasons we don't feel like explaining, could call us tonto without us getting the least bit angry.  we knew our friend were saying without malice, so no harm.  stranger says and we is obviously gonna assume malice or at least some level o' scorn or derision.  same word, but we felt perfect justified in having a different reaction.

 

now, keep in mind that we were in University, and our friend that we mentioned above were a football teammate.  we were dumb and he were dumb.  now that we is a bit older, am pretty sure we would discourage our adult friends from calling us tonto, even if we knew they bore us no ill will.  

 

...

 

point is that we thinks there is many reasons to explain why a group could feel like a particular bit o' language is an insult when used by anybody but themselves.  am not advocating such a position, but we understand and even have some experience with something similar... not same. some o' the local communities near pine ridge developed insults for the lakota, and we still get a bit hot when we hear such.  we would never call our relatives by such names and am certain they would be extreme offended if we did so.  so, our experience is different, but we try to understand.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited March 11, 2015 by Gromnir

[Fighter]

Maybe instead of 'white people' say an 'old woman' next time.