This is stupid, and totally off topic (and my opinion), but I’m going to vent about it anyway.Nigger is a word. Like kike and chink and faggot, it’s a word of hate and ignorance. But it’s just a word.I’m just sickened by the concept that some people are trying to “wipe the word out” by stopping people from using it. It’s a stupid idea that will never succeed. And it shouldn’t. Listen, world, banning a word won’t defeat prejudice, it will worsen it. It will send it underground and breed a segregationistic attitude. If people use it in a hateful context (a la Michael Richards), you learn something about that person, an improtant detail about the user’s attitude. If people censor the word, you lose that identifier.And by the way, there IS such a thing as using a hateful word in a non-hateful context. I have no problem using “nigger” in such sentences as “I don’t associate with people who use the word ‘nigger’”.In fact, it’s childish to use “the N word”. What are we afraid of — saying a word? It’s just a word, and I am not afraid of words. In fact, I have a lower opinion of people who use “the n-word” (or “the k-word”, or “the f-word”) than I do of people who use the terms themselves in non-hateful contexts. That doesn’t make me a bigot — it makes me an adult.Is this something I “just don’t get”?
However comical it would be to just say “Yes.” and leave it as that, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’d just add one more thing to it… Black people who use the word nigger or nigga as a term of endearment, whites who use cracker, and gays who use faggot: Stop it. It makes you sound rediculous.
I think that banning it gives it way too much power. It only makes it stronger.
what is wrong with segregation?we intergrated here in the south and all we got was an increase of black on white crime.but as long as northern whites & jews can pat themselves on the back i guess that makes it worthwhile.
I was called “faggot” by boys in a car a few weeks ago, but I felt it made sense — I was walking around a gay bar, and I would gladly have invited them in to repeat the epithet for a larger audience.
Two weeks back, the emcee of a gay fundraising function let slip the word “fag,” then asked hesitantly if the word offended anyone. Nobody out of about 150 objected. I thought afterward that I could have stood up and proclaimed “Nobody calls me fag — I prefer nigger!” I would have been a white guy in an overwhelmingly white audience. I don’t know if that would have been funny or just embarrassing.
I’ve never been able to use the “n word”. Not sure why, except that people I loved and respected, when I was a very young child, used it a lot and their manner and tone when they said it made me feel very uncomfortable.
But it is just a word, and banning words just gives them more power; makes them more seductive. And I think that people who want to ban words -or books- or music- or whatever – are just seeking power themselves.
On the other hand, it would be unwise to shout it out in a crowded movie theater.
reason,
Okay maybe I am just choosing to not see the obvious meaning of your post but rather than assume would you please restate?
Are you being humorous, or are you for segregation?
As to word bans I am an obvious NO vote… speech should be free… except maybe for radical fundementalist and then I think we should charge them $5 bucks everytime they end a sentencce with “Praise Baby Jesus”. kidding, only kidding.
I always take reason’s comments with a grain of salt. He says such outrageous things, I assume he’s being sarcastic.
Perhaps a fireman should be consulted before attempting to fight fire with fire?
The other side of suppressing bad words is selecting a new word that does not carry the baggage of bigotry ? la politically correct.
This too never really works. Before long the new word is being used as an epithet as well. I wonder about phrases like ‘person of colour’, though. They are so awkward they pretty much succeed, given that no-one would consider employing them as an insult.
How exactly would a ban on a word like ‘nigger’ work? Would uttering it be a hate crime or would the word police hand out tickets?
If “nigger” is banned, the first group of people that should be targeted is the black community itself. The black folks I know use the word more than I ever even thought of using it. In fact, I think it makes ME more uncomfortable than them. My black friends use the word as a term of endearment, in confrontation, and even to refer to their kids (my one friend lovingly calls her two boys “niglets”-their dad is white). She got quite a laugh from the shocked look on my face! By the way, she is big, black, and one of the best friends I ever had. We’re sisters from another mother.
Freedom of speech? As our country forgot this?
Just curious, are there actually any atheists who descend from tribal African heritage?
I say it like this because i am from Texas and went to a conservative school.(which has the largest GLAAD organization of any university in nation)
And, i say this because i am very confused by the term African American being synonymous our “black” bros and sisters. SO is Dave Matthews Afro American? Nick Faldo.
Also, i say this b/c pretty much all of my black friends and those in school were brought up around the church or in it.
I say it all goes back to Ham, Shem and Japheth after the ark. An asian featured guy, a black africanish guy and a white jewishy european looking guy…then they procreated and wall-ah!! 6 billion of the most odd looking people evolution could have never accounted for. Unless it truly does bread hate into us….its getting a lot clearer to me now. (sarcasm mine)
(hi, first post).
Banning it, as most people said, would just make it stronger. I think it would be much better to just neutralize the word. Just as black people apperently use it endearingly, if everybody did this the meaning would shift. Once the common usage has shifted, the power to insult is lost.
I see what reasons means. Sometimes integration can seem like a failed experiment here. And a lot of self-segregation occurs. (Louisiana)
Know a few black atheists, but, religion is a stronger part of their racial identity, so I literally only know 2-3.
I know an atheist from Africa, for the record. Though he IS white of Dutch descent. He’s the only “African American” I’ve ever met. An elderly black woman told my mom that she’s fed up with kids who want to be called African because “they’ve never been to Africa and wouldn’t like it if they went.” As she put it, for many the “mother country” is Louisiana, USA. She was a bit angry about it.
I’m tired of getting blamed for the “sins” of the past. As I’ve said elsewhere, I would never own another person and never have; so why am I getting blamed? The word nigger is just a word, as has been stated above. Banning a word is like telling a teenager not to smoke pot or not to masturbate. 1)It doesn’t work and 2)it makes the forbidden more enticing.
Banning words is the first step toward banning ideas.
JESUS WAS A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL NIGGER!
Oh, wow…
I’ve never understood the attitude that says: “Let’s condemn a word (ANY word) because of its possible connotations.
To me, it comes down to context.
What, you’re gonna fine Fiddy-Cent for calling himself a nigga?
You’re gonna fine George Carlin for calling
himself a honky motherfucker?
Please.
Unless you’re terminally braindamaged, you can’t help but tell the difference between actual racist/religious/political hatred
and satire.
I’m totally with you. I don’t like to see any word used with hurtful intentions, and I do think it’s reasonable to be sensitive to how people may react (like don’t be surprised if an 80yo black man who grew up in the south gets upset by it), but wholesale banning of the word in all possible uses is silly. If someone personally doesn’t want to use the actual word, that’s his business, but making the leap to judging others for using it without any consideration of context is silly–if I’m quoting someone who said “nigger,” I’m saying it too, because I don’t feel real discussion is helped by childish wordplay, and I don’t appreciate being looked at askance because of that. Better 100 people use the word “nigger” during a serious discussion of racism than one person use “the n-word” and therefore think racism isn’t an issue anymore.
Mr Richards was just using a word that would shock and immediatley shut up his hecklers. If they had been obese he might have yelled at the “fat fuckers” to shut up and go find a buffet or something. Get over it America, it’s just a word that was used in response to him being attacked verbally first.
I never understood the concept of “bad words.”
Words are words, big deal. And I agree that trying to ban them will only make them stronger, people will use them anyway, and we can never get rid of discrimination. And I acatually can stand people who say those words in a hateful meaning more than those people who say “The N-Word” “The S-Word” and etc. I know that sounds pretty bad, but it’s true. Because I realize that it’s in human nature to be discriminative and hate people and I guess it just gets to some people more than others.
There’s nothing wrong with saying nigger. Black people say it all the time. They say they do it to “take power away from the word”, but it’s been away for some time now.
Words are just words. If you don’t like to hear certain words, then you have a problem. Black people are taught to dislike it when white people say the word “nigger”. But it’s been done and gone for a long, long time now. But I guess people need something to do in their spare time, so they choose to keep this stupid dead horse alive; out of sheer boredom.
Nigger nigger nigger.
I’m a white boy, and I date black women, as well as any ethnic chick.
Who cares what people say.
i don’t use the n-word as for segregation every group engages in it to some degree and yes intergration as we know it is a failure.we have segregation based on technology and income.to pretend we are better than previous gen. is dishonest.it maybe race,language,religion or income or education but you will practise some form of segrgation.so be honest about it.
I love when white folks, and I am white, try to to act like racism isn’t so bad anymore and try to justify predjudice.. I am of Italian descent, and my friends would use deragatory Italian names with each other, but if anyone else used them, watch out.
I agree that freedom of speech unfortunately includes hate speech also and you can’t ban words. but, lets’ put this Richards thing in perspective. He just didn’t use the N word, he referred back to tyhe lynchings byt saying “if it was 50 years ago, you would be hanging upside down…etc”. Someone heckled him and that gives him the right to fight back with racism? “Well the other guy started it”. What are we 8 years old again?
Somehow “cracker” doesn’t seem to carry the same impact, or sound as hateful, as nigger. Maybe someone should come up with just as ugly a sounding words that can be used against white folks.
Of course words should not be banned. But saying that “words are just words” is a bit disingenuous. Words are not “just” words. Words have meaning.
People use swear words to convey strong feelings. People usually swear when they want to shock someone, or when they react strongly to something. (Such as when I caught a pot of oil on fire and starting chanting, “shit, shit, shit!” That was a reaction to my fear that I was going to burn my kitchen down!)
People usually are trying to say something negative when they use a racial epithet (unless it’s about their OWN race).
I do agree with what some of you are saying. If words get used a lot, they lose their sting.
When people go around swearing a lot, you get used to hearing them swear, and their words don’t have such a big impact.
I remember seeing the movie “Clerks” for the first time. I was shocked for the first 5 minutes because of all the bad language – but then, it just became part of the regular dialogue, and I got used to it.
Maybe it would be better if people used racial slurs A LOT, and then the words would lose their shock value – but, it won’t be me! I don’t like that kind of talk, and I think you can really hurt and anger people by talking that way.
(Also, remember I’m the one whose son got suspended from school last week for comparing penguins to Jews at the Wailing Wall! We are going to be a PC family, from now on!!
I’ve touched on this subject before…..There’s no such thing as “bad words”
I call everyone I know nigger, nigga, or negro in a playfull context…it all started when my children started listening to hip hop and other music by black artists and hearing it all the time… I think it is funny. I am carefull not to use words that might offend in a place that might get me killed though…common sense. BTW love eminem…not black, and afroman…black….. great entertaining music and lyrics. Anyway racism/bigotry=ignorance, same with censorship.
Sorry for the rant
bilge
I’d love to bring hateful words into everyday conversation in order to kill their shock value. Fuck, nigger, cunt, etc. etc. etc.
However, I do recognize that by making it my own personal mission to bring these into common practice, I am mostly just going to be hurting people, including myself. It needs to happen on a very large scale before these words are powerless.
I am rather intrigued, though, by the feminist reclaiming of the word “cunt”. It’s a good one. Part of the Vagina Monologues– everyone screams out “cunt”, audience included. At least when I saw it. The word doesn’t make me flinch anymore, except when it’s obviously used as an insult. (It can still be very, very horrible, but it’s the use that’s bad, not the word itself.)
It’d be wonderful if they WERE just words. Unfortunately, many people make them more powerful than that.
Ellie,
I think most of the so called “bad” words have been desensitized somewhat and will continue as people evolve and become more educated.
bilge
Banning words is not a good idea, but responses to their use in certain circumstances is legitimate. The problem with Richards was not that he used the n-word, but how he used it.
If it had been a part of his routine to mock one thing or another, that would be acceptable. But he went entirely out of character to attack his hecklers. A good comic would have used irony.
Even then, if he had said it only once, there would have been not much to say about it. But, again, he repeated it several times, getting louder and more vehement all along. At this point, one is justified in getting upset.
I know men and women who strongly object to someone ever using the word “cunt”. Other vulgar insults are accepted, but there seems to be some emotional charge to this word. Why? I don’t know.
There was a funny sketch on the c-word on the series “Lucky Louie”. It is easy to find on youtube.
Compare the epithets to the word “Christian.” At some point, it’s a matter of telling folks that they can use the words for themselves, but those labels don’t describe me.
When has anyone ever successfully banned a word? You might keep it out of some limited venues like commercial TV or general newspapers, but it’s not going to stop people from using it.
This is how I see the use of the word in question:
To me, a nigger is your typical ghetto living – baggy clothes wearing – ebonics talking – 40oz. drinking – bling bling wearing – classic car destroying (i.e. hydraulics) – bass listening – waste of human flesh. You know, the ones who look like a criminal and seem proud of that image. The ones who look up to successful gang-banger rappers and try to imitate these people.
However, a black person (or african american if you will), to me, is a person who’s gone to school, gotten their education, made something of their life, and has tried to become a member of a civilized society.
Maybe I’m just a different breed of cracka, but niggers and blacks are not the same type of people. Just like the difference between caucasian/white and white trash/redneck. We’re not all cousin-loving, sister-humpin’, NASCAR watching, country music liking people (eventhough this breed of people is becoming more popular, probably due to rapid inbreeding).
At my high school we’re not allowed to say “That’s gay” (as in “We have 2 reports to do for homework? That’s gay!”) as it could offend one of the many gay kids at my school.
But one time I was walking down the hall and a guy that I know is gay said it himself (he actually said the exact example I used) but then the guy he was talking to said, “I know! It is so fucking gay!” and the gay guy got so pissed off at him! I don’t know if it’s just me, but I thought that was just ridiculous.
(Has anyone else noticed that a black guy can get away with calling a white guy a cracka, but god forbid a white guy calls a black guy a nigga?)
And wisconsinatheist I see where you’re coming from, but I think black can describe both types while nigga to some is okay and to others is offensive. But then again some of them want to be called “African American.” No offense to black people that want to be called that, but unless you are actually from Africa and you were born in Africa and have moved to the US or one of your parents was from Africa, you shouldn’t be obsessed over being called African American. I mean, I’ve never seen white guys running around going, “NO! I’M CAUCASIAN AMERICAN! DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME WHITE!”
BTW: NASCAR=
Non-
Athletic
Sport
Centered
Around
Rednecks =D
There is a good poet/rap/music group called The Watts Prophets.
Their best album is “When the 90’s Came”. On it is the song “i’ll stop calling you niggaz”.
“I ain’t mad at whitey, I am mad at you, you low-down niggaz.”
“i’ll stop calling you niggaz when you start acting like black men.”
A documentary on the Watts Prophets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISUoTJaXVBQ
I say every one should hate all other people equally then this would all go away.
STOP being so divisive with your bigotry. Freedom of speech, separation of church and state. Right to “Bear” arms, Rosa-Parks Bus Holocaust, and the extermination of the Jew hating gentiles should be a priority for us all.
As soul-less matured fetus’ together we should ban together and make our “voices” known, and if you live in certain states your “concealed hand guns”!! If we can all just agree that morality is a fascist philosophy that scrutinizes our individual ideas and privileges. Soon we can take over the world and make it the way it should be: a tolerant place where all sorts of crimes and atrocities are upheld and embraced. We are the enlightened ones who know the real truth in this depraved, idiotic World!!
Come on whose with me, seriously. Unless you are religious because you are all getting way to inclusive as the millennium goes. Your acceptance of people everywhere and increasing ideas about life and unity are really sickening. If you continue to develop and become even more accepting of people in their “sin” we are gonna do something radical. I mean something that has never been done before!! …I know we’ll stake you up on a tree with some huge screws until you suffocate to death, and if it takes to long we’ll break your legs! Yeah. It may sound like no big deal but something tells me it will be torturous suffering. We’ll probably beat you a bit before hand for good measure too.
What a brilliant plan to keep the world free of the crap that clutters up living. You know, people that think and act based on conviction. Hopefully soon we will be what we should have been all along, a society that is mechanical and completely rational in thought and deed. If I’m lying I’m dying!!
Do what ever you need to become the ruler of your domain, that’s how it should be with our true ideas of self first, then offspring that can conquer others and last self again.
Humanists HO!
won2have
I think you mixed your characterizations there with your middle paragraph…
and are you calling me a HO? hehheh.
Note* I reserve the right to be a ho if it helps me to become the ruler of my domain.
I mixed up my what, in my where?
No, no that’s pretty close to right, i think? Maybe i meant Christians only. Religious folks is a broad generalization and i know how exact we have to be as rational thinkers here, no generalized stereotyping what so ever on this blog!
Its only the Christians that i hate. Especially the ones who exhibit “love” to others so openly. It is true they are only doing what their scriptures teach, but i for one am sick of it. Who needs a world full of people willing to lay their lives down for strangers or worse enemies. I am going to get a petition going for the abolition of man.
Just one stupid idea they teach is abstinence until marriage. Pfft! Look if “God” did create sex between a man and a woman in “garden” then he must not have known what he was doing. Who wants to marry “a” man or “a” woman that has waited until marriage, for their spouse, to express the deepest physical and emotional bond we humans can taste. I mean they act like it is almost spiritual. What a bunch of crap that has got to be!! I need a woman who has slept around a bit. She has to know that i am or am not the best she has ever had, so she can go find the best and then procreate with that guy. It seems fair and logical since our gospel of evolution is obviously the absolute truth. I mean come on people!! You guys are killing me here!
So yes, you should be a HO Karen. Congratulations, unless you waited until marriage. In that case shame on you.
i did it! i spoke in both sarcasm and truth at the same time! Hooray!!
AS A BLACK, BISEXUAL, ATHEIST WOMAN IN A WHELCHAIR, THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION IS RATHER HUMOROUS TO ME. I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE DISCRIMINATION OF BEING IN SEVERAL MINORITY GROUPS AND I LIVE IN THE RACIALLY HOSTILE BIBLE BELT OF GEORGIA. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THE MAJORITY OF WHITE PEOPLE SO EASILY AND SUMMARILY DISMISS THE LEGITIMACY OF THE LEGACY OF PAIN AND SUFFERING THE WORD NIGGER HAS ON BLACK PEOPLE? IT IS ARROGANT THAT ONE WOULD EVEN CONSIDER YOURSELF AN ADEQUATE JUDGE OF THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF RACIAL HOSTILITY IN AMERICA TODAY. I WOULD NOT TELL NATIVE AMERICANS THAT EVEN THOUGH AMERICA WAS STOLEN FROM THEM AND THEN THEY WERE CARTED OFF TO RESERVATIONS AND ISOLATED IN AN APARTHEID TYPE PROCESS, THAT THEY HAVE A FEW TOKEN GAMBLING INSTITUTIONS AND SHOULD BE SATISFIED. I WOULD NEVER THINK OF MYSELF AS AN AUTHORITY ON WHETHER THE JEWS SHOULD BE HEALED OVER THE EFFECTS OF THE HOLOCAUST AND NOT SHIVER AT THE SIGHT OF THE SWASTIKA. I WOULD NOT DARE TELL A MALE SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIM WHEN HE SHOULD GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON. I WOULD NOT DARE TELL SOMEONE WHO LOST A PARENT IN DEATH WHEN TO GET OVER GRIEVING. IMAGINE FANATICAL CHRISTIANS DEMANDING THAT ATHEISTS STOP BITCHING ABOUT THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS BEING VIOLATED BY THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY. TO DO SO WOULD BE AT BEST, INSENSITIVE. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF NOT BEING INDIVIDUALLY TARGETED AND AFFECTED BY BEING THE VICTIM OF SYSTEMATIC RACISM.
IF WE ALL ARE ATHEISTS LET ME EXPLAIN THIS USING A COMMON EXPERIENCE. IMAGINE IF STARTING A FEW HUNDRED YEARS AGO, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DECLARED THAT ALL ATHEISTS AND THEIR DESCENDANTS WERE TO BE CALLED NIGGERS, CONSIDERED TO BE BEASTS OF BURDEN, INELIGIBLE FOR EVEN THE COMPASSION WE OFFER OUR HOUSEHOLD PETS AND SIMPLY WORKED TO THE DEATH FOR NO WAGES. IMAGINE HAVING YOUR LOVED ONES BRUTALLY RAPED, BEATEN, HUMILIATED, KILLED, MUTILATED, DENIED ANY LEGAL RECOURSE, PREVENTED FROM RECEIVING AN EDUCATION AND MADE TO FEEL INFERIOR PHYSICALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY. NOW IMAGINE THAT WHILE ALL BELIEVERS IN GOD WERE GROWING RICH FROM EXPLOITING ATHEISTS, ATHEISTS THEMSELVES WERE TRYING TO SIMPLY SURVIVE, MAINTAIN A SHRED OF HOPE, TRY NOT TO HATE THEIR OPPRESSORS AND ESCAPE/TRANSCEND THIS SYSTEM. WHAT IF THE ATHEIST ENSLAVEMENT SYSTEM THAT WAS CREATED WAS KEPT IN EFFECT FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS AND THEN, EVEN AFTER IT WAS ABOLISHED, THE DISCRIMINATION THAT HELPED CREATE IT WAS STILL PRESENT, EVEN THOUGH OPPORTUNITES GRADUALLY BECAME AVAILABLE TO ATHEISTS OVER SEVERAL HUNDREDS YEARS? THEN, IMAGINE IF YOU WERE EXPECTED TO ACT AS IF THESE MEMORIES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PRETTY MUCH FORGOTTEN, ALL OF THE STORIES OF YOUR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ATHEIST-ENSLAVEMENT SYSTEM DISMISSED. IMAGINE IF EVERY TIME THE WORD NIGGER WAS SHOUTED YOU HAD A FLASHBACK OF SEEING FELLOW ATHEISTS TORTURED AND KILLED. IMAGINE THAT THE DESCENDANTS OF THE RELIGIOUS ORIGINAL SYSTEM WERE HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE USE OF THE WORD NIGGER AND THE FACT THAT IT IS JUST A WORD AND YOU SHOULD JUST GET OVER IT. PERHAPS YOU MAY NOT FEEL THAT THE WORD WAS AS NON-EMOTIONAL AS THE OTHER GROUP FELT. IT MIGHT EVEN MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, MISUNDERSTOOD AND MARGINAL. YOU MAY FEEL HESITANT ABOUT GOING INTO DEPTH WITH THEM ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS, BECAUSE THEY HADN’T EVEN GRASPED THE SIGNIFICANCE ON A SUPERFICIAL LEVEL. PERHAPS YOU WOULD FEEL ALONE IN A GROUP OF PEOPLE YOU THOUGHT HAD EVOLVED INTO COMPASSIONATE AND SENSITIVE. YOU MIGHT EVEN FEEL LIKE I DO NOW, DISAPPOINTED.
IT IS VERY DISHEARTENING FOR ME TO BE AN ATHEIST AND NOT KNOW ONE OTHER BLACK ATHEIST IN A MOSTLY BLACK CULTURE THAT VERY EFFECTIVELY OSTRACIZES ALL FREE THINKERS. I MUSTER UP THE STRENGTH TO REMAIN VIGILANT AND FIND OTHER SIMILAR MINDED PEOPLE AND CHANCE UPON THIS DISCUSSION. MANY ATHEISTS I KNOW TEND TO BE MORE “ENLIGHTENED” AND HUMANISTIC THAN THEIR RELIGIOUS COUNTERPARTS. BEING ATHEIST GIVES ONE THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN A GROUP THAT IS A “MINORITY”, GENERALLY DESPISED, POLITICALLY AND FINANCIALLY UNDERREPRESENTED, LARGELY DISRESPECTED AND IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, COMPLETELY ELIMINATED FROM THE WORLD OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY THOSE LOVING GOD FOLKS. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PLEASE USE YOUR ABILITIES TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND EVEN TO CREATE A NEW SHAPE ALTOGETHER. JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T ALL SHARE A SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE, CAN WE NOT USE OUR POWERS OF REASONING AND SHARPENED CREATIVITY TO IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER GROUP?
WITH REGARDS TO BANISHING THE WORD NIGGER, PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT IT IS UNREALISTIC BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE WORD TO INJURE OTHERS WOULD BE JUST AS LIKELY TO HAVE THE SAME ATTITUDE ABOUT BLACKS IF WE WERE CALLED BY ANY OTHER NAME. THEY WOULD FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO USE IT AND DURING THE STRUGGLE FOR THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, WHICH WE ALL WANT TO PRESERVE, THEIR FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION WOULD BREED MORE RACIAL TENSION. IT WOULD BE LIKE TERRORIST CELLS, SPLINTERING OFF INTO A VARIETY OF BRANCHES. IN REGARDS TO BLACK PEOPLE CALLING EACH OTHER NIGGERS, THAT, TO ME, IS A CHOICE THAT EVERY BLACK PERSON HAS TO MAKE AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE CHOICES. I AM A WOMAN AND WHEN A WOMAN CALLS ME A BITCH, IT IS DIFFERENT THAN WHEN A MAN CALLS ME ONE. I AM FAT, SO IF ANOTHER FAT PERSON REFERS TO MY SIZE OR AFFECTIONATELY CALLS ME BIG GAL, IT WOULD NOT FEEL THE SAME AS A SUPERMODEL CALLING ME DISGUSTINGLY FAT. IF ONE ATHEIST AFFECTIONATELY CALLS ANOTHER ONE “ANGRY MILITANT ATHEIST”, WOULD THAT NOT BE DIFFERENT THAN IF A CHRISTIAN PREACHER CALLED YOU ONE? REMOVING THE MATERIAL WORD FROM EXISTENCE, BUT NOT EDUCATING THE MASSES ON THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND IMPLICATION OF THE WORD, ALSO REMOVES THE BROADER LESSON OF CULTURAL SENSITIVITY.
THIS DISCUSSION SEEMS TO MISS THE BIGGER ISSUE BY ARGUING OVER SEMANTICS. THINK BEFORE YOU FORMULATE SUCH CUT AND DRY SUMMATIONS. MY RANT IS NOT AIMED AT ALL OF THE MEMBERS WHO POSTED, JUST SOME. MANY GOOD POINTS WERE MADE AND THE ONE ITALIAN COMMENTER COULDN’T HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO HITTING THE TARGET OF HOW I FEEL AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN IF HE USED A HAMMER.
THERE IS OFTEN A QUESTION OF WHY THERE ARE SO FEW BLACK ATHEISTS? WHILE THE ANSWERS ARE NUMEROUS, I FEEL THAT FOR THE MOST PART, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE ASKED TO MAKE A CHOICE…HIDE THEIR IDENTITIES TO RECEIVE THE FAMILIARITY OF THEIR SHARED AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OR BE BANISHED AND THROW IN THEIR LOTS WITH A LARGELY WHITE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE VERY LITTLE EMPATHY FOR THE VERY REAL CULTURE AND UNIQUE PLIGHT OF THE EXPERIENCES OF BLACK PEOPLE. THIS DECISION IS OFTEN TOO HIGH A PRICE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE COIN. I CHOOSE TO BE A MYTHICAL CREATURE, THE “BLACK ATHEIST” WITH A DUALITY AS BOTH BLACK ANDDDDDDDDD ATHEIST AND RECONCILING THIS TUG OF WAR IS ENOUGH TO DRIVE ONE TO DRINK! PEACE TO ALL OF YOU!
REGARDING MICHAEL RICHARDS, WHAT AN IDIOT. I MEAN, EVEN IF HE MEANT EVERY WORD HE SAID, HE REALLY PAID WITH HIS WHOLE PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION TO GET REVENGE ON HECKLERS. I HOPE HE FEELS LIKE IT WAS WORTH IT. HE NOT ONLY USED THE WORD NIGGER DOZENS OF TIMES, HE ALSO HISTORICALLY REFERENCED THE CASUAL CATEGORICAL TORTURING OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ONLY 50 YEARS AGO WITH PITCHFORKS, LYNCHINGS, ETC. MR. RICHARDS ALSO REFERENCED THE CONSEQUENCES A NIGGER WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO A WHITE MAN. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT HE MUST HAVE BEEN ON A GOOD COCKTAIL OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TO EVEN THINK THAT HIS SAFETY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AT RISK IN THAT CROWD. WHAT A FOOL! I FEEL VERY SATISFIED THAT HE WILL REAP THE RESULTS OF HIS HATRED, CONSEQUENCES.
HATS OFF TO YOU MR. RICHARD, YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CUT OFF YOUR NOSE TO SPITE YOUR FACE, NOT TO MENTION DAMAGING YOUR CAREER IN THE PROCESS!
INTRODUCING THE BENEDICT ARNOLD LIST
United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc. presents its Benedict Arnold list for those Blacks who insist on publicly using the n-word including Daman Wayans.
PURPOSE: No longer is it acceptable to trample upon the memories and honor of those who were tarred and feathered, burnt alive, castrated, hung, boiled alive, sodomized and tortured with hot instruments, disemboweled, unmercifully tortured in countless numbers of other ways, all in the name of the n-word simply because since the victims were considered to be a n***er it was okay to perform such atrocious, despicable acts. And yet as evil and heinous as these acts were there is something that transcends it and that is descendants of these canonized victims taking the word n***er and embracing it with tender loving care and using it endearingly and affectionately among them. How idiotic and moronic can this possibly be?
ELIGIBILILTY REQUIREMENTS: Consideration to be placed on the Benedict Arnold list is as follows: Blatantly showing by act and deeds a determination to undermine the African American community with a defiant public display and intent to use and promote usage of a word that is disrespectful, dishonorable to the memories of those who suffered physically, mentally and emotionally?the n-word.
Qualifiers of the Benedict Arnold list shall henceforth be looked upon as the village idiots of the community. To further clarify the criteria distinguishing who makes the list and who doesn?t among the proponents in favor of the word. It is not intended to try and nail everyone to the cross. It?s only when someone like a John Ridley or Daman Wayans who publicly?in a defiant, determined and perverse manner supports undermining the Black community by pledging allegiance to the n-word, then and only then will those names be added to the Benedict Arnold list.
In accordance with the aforementioned eligibility requirements the following have been found to be eligible to have their names placed on this list and why it is so moved.
JOHN RIDLEY as result of his verbal public defiance and insistence on referring to African Americans as the n-word and his writing of ?Manifesto of Ascendancy of the Modern American N***er ? is hereby placed on the Benedict Arnold list.
DAMAN WAYANS as a result of his verbal public defiance and insistence on referring to African Americans as the n-word and his attempts in trying and still trying, though he has been turned down time and time again to register the name nigga as a trademark to be used as a marketable item for a clothesline and other marketable items, is hereby placed on the Benedict Arnold list.
To learn more about United Voices for a Common Cause and to see how Paul Mooney is being recognized in a more positive fashion (he is the first inductee into the RICHARD PRYOR ROOM) please go to http://www.theunitedvoices.org.
you’re all ignorant fools! by “ignorant” i mean LACK KNOWLEDGE, i’m not insulting you by calling you stupid. Not many people know the true definition of ignorance just the same as not many people knowing why the “n” word is such an issue when said. Most people dont know or fail to realize or research the true background behind. Everyone always wants to speak about the ish they dont know. Well let me fill you uniformative people in. The “n” word goes back from generations and generations of beating and hangings and all sorts of punishment, basically attempting to eniale the black race. the “n” word is a hate crime. It’s not jus a word. If you only knew the pain and suffering people have gone through just because of what you call “A WORD”. But of course you would’nt understand, and you couldn’t fathom, because it’s out of your world, nothing you could have possible even thought of experiencing. Yes i agree, banning it will make it more powerful, only because people will feel rebellious making it more of an excuse to use it. Verbal abuse has a greater effect then physical abuse. So just “A WORD”? you’ve got to be freaking kinding me!! No curse words are justified; neither are correct when used. But do not compare the slaughtering of what is thought as an inferior race to that of the f word. Dont insult the African American community by all of your ignorance.
I don’t use the “n” not because i think it’s racist but because I am classy and only ghetto people would talk like that.
The fact of matter is black people are the ONLY people I have ever heard use that word and I find it offensive and I am white.
Most black comedians and “rappers” use a litany of foulness to make money by shocking people. Except in movies I have never even heard a white person utter that word so I think your anger needs to be directed at those you actually hear say the word.
I am interested in whether or not you think those black people should be charged with a hate crime?
If you believe black people cannot be charged how black do you have to be? 100% What about 25% any percentage black and it’s okay?
What is you look white because you are 25% black hate crime or no???
Perhaps you could become the grand judge of language and hate crimes.
I’m sorry the question should read:
What if you look white but you are 25% black, hate crime or no?
I would also point out, as a female, it is from these same black males that continuos sexism seeps out advocating violence and contempt for women.
Is that a hate crime as well? Referrring to females as hos or bitches? And “pimp slapping” them?
okay dawnisis! apparently you must live in Kansas or Jena, Louisiana or something where they ban black people from barbershops because if you have never heard another race besides African Americans sayin the “n” word to each other, you are completely inane and you have absolutely got to be kidding me!!the “n” word is said by everyone all over the place. And it’s not about who says it, i’m saying that no one should think its alright to say it no matter what race or color you are. African Americans say it too because of their ignorance, most of them probably don’t know the history behind it. Maybe you need to move around or something because its so obvious that you’re clueless.
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