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