Race and the WORD

[talisman]

Re: Race and the WORD

It's not funny at all. I will never understand how it can be. Were none of you raised around black people?

And of course the meanings of words change. I already have acknowledged that. But, like I said earlier, why not just not say it? It's still far too much of a high-powered word, for me at least.

[Skikamukazi]

Re: Race and the WORD

It's not funny at all. I will never understand how it can be. Were none of you raised around black people?

And of course the meanings of words change. I already have acknowledged that. But, like I said earlier, why not just not say it? It's still far too much of a high-powered word, for me at least.

I was one of two white kids growing up in my neighborhood in California. The rest were black. The word is funny when used properly, I was raised with black people claiming me to be "they *****" and so I have grown accustomed to the word. They call me *****, I called them my *****s.

And it wasn't an up-class black neighborhood, it was a slum.

[ckj846]

Re: Race and the WORD

I think that the "N-word" is really only labeled as bad because people are always telling others OH ITS A TABOO WORD. In reality, it isn't (if you look at the etymology of it as explained by earlier posters). If black people can call each other ******s but other races can't, that is racism in itself. I just can't see how it can be offensive to black people especially if they are calling each other ******s all the time, both at school, "on the streets", in music, and in the media. I mean, since I'm japanese I have to bring it up, the word "Jap" was a term used in the military more of a simplistic term for Japanese. It was used in the internment camps (that my grandparents went to) and it was really discriminatory in that sense. Do you see people placing a taboo on the word? No. Do you see Japanese people getting offended by it? Not unless it is an extreme racist remark which would probably offend anybody. My point being, there are words that have a similar racist use that aren't neccessarily considered bad. Like the word Jew, it was a word to signify people who were practicing the religion of Judaism and it was meant to degrade those people during WW2. It is still a term used today. Do we place a taboo on it like we do with ******? No. Words are words and I don't think there is a word that isn't tainted. My point is that, words always have their etymologys and their uses, so why should we make an exception for ****** and make it a "taboo" word? Sorry it is late at night and I have school tomorrow so I'm not thinking as clearly as I would be during the day. Sorry for spelling or anything because I wrote it out really fast.
O_o

[talisman]

Re: Race and the WORD

I thought there was a taboo on "Jap"... at least I was taught never to use it.

[qualy]

Re: Race and the WORD

My mom always used to say when I got in trouble for swearing at school, "If we used the word **** for a rose, wouldn't it still be a rose by any other name?" I think a lot of people make a really big deal about the "N-word" because it's really famous for how it was used back in the days of the Civil War and all that. Those times are over now... I'm not saying that we should be able to throw around racial slurs freely, but when we're at a point where black people don't even get offended by the word, I think if we use it in a non-racial context, generally people won't get offended. I mean, I've seen people post things on this website a lot worse than just saying "the n-word".

On another note, wouldn't it be fair that if we are going to ban "the n-word" that words like "cracker" "spic" "chink" "***" and my personal favorite since I hear it around me ALL THE TIME now, "gringo" should be banned too?

edit: lol dead horse

[Skikamukazi]

Re: Race and the WORD

Like the word Jew, it was a word to signify people who were practicing the religion of Judaism and it was meant to degrade those people during WW2.

Uh, wrong. Jewish people called each other Jews back then. The derogatory word for a Jew is "kike".

[Tibs]

Re: Race and the WORD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_N-WORD

End of discussion.

[Afrobean]

Re: Race and the WORD

Talisman, it is because people give it so much power that as many people find it offensive. If the definition is less limited and the word is used more often, the word will become less offensive. The word "***" has been thrown around a lot in the discussion, but it really is a good example of what I'm talking about. As the word became used as more of a general insult than as a literal claim of homosexuality, the word lost much of its offensiveness. Of course, there will always be people who are offended easily (some people are offended by the idea of a couple living together without being married), but those aren't the people we should be worried about. We should be worried about offending the average person, not the extremists.

In short: you're offended by the word's use because you want to be. You want the word to have much power, because in saying the word is taboo, you give it the most power of any word. To ignore taboos and use the word as any other word would remove its power to offend so greatly, and possibly over time, all of its offensiveness (or really, most of it...).

[linus]

Re: Race and the WORD

INTERNET is where all the tards meet.
It would be the best if we don't included any possibly offensive/swearing in our post so you don't have to worry about people sueing you for that. In a site getting a million page views a day you should have expected there maybe some super sensitive human being that(who) can find anything offensive and willing to use millions to sue you to hell, though the chance is low.
Relating the word and racism every single time it's mentioned sounds dumb, but don't forget the law is dumb too.

[sertman]

Re: Race and the WORD

There is freedom of speech on the internet, linus. I've never heard of someone winning a case where someone won money because of an offensive word on the internet.

[Synthlight]

Re: Race and the WORD

INTERNET is where all the tards meet.
It would be the best if we don't included any possibly offensive/swearing in our post so you don't have to worry about people sueing you for that. In a site getting a million page views a day you should have expected there maybe some super sensitive human being that(who) can find anything offensive and willing to use millions to sue you to hell, though the chance is low.
Relating the word and racism every single time it's mentioned sounds dumb, but don't forget the law is dumb too.

Linus, this is a thread about the word, not about the site in general. I am not going to drag this off topic but you cannot sue based on offensive words on a site or a book. While moderation does not, the site does fall under free speech as a whole.

Cheers,

Synthlight

[linus]

Re: Race and the WORD

So the word is only possible offensive when spoken out? Then I don't comprehend why you have to ban the word but I'll stop questioning it here.

But then Afro had sum it up. "You're offended by the word's use because you want to be." I'm out of this thread =p

[talisman]

Re: Race and the WORD

That's ridiculous. I don't "want" to be offended by it. It would be more accurate to say I don't "want" to accept it. And I won't accept it's use, nor use it.

And isn't it easier to not say the word instead of saying it so much that the meaning disappears? Both ways the offensiveness ends up disappearing.

[Kilgamayan]

Re: Race and the WORD

What does Grease have to do with race?

Also, to address talisman's worry for humanity, don't give yourself the headache. The opinions expressed by people who post on internet message boards is nowhere near the majority when it comes to real life society.

[Afrobean]

Re: Race and the WORD

And isn't it easier to not say the word instead of saying it so much that the meaning disappears? Both ways the offensiveness ends up disappearing.

Um...

no.

When you make a word taboo, you give that word more power. To say "NO YOU CAN'T SAY THAT WORD" it just makes the word that much more offensive when someone actually says it.