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The Tabooed N-Word

See OP

  • I say it often; and I mean it.

    Votes: 1 1.8%

  • I say it sometimes; and I mean it

    Votes: 2 3.5%

  • I say in infrequently; and I mean it

    Votes: 6 10.5%

  • I say it often; but in a joking manner

    Votes: 2 3.5%

  • I say it sometimes; but in a joking manner

    Votes: 4 7.0%

  • I say it infrequently; but in a joking manner

    Votes: 10 17.5%

  • It spontaneous/ Never know when I may say it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I never say it

    Votes: 32 56.1%
  • Total voters
    57
OscarB63 said:
I know a "white" guy who moved to the US from johannesburg. he is an african-american. some guy who was born in harlem is no more african american than I am the pope
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In that it is referring to their lineage, sure he is. He is African American in the same way you are of European descent. That is in fact exactly what the phrase means.
 
OscarB63 said:
I've seen "black" people, you can't say no one is actually black and I've seen some people who are damn near white.

but at least color descriptors are vaguely descriptive.
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it's all the same to me. Irish-American and African-American give you pictures of people in your mind who display certain physical characteristics. Black and white give you the same pictures. Neither group of words is an wholly accurate description since most of both groups aren't directly from Ireland or Africa and most blacks and whites aren't black or white. Moreover, we just call Asians...Asians, not even Asian-American even though many of them aren't from Asia. Our racial labels are mixed up and nonsensical in many ways. To me, the name is only as important as I have enough experience with it to know what kind of person you're talking about.

That said, I always use black and white and rarely use African-American or other things.
 
I think that if liberals would stop ****ting themselves every time they heard it and black folks would ignore it, racists would stop using it.

hint: they keep using it because it gets the desired reaction from those they use it against.
 
I can't answer the poll, there's no "other" option.

I use it infrequently, but I do it to make a point and not because I think it constitutes appropriate language.

For example, in the past I've said things like, "Muslims: The new niggers!"
 
OscarB63 said:
I think that if liberals would stop ****ting themselves every time they heard it and black folks would ignore it, racists would stop using it.

hint: they keep using it because it gets the desired reaction from those they use it against.
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To be fair, I know some conservatives who freak out when they hear it too. In either case, however, "not freaking out" is something that has to be taught. The idea that one always has to be offended when hearing it is a learned response that I think is hard to break since not reacting "appropriately" (i.e. getting offended) signals approval of its use to a lot of people. It's just like people who can never walk away from a conflict because they think they have to react whenever an insult is thrown out. That's a hard habit to break.
 
Redress said:
In that it is referring to their lineage, sure he is. He is African American in the same way you are of European descent. That is in fact exactly what the phrase means.
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correct, but after a dozen of so generations, you'd think people would just be "americans". like I said, most of the blacks in the US today have zero cutlural ties to africa other than the fact that their ancestors nearly 200 years ago came from there.
 
Councilman said:
My point exactly. So why do blacks insult each other, and get a pass for doing it?
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The same reason it's okay for me to call my brother stupid, but not okay for you to do it.
 
OscarB63 said:
correct, but after a dozen of so generations, you'd think people would just be "americans". like I said, most of the blacks in the US today have zero cutlural ties to africa other than the fact that their ancestors nearly 200 years ago came from there.
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It's going to take some time as they are easy to visually distinguish. It is definitely heading that direction. Things have changed on that front just in my lifetime, and by quite a bit.
 
OscarB63 said:
I think that if liberals would stop ****ting themselves every time they heard it and black folks would ignore it, racists would stop using it.

hint: they keep using it because it gets the desired reaction from those they use it against.
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Oddly, after the one racial incident I saw when I was in the navy, it was a black guy who basically said the same thing, his point being why would you give some one saying that any kind of power over you, which is exactly what you are doing when you react.

I will say it was 2 white guys who had to be held back from kicking the ass of the guy who called the guy he was pissed that. I will also admit that I do react, though I try and contain it.
 
when this song came out, the PC left went nuts even though Patti Smith was hardly a conservative. She of course was as progressive as they came once being the lover of bisexual artist Robert Mapplethorpe (RIP-AIDS) and later the wife of MC-5 guitarist (the MC-5 was allied with the black panther party)



reactionary politically correct dweebs couldn't figure out that Patti was saying that "nigger" meant outcast and there was nothing racially derogatory about what she sang about.

so CONTEXT is everything. I remember as a 18 year old walking into an Italian-American shop in New Haven and watching a 70 something shopkeeper chasing out a would be shoplifter and looking at me saying "god damn niggers steal like crazy" now that certainly was derogatory. On the other hand I remember playing a pick up game a couple months later and dunking on one of my black buddies and that night hearing from another guy (hispanic black) laughing over the "white dude from ohio dunking on a couple of the niggers" far different meaning.

and I also have seen the term used as a general term of contempt from even black cops
 
When I was in the military I had a buddy of mine who was in line at the chow hall. A short black GI walked up and moved right in front of him in line. My buddy's first reaction was to bark out "Hey little nigger, the line forms back there."

The black GI immediately turned around to face my buddy and say "What you call me?" He then looked over at a nearby table where sat another black GI over 6 feet tall and fairly built.
He went over to the sitting GI and said,"Did you just hear what that white guy called me, he called me a nigger."

My buddy thought "oh here we go".
But to everyone's surprise the sitting GI looked up at him and said, "Well, maybe you are a nigger." The little black GI muttered to himself and went to the back of the line.
My buddy got his tray and came out and sat next to the black sitting GI. They had a good chat and laugh.
 
StillBallin75 said:
I'm young but I don't recall when the word "Negro" was ever considered an offensive term.
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Well being from the south and my father being from the old south and my grandparents being from the really old south, I heard this term quite often and mostly in a non derogatory manner. That just the way it was when I was growing up, but living overseas and having two sisters and a mother from Belmont and Marshfield Massachusetts and my father from Waco Texas and my brother from Baton Rouge LA., well we did have some very interesting conversations at the dinner table some very spirited ones. My house had two very different political points of view and neither side backed down:)
 
Infinite Chaos said:
Aren't you simply redefining the word to suit your personal views? Much the same way that you or others may accuse the "PC" crowd of making all sorts of words up for black people hoping to find one that isn't offensive.

Imagine two black guys, one guy is acting in a way that you describe as a "nigger" and the other is acting in a way you find acceptable or in a non-nigger way. Now, if I were a non-black racist / BNP / Nazi or KKK person - do you think I'd think both black guys were niggers or just one of them? I find it strange that people think they will be seen any different by those who would use that word with real intent simply by their actions: the point of calling someone "nigger" is as a racial epithet, no matter how well behaved the victim.
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And, that's your point of view. It's not wrong, it's just your's. You think it has no other use than as a racial slur, no matter what and you don't want to say it? Fine, don't.

I use it in a manner to elicite a response, in hopes of making the black person I am talking to wake up and realize that the reason he, or she isn't getting the respect they think they deserve, is because they're acting like a complete asshole and haven't done anything to earn that respect.
 
Helvidius said:
Just to clarify, is the word nigger?
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No, it's a different N-word. It's not nigger. I didn't actually say 'nigger', so I can still vote never.
 
theplaydrive said:
if african-american isn't appropriate because "brown people" (which is actually what Indian Americans refer to themselves as for the record) haven't been to Africa, black isn't an appropriate name either since no one is actually black. and calling yourself white is just as inappropriate as calling yourself scottish-american because you're not actually white. every racial label is a misnomer.
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African has nothing to do with race. It's as though I call myself European-American.
 
American said:
African has nothing to do with race. It's as though I call myself European-American.
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birth.jpg


Barack Obama's short-form disagrees
 
theplaydrive said:
if african-american isn't appropriate because "brown people" (which is actually what Indian Americans refer to themselves as for the record) haven't been to Africa, black isn't an appropriate name either since no one is actually black. and calling yourself white is just as inappropriate as calling yourself scottish-american because you're not actually white. every racial label is a misnomer.
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I think most people use the terms Black White, Brown, Yellow, Red because in the course of our lives at some time or another while filling out some useless document for some government purpose these where the boxes that had to be checked, so most people just picked up on the term, nothing racial about it at all.
 
Hold the phone. No..................I never say 'n****r'. That's reserved for people who really hate Black folks. 'Ni**a' is the colloquial (sp) form, which is kinda/sorta/maybe/probably not/ dunno more acceptable, and used in a humorous, non-offensive way. I don't actually say it aloud, but to myself a lot. For example, when running in the heat, tired and wimping-out, I'll tell myself, "Don't quit, N***a.":2wave:
 
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deltabtry said:
I think most people use the terms Black White, Brown, Yellow, Red because in the course of our lives at some time or another while filling out some useless document for some government purpose these where the boxes that had to be checked, so most people just picked up on the term, nothing racial about it at all.
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PS. Under the true spirit of what this country was founded for and the document we are suppose to be living by, categorizing people by race,sex ,religion or creed wouldn't be necessary and wouldn't be applied or required in the daily course of our lives. There are those in the past present and probably the future that will keep these requirements alive and well for the sake of obtaining power to divide.
 
Minnie T. Mouse said:
Sorry, Don't matter how you say it or who say it...
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If a word is truly offensive then no one should say it. But then again its the context of the word that matters. If someone insulted you would it make you feel any less insulted if they did not use any fowl language?
 
jamesrage said:
If a word is truly offensive then no one should say it. But then again its the context of the word that matters. If someone insulted you would it make you feel any less insulted if they did not use any fowl language?
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You make a good point James.
 
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