Blacks

[Brave Sir Rubin]

This might be a touchy subject, but I think that a forum that focuses on basketball and has a lot of people of various degrees of the melatonin rapture of ethnicity who frequent it could be an interesting place to discuss it.

Just don't turn this into a flame thread.

What do you think of the word "nigger"?

Is it ok to use it socially? In between friends as a joke? To other people?

What do you think of the fact that black people can use it openly while anyone else would probably get shot over using it?

Do you think that it still has the rather painful historic connotations associated with it, or do you believe that it has somehow evolved?

I personally find the entire situation extremely hypocritical, yet somewhat odd. The black people that seem to use it often are disrespecting their elders and ignoring their painful history, while at the same time... they are single-handedly evolving the word into something that's beyond its original meaning. The more time that goes by, the more it becomes an element of slang and pop-culture and the farther it goes from its original meaning. I am saying this while supposing that there isn't too much of a difference between all of the word's varieties such as "nigga", "nig", and my personal favorite "nigguh". It is widely used in music and entertainment that people of all color are exposed to, yet it still seems extremely taboo to use it. I can observe this fascinating social dogma from a rather unbiased perspective, being foreign yet living in Gringolandia. This country is rather socially retarded as it is, but this one always gets me. I personally actually like the word. I like joking about it, and hell... call a couple of close friends "my niggas", and I mean it to, to the full extent of the word. Mothafuckas are my niggas, they got my back. Yet, I still cannot help but feel that I'll say it in the wrong place someday and get punched by some black dude just because I'm not black. Do I deserve to get punched? (Rhetorically, of course)

What's your take?

[benji]

It's like "porch monkeys", they're just trying to take it back.

It's all about the context. Somebody saying "what up, nigga?" is different from "go to hell nigger!"

Somebody who would punch or attack somebody for saying a word is worse than anyone who simply says something. You wouldn't deserve to get punched even if you meant it in the derogatory way. Do you deserve to be punched if you call someone an idiot? "Fagot"? XBOT? No. Same thing.

Yeah, its meaning has evolved, just like gay/cool/etc. I don't think the original meaning of "nigger" was derogatory either, it was simply describing a black person (with roots in negro, niger, negar, etc.) and then racists started throwing it at them as a derogatory name. Just like how people say things like "that's so gay."

[Brave Sir Rubin]

It's like "porch monkeys", they're just trying to take it back.

It's all about the context. Somebody saying "what up, nigga?" is different from "go to hell nigger!"

Somebody who would punch or attack somebody for saying a word is worse than anyone who simply says something. You wouldn't deserve to get punched even if you meant it in the derogatory way. Do you deserve to be punched if you call someone an idiot? "Fagot"? XBOT? No. Same thing.

Yeah, its meaning has evolved, just like gay/cool/etc. I don't think the original meaning of "nigger" was derogatory either, it was simply describing a black person (with roots in negro, niger, negar, etc.) and then racists started throwing it at them as a derogatory name. Just like how people say things like "that's so gay."

Well, I completely agree with you.

I think that "nigger" could have a rather derogatory meaning though, especially to real old black people who kinda had to go through the whole "gtfo nigguh" thing.

Edit:

Also, even though I completely agree with you about the worthlessness of a person who'd punch someone over a word, you could still ask if I'd deserve being punched simply because I've ignored the inevitable social consequence of saying "nigger" outloud in public. People are, after all, completely fucking stupid on average. Should a smart person not say "nigger" in public simply because people will be offended (or better said... allow themselves to become offended because it's an excuse to get angry) and will react?

[Nick]

Myself and people in my social circle say nigger occasionally, as a joke. We're all white.

It is in no way a disrepect to black people, but rather it is said because of its "shock value".
For us, It is more a creative play with society's norms that it is connected to black people.

With that said, we won't go and say it around black guys, out of respect. I'm sure if i said it around a black person then it could be offensive or something (irrelevant of my intentions), so i won't go down that road.
But really, in Australia, the word nigger is used in young male white social groups sometimes because, well, it's funny. Obviously we're not black. Obviously it offends some people. Obviously we have nothing against black people. Obviously our intentions are to be funny rather than "hate blacks" or "consider ourselves black". It's just a fun word to whip out occasionally because it's so touchy. And it's funny seeing people's reactions to it.

I can accept there's some possible ignorance to me about it. But it's not really as big a deal where i live than in America i guess. And my intentions are well.

[benji]

you could still ask if I'd deserve being punched simply because I've ignored the inevitable social consequence of saying "nigger" outloud in public

A society where being physically assaulted for what you say is not a society whose social norms you should follow.

I mean, I'm offended at a Kratos-level offended that some people (we'll call them the mentally handicapped army of satan) prefer dogs to cats. Now that you know this, do you deserve me beating your skull in with a tire iron if you say it around me?

In the end, they're just words.

[shadowgrin]

This thread is so gay. You all are crackers.

[Laxation]

There are NO BLACKS

[Laxation]

Myself and people in my social circle say nigger occasionally, as a joke. We're all white.

It is in no way a disrepect to black people, but rather it is said because of its "shock value".
For us, It is more a creative play with society's norms that it is connected to black people.

With that said, we won't go and say it around black guys, out of respect. I'm sure if i said it around a black person then it could be offensive or something (irrelevant of my intentions), so i won't go down that road.
But really, in Australia, the word nigger is used in young male white social groups sometimes because, well, it's funny. Obviously we're not black. Obviously it offends some people. Obviously we have nothing against black people. Obviously our intentions are to be funny rather than "hate blacks" or "consider ourselves black". It's just a fun word to whip out occasionally because it's so touchy. And it's funny seeing people's reactions to it.

I can accept there's some possible ignorance to me about it. But it's not really as big a deal where i live than in America i guess. And my intentions are well.

We do the same thing... must be a melbourne thing.

[Joe the Space Marine]

I also call white people niggers. lol.

[PiksS]

i think the states are too melodramic with this shit...no one in europe really cares about it that much, maybe except france. Hell the blacks were not the only ones slaves in the history - the baltic states had serfdom till the 19th century, and in some languages like in mine a black person is a called a nigger, is even said on the national TV.

But myself, in my language i use that word everyday, when i need to....it's normal

but when i am in England doing my studies, where most of my friends are blacks, i usually keep it to myself, only cuz of the respect of it. Of course, they call me a huge racist, but that's only cuz i live in a country were everyone is white with the same religion, on average u would propably see 1 black person in 3 months.

[dopeboy]

I've to agree with this PiksS.. I think that attitude in UK isn't as explicit as it is in states. At least, while I was living there, I didn't notice any signs of that kind of racism and exaggeration of it.

[Brave Sir Rubin]

I'm actually glad to see a somewhat positive response, yet I don't think that people who don't live in the U.S. are really THAT exposed to this social issue.

I'd really like to have a black guy comment on this. (just not Yohance)

[Donatello]

I'm black, and I am offended.

[Sauru]

i want big green to come in here and stomp the shit outa ya

[Brave Sir Rubin]

Big Green is Yohance and I think that he's way too nigged-out to have a proper opinion on this.

I'm black, and I am offended.

Well, at least I didn't talk about lynching.


Could you elaborate though?

[cyanide]

Donatello's not black from what I remember in the pictures thread...

I think that, like you said Brave Sir Ruben, it is hypocritical for (some) blacks to use the word but get offended if any other ethnicity uses it regardless of context. It's racist if they are able to use it amongst their own skin color while believing that other ethnicities are not allowed to use it.

I think it's been so often used for stupid reasons that it's now accepted and associated with the other scourge words like 'lol.'

[shadowgrin]

Same here, I think Donatello's being an asshole.

Big Green is Yohance and I think that he's way too nigged-out to have a proper opinion on this.

Racist!


Isn't jeffx black? If he is I think he can give us a mature black perspective opinion.

[Donatello]

Same here, I think Donatello's being an asshole.

I had the surgery.

[Andrew]

I had the surgery.

The cat's out of the bag now, Don.

At this point, I don't think it matters about the origins of "nigger", it's come to be used as a racial slur and if Clerks 2 has taught us anything - aside from it being a bad idea to hold a risque going away party for a friend in a fast food restaurant - it's that no matter what context these terms are used in, they can't distance themselves from their racist connotations. As long as these words continue to be widely used as racial slurs, I don't think they can be truly "taken back" or seperated from their use as offensive epithets. Case in point:

phpBB [video]

[puttincomputers]

this may surprise yal but "Americans of African decent and with dark skin" are usually the most racist people i know.

[Joe the Space Marine]

it all comes down to whether or not people want to make an issue out of something.

[AMenace]

I can't see this thread ending well...

[shadowgrin]

[Brave Sir Rubin]

Hell, I don't mind Kramer's rant. I think that he was trying to prove the same point as me, but he simply let his emotions take control and didn't state it well.

I can't see this thread ending well...

Predicting a race war?

[J@3]

What do you think of the word "nigger"?

Is it ok to use it socially? In between friends as a joke? To other people?

What do you think of the fact that black people can use it openly while anyone else would probably get shot over using it?

Despite the reputation I have amongst some people here (well, one black guy and a bunch of his white friends), I don't like the word "nigger" nor do I like anyone of any race saying it. I don't really know why, I think it's just one of those words I find inappropriate, like "cunt" or "multiculturalism". That being said, I am a huge fan of mock wog/Chinese/Indian accents and generally pretty liberal when it comes to race related things.