The N word Oh sh*t!
Posted on: June 10, 2010 - 9:54am
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The N word Oh sh*t!
well i was reading the Bad words Oh sh*t! thread when someone mentioned that the N word could be its own thread 
so since im a N (
j/k) i decided to start the thread
Now for one i hate the word Nigger or nigga ( whats the difference anyway)
i even hate it more to hear my fellow blacks calling themselves it i mean what the fuck would you wanna call yourself it for
but i guess a lack of education is to blame
i remember when i was a kid we used to sing a song that goes like this
Quote:
eni mini myni moe catch a nigger by the toes when you ready let him go eni mini myni moe
Now of course this has passed down because of slavery in my country
but i detest the word its very demeaning at best
Discuss
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Well.....
I just watched the Boondocks episode on the same subject, and I'm afraid I found it rather amusing. Am I a bad person now ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex28rDAgKDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZTF9lYVrvE&feature=related
edit: It has just been brought to my attention that this is based on a real event : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYY3g95Uy6E&feature=related
Excuse me, I have to go and LOL now.
I agree. I hate any slur that at any time has been used to dehumanize an entire group of humans. Now, about your other question...
I think a little differently on this subject. I think it's same thing as lesbians taking the word "dyke" and using it for their own self identification. Oppressed groups will take the names that were used to dehumanize them and will begin to use them as a sign of in group status, that they have as a group dealt with bullshit and it's made them stronger. The whole idea is to change how the word is seen in society, to the point when it's usage is completely different then the verbal weapon it was designed to be.
I still don't like them though...
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!
Arron McGruder is the shit! I personally liked the Boondocks comic strip better, but the cartoon is rad.
The Gipper being the gate keeper of "White Heaven" is just brilliant! Brilliant social satire FTW!
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!
Well Fred,
To an extent, this is because we let that type of word have power. When we do that, we open the door to all kinds of issues that might not come up. Except that they are there in some people and the words are something which is a surface indication of what they have going on inside their tiny little minds.
Really, should the business of society be in making sure that we never have to see or in this case hear the symptom of diseased thinking or should it be dealing with the diseased thinking in the first place?
As far as that news report goes, I am really impressed at the station's level of racial sensitivity. Someone clearly decided that the white anchors could not report on the story properly, so they let them introduce the matter and then switched to the black correspondent. Um, yah. OK.
How about if we only let other groups of people report on “their” issues? Come on, do things get better when we set matters up such that only certain people are allowed to have an opinion? I am sure that the Jerusalem Post is a great source for stories about what is going on with the relief effort in Gaza. Yah, in other news, only gay guys should be allowed to report on a fag bashing. Fuck.
Actually though, I am fine with not censoring that news story. Only that way can we really see what is going on. For the record, the teacher comes off as a stupid idiot who stepped in a huge steaming turn that he could not have been unaware of. Asshole. He does not come off as some toxic minded individual upon whom I would wish brain cancer.
Another example that come up in the US from time to time is when the toxic minded among us try to make a big deal over black pride stuff. Typically, they try to ask what would happen if they tried to hold white pride events. Y'know what? I would like to point out that I regularly attend events which are relevant to my culture. The last one was an all day Irish music festival. I stood in the rain in a parking lot wearing my kilt for several hours listening to some kicking bands, mostly Black 47, Enter the Haggis and Seven Nations. I paid an extra $20 for the VIP ticket so that I could have unlimited free Guinness Stout all day long. I would love to know how the day could have been any “whiter”?
=
WHAT THE HELL! What year is it? You think it is 2010 or something? Oh, next thing you're going to tell me is that we have a black president and we use the same bathrooms. FUCK! What is this world coming to?
In all seriousness, all kidding aside, I agree that words can and are used as pejoratives in a very hateful way. But dancing around a word isn't always good. If you FOR EXAMPLE ONLY, as we know by your example that you are merely discussing a word. Since everyone knows what word you are using, what is the point in abreviating it when the point of the discussion is not a slur fest, but a conversation. I think in this context since we are having a mature conversation I don't think anyone should be offended by spelling it out for the purpose of discussion.
I also have a problem with Jews when they don't want you spelling out "Yahweh" as if magically the world will come to an end if you spell it out.
AND I have had this discussion about other words too, not just this topic. What if someone is using it to poke fun of bigotry, or adapting the word to take the sting out of it and turn it into a term of affection?
Understandably you don't like that word. But as you said, not all blacks are uncomfortable using it but both those who use it and those who don't most certainly would agree when it is done out of bigotry and hate, it is wrong. But in the context amongst friends, or the purposes of discussion, or the purpose of poking fun of bigotry, that shouldn't be thrown out like the baby with the bath water. It is a very natural coping mechinism to take a bad thing and use it for something positive.
I am going to spell out "nigger" now. There. while I know it can and is used out of hate, you know well in the context of this sentence it is merely a talking point. Other people of other labels also have their pejoratives.
"atheist" is a word many atheists doge and call themselves humanists or freethinkers because of the negative connotation associated with the history of that word. It is used as a pejorative when equating atheists to Stalin and Hitler. But I don't avoid the word because of what others might think of me. And I certainly don't get offended when a friend who believes pokes fun at my godlessness.
I cant pretend to know what blacks have gone through, but humans in general throughout our history as a species actually cause more problems making words taboo. You give a word power and it will have power. If you don't give it power, it wont have power.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
I like to compare black folks in england to the ones here. They seem to have integrated more fluidly into society there, possibly because slavery was done away with earlier but I think it also has to do with the mindset and society in general there.
Here they seem to think of themselves as being different so everyone identifies with them as...being different. I think this whole racial thing will pass when they can start to think of themselves as a whole, as regular people and not a seperate part of society with their own language clothing styles etc. I believe this is what has happened overseas, they don't really consider themselves to be any different over there. Maybe appearances are deceiving but it appears they are happier over there.
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
Infidel Guy is black. He has had this conversation too. He is with you in that he wont use it. But at the same time he treats other blacks just like he treats other atheists, like individuals. He doesn't feel he owes other blacks something merely because they share the same skin tone. He would however recognize and does, the disparity in in education vs other races. I think he does want to SHOW people that it is ok not to be "gansta" and he most certainly hates it when other blacks call an articulate black a "sellout" because they "aint keepen it real".
I think he would agree with you in many ways, but ultimately until humans see each other as individuals we will always have this problem of division.
You should have seen the epic flame war that almost shut his site down. It was over the use of the Rebel Flag. There were even two blacks using it as a backdrop to their own avatars. I got caught in the middle getting blasted by both sides trying to tell them I understood both sides.
It even got to the point where the anti-Rebel flag guy took it out on me for being a Redskin fan. What I tried to tell him is that CONTEXT matters, just like with the Rebel Flag. Many Southerners simply see it as regional pride, much like I have an affinity for my favorite NFL team. The negative connotations of both should NOT be forgotten, but also at the same time the individual who has turned it into something positive should not be lumped in with the bigots.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
We should all just have lots of sex and babies with people ofother nationalities, then we'd all become the same race. Haha
Done
This was my neighborhood version of that ditty:
I think your version is nicer.
I still can not bring myself to use the word in conversation. My parents would have whooped me into next week if I ever used it at home. We are white, just to clarify. My dad was in the Army in WWII at the Battle of Bastogne, and he claims his group was rescued by an all-black division of tanks or artillery. I am not interested in WWII history particularly, so I am not able to give you details. But because of this combat, my dad was adamant that there would be NO prejudice against people of pure or mixed African descent in his house. And so I was taught to say "colored people", "colored lady" and "colored gentleman" or else get that whooping. It was hard for me to adjust to saying "black" when that became the preferred word.
Now, it was perfectly all right to put down Mexicans in my home. Which I never bought into. My dad was a truck driver, mom was a bookkeeper. Carmen's dad was vice president of a bank. Ruth's dad was a doctor. Henry's dad was vice principal of the high school I attended. I never could see how they were lazy and no good. I always wondered what planet my parents were on. Now-a-days, I still wonder how people who work two full time minimum wage jobs to put their children through college qualify as lazy.
I have friends who are lesbian, and one who calls herself a dyke. I would never call her one, but if she wants to label herself that way, it is her choice. My black friends do not call themselves nigger, but they are all real close to my age. And so I think it is just young people trying to shock the old people. And doing a good job, btw.
To me, "PC bullshit" is just being polite. It is no skin off my nose to not refer to physical or other characteristics a person has no or little control over. That includes skin color, hair color or type, eye color, height, weight (I don't really want to argue over weight, thanks), sexual preferences, gender, or lack of fashion sense. Why should I walk up to some stranger and greet them with, "hey, short fatso ginger mick,...." when I can get a much more reasoned response if instead I say, "excuse me, ...."
If I must characterize someone in conversation, I always choose the more polite terms. I just can't get over my early training that "honey will catch more flies than vinegar". Which saying is, I know, usually told to little girls and not boys--at least where I come from.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Well, I agree that we spend too much time on the idea of belonging to a "race" and we should all have more sex, though fewer babies generally would be better for the species. In actual fact, genetically there is no such category as "race". We could perhaps talk about who has the genetic mutation for lighter colored skin that is required for the ability to create vitamin D at higher latitudes. Did you know you and I are the mutants?
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Thanks for all the replies guys but this was and is my only cure for racism
also i did not spell out nigger because i did not know if it would have been appropriate but now i know
EDIT: i laughed so hard at the teacher vid hahahah
You mean like the X-men? Hum..I wonder what my power is...lol.
Yea terrible joke in poor taste but I had to say it.
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
Yes ofcourse there isn't, this was just a fun comment to poke fun at race, that holds some truth. Personally I don't understand why anyone see's race at all. When members of different "races" mate , what is there kid classified as, a Japanegro, a Thaispanic? I find it completely rediculous. Show me someone that isn't a "mix." We're all mixes. I'm mostly France french and Polish (who are mixes of other poeples), this left me prodomanently white skinned with light hair. Alote of my friends are olive skinned with dark hair because they have some romanian, or latino or whatever else in them. If your african american (for many generations) I'd bet my last dollar you have a little white in you, perhaps some latino, perhaps something else. Somewhere along the line of your family tree, someone did the nasty and empregnated others and were empregnated by members of others "races."
Fuck Race!!!
I use the word freely. I guess that makes me an asshole. I guess I sterotype more than anything bc I have friends of all races. Whatever.
"Take all the heads of the people
and hang them up before the Lord
against the sun.” -- Numbers 25:4
You stole that from Bullworth you shameless bastage
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
Thanks for your reply
also lol at my version being nicer haha
i agree with both of you because if there werew different races in humans we wont be able to procreate with each other
Personally i like white and indian girls but my current girl of 2yrs + is african
the reason i am with an african girl when i like the above is because i dont only like a girl because she may be indian or white or Chinese but i prefer a great personality which my gf has. so i would go with any type of girl once she has a great personality
Actually it's a song lyric of mine from when I was younger:
"People are people, humanities sorrows show the same face
and if we fucked a little more we'd all become the same race..."
THANK-YOU!!!! When I was younger I knew this guy who was an african-american, who would constantly call himself a N**** but I asked him why I couldn't say it and he said that it meant that I was calling him a slave but the meaning suddenly changed when he called himself or his other black friends one. That can't happen, yet if I called him a N word (which I didn't) I would get beat up and probably suspended.
So what? That is one individual. You will also find blacks who don't use that word with each other.
As an atheist I don't like it when bigoted fundies threaten me with hell. But when my Christian co-workers tease me by pretending to threaten me with hell, in that context, it doesn't mean the same thing.
It doen't mean the same thing. And every label of every strip of geopolitical and social group has things they can say within themselves that others cant say about them. WE ALL DO IT.
It is no different than even on a family level. There are things one can say about their own sister or mother or brother, that if someone outside the family said, many would want to, or even literally beat that person up.
Mel Brooks spent his career poking fun of the stereotypes of Jews. I doubt you would call him an anti-Semite. Why should blacks be any different than any other label? WE ALL DO IT, even atheists.
There are things my friends can say to me about my atheism, that strangers could not get away with saying to me without a reaction.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
I have a little U.N. going on where I work. I have two Mexicans, another from Puerto Rico, two blacks, one French and me, the token atheist.
I like to tease my French co-worker about the war and how we saved their ass. I also tease her about French rudness....ect ect ect.
My Puerto Rician(sp) co worker doesn't like being mistaken for Mexican, so I have a daily ritual where when he leaves instead of saying good bye I say, "Have fun in Mexico".
When my Mexican co-workers tease me or get one up on me I say, "ONE PHONE CALL! THAT'S ALL IT TAKES"! (meaning INS)
And the black guy, well thats obvious. And he has said to me if I end the N word in "a" and not "er" he'd be ok with that, although I still dont. But I do tease him about his stereotypes. Something like, "Don't you have a drive by to attend?"
AND ALL OF THEM tease me about burning in hell and screwing my pets and having no morals. They have blessed me in teasing. They threaten me with church.
When it is amongst friends it is ok. It takes the power out of the stereotypes and that humor takes the power out of the stereotypes. And without a doubt they ARE the most wonderful working family I have ever worked with.
When I was married to my Japanese wife when she would get one up on me in a tease fest, I'd say something like, "We kicked your ass in WW2!"
There is nothing wrong with the normal human coping behavior of this. There really are things we can say to each other in a certain context that we wouldn't say in other contexts. I don't think we need to throw the baby out with the bath water in the noble goal of minimizing hate and bigotry.
Context matters and I don't think we as a species need to censor in every context to battle bigotry.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
a genetecist explaining how humans are so similar that they should be considered to be the same race. I s'pose humans are small group folks and so minor variations are more of an issue - notwithstanding the evil historical shit we have to work through. In any case, the best way through this stuff is to hang out together and talk about it. Good people are good people and arseholes are arseholes. Everything else is window dressing.
I think we'll get there. If you think about it, the global village and immigration is the greatest social event in the history of mankind. For the most part things are getting better - even the bullshit with islam has started a mostly open dialogue. That has to be a positive thing in the medium term.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
In case anyone forgot the memo
Nope... I don't consider those last two things all that great. But then, I'm about as anti-humanistic as it gets most days.
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
No matter what words may offend …and regardless of how we altar language in the country… it is impossible to censor feelings and intentions….
Racism has become the Liberal McCarthy-ism…and regardless of whether an accusation has any merit, all one has to do is have the accusing finger pointed at them in order for those whose political agenda would benefit from it to come out of the woodwork and condemn their rivals…
I submit: “Nappy Headed Ho“…
Political correctness comes at the expense of the truth, and for True racial equity to ever be established, *HONEST* TWO WAY dialogue must be established… Not all racists are White, and the institutionalized racism is actually the exact opposite of what the Liberal Protagonists would have us believe…
I’ll offer an example…If anyone is familiar the awful TV show “Jersey Shore”, it depicts a bunch of young, intellectually challenged assholes of Italian American ancestry… or as the Popular Vernacular would have: “Guidos”…Now as an American, with a vowel at the end of his name… I can state that Honestly, these despicable human beings exist in droves, and that labeling them ethnically is the fastest, most logical way to let the person you are talking to understand exactly what you are trying to describe…
Every Ethnicity has their own brand of asshole… and sometimes, the best way to describe a particular asshole begins with the letter N….
Now I know the Liberals on this site will beat me up over this…But until we acknowledge that the vast majority of street crime in this country is committed by one group of people…and that the majority of violence committed against that same group is *WITHIN* that community….and that the Vast majority of crime against Caucasians is from That same group… Well… The perfidy is such that the racial divide will only widen, as regular, working class people of all colors are being trained to distrust…
Truth is the only thing that can heal… and of course, when we stop using Race as a political weapon
Now don’t get me wrong…I of the mind that there are Socio/political reasons for such statistics to exist… and UNLIKE what the apologizing Liberal media believes, I DO NOT think that there is any genetic predisposition towards violence, rather this condition is the result of Politically Correct conditioning…
The first amendment guarantees the right of Free Speech… Not the right for people to not be offended… We have gotten to a point where even when we make ethnic jokes, people are being labeled Racists, and losing their livelihoods…
All this accomplishes to create a racial environment where ruthless profiteers can benefit at all of our expense…
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
I don't understand why even more precise taxonomic categories are so feared when discussing human variation. I find it quite irritating myself. I agree that we are all the same species. For me the term "species" and "race" are not interchangeable. I read over and over where the term "race" is disparaged and even avoided. Why ? There are specific categories among us that need to be classified and recognized. Collectively we are all humans but humans, for the time being, still exist within very specific and yet distinct varieties. These variations can themselves be grouped and should be.
Race is more than a skin color. For the most part forensic pathologist can actually determine "race" ( for lack of a better term ) even when left with only skeletal remains. There are also diseases that only affect certain races, ...so why downplay these obvious distinctions ?
If the term "race" is too politically charged then create another term that recognizes the obvious characteristics that distinguishes one group from another.
I find it frustrating that those who reject the concept of race would still have no problem self-identifying themselves as "White", "African American", "Pacific Islander", "Asian" etc, when filling out a US census form.
Btw, Atheistextremist I wasn't trying to personally rag on your pov, I was just quoting your post as a jumping off point for my little rant
Really, really, watch or read "The Journey of Man" by Spencer Wells. He is a geneticist. He has photographs. Truly. You can see the gradation of features and skin color. There is NO trait that is strictly in one group of people and not another. None. Not high nose bridges, not low nose bridges. Not skin color. Southern Indians who are usually grouped as "Caucasian" and Australian Aborigines who used to be grouped as "bushmen" are as dark as many people labeled "African". It was a PBS special that is on DVD and available from at least Netflix. The book was in my library.
He traced human migrations through history using the y chromosome, so don't get all genderish about his work.
There are probability limits around that diagnosis. As in, "+- 75% certainty". Never is it 100% certain sure someone is of a particular race based on skeletal remains.
What diseases? The only one I can think of is Taysachs and that is because you have to have both copies of a recessive gene that is prevalent in primarily one group of people who have a tendency to breed within their own community. It isn't race, but insularity.
Most others I can think of are due to geography. Lack of vitamin D - do you live north of the 35th parallel? This seems to be related to MS and breast cancer particularly. Are you on the continent with the particular pest? An example is allergy to Fava beans and sickle cell anemia in response to malaria. This is not "race" but geography. And because people used to be a little isolated due to geography - many never traveled out of their home area - genetic mutations in response to local pests became associated with a particular group of people.
Genetic mutations happen all the time. A person may have the mutation without being in the group associated with having the mutation. They may not even know they have the mutation. Queen Victoria is a prime example. Her children and grandchildren were afflicted disproportionally with hemophilia. But it wasn't prevalent in the family before Queen Victoria. Researchers now believe she had the mutation and passed it on to her children.
If there were truly obvious characteristics that distinguish one group from another, then we could come up with terms to describe them. The problem is, you haven't seriously tried to do so. "All the big noses go in this group." And I'll bet you will find your stereotypes go out the window when you actually try to put people in this group and you find they have a rainbow of skin colors.
I have a problem with self-identifying myself as "White" on the census form. And on job applications. I would prefer the world to be color blind when it comes to skin color or nose size or whatever. You can always check the "I prefer not to self-identify" box.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
That is exactly the attitude I was finding so problematic. Seriously cj, why would you have a problem self-identifying what you actually are ? A caucasian I presume ? I don't understand this reluctance. If "race" really isn't a matter of consequence in your mind then why would you be so fastidious about avoiding it ?
Do you have as much difficulty recognizing Barak Obama as the first Black president ? ( I'm aware of his parentage yet he is still referred to as "black" )
If there were not identifiable differences among humanity that serve to distinguish racial diversity then why would the US government even bother to use such categories in there census forms ? I have yet to see the injustice in this.
I forget where I saw it, but I read an article ( I will attempt to find the link ) that was authored by a man of color who was not an American who was observing that in the US to even mention race was tantamount to racism. His point was that there exists a hypersensitivity in our culture where the threshold of bigotry has been lowered to a ridiculously flimsy standard.
My personal view is that you are what you are, whether it be your gender, your sexual orientation, or your racial ancestry. I mean so what ? Who cares ? Deal with it.
( ...no disrespect to you cj )
I am not fastidious about avoiding it, I just wish the necessity was not there. And it is a necessity. Maybe you aren't old enough. I applied for jobs as a young woman and was told I wouldn't like having a job there because the men swore. I grew up with truck drivers - I knew all those words by age 2. Big deal men swore, so did my mom. But I still didn't get the job. As a young woman, I was told to stay home and raise my children. I remember serious conversations about how "they" would not fit into the office environment. "They" were black professionals. People were not being hired solely because of skin color, accent, gender. It was blatant discrimination but it was not illegal. Once companies were forced by law to verify they were doing their best to be color and gender blind in their hiring practices -- all those non-white, non-male people fit right in and did a darn good job. Son of a gun.
Naw. My friend went around for a week, pointing at her dark skin, "See? Who has the power?" She was so excited. It was a milestone for black people in this country to finally have a president the same shade as they are. There will be people saying Obama ruined the country forever, but hell, people say that about every president. Now, if we can just get a woman in the White House, maybe people will finally get the message: No one is more of a fuck up than anyone else.
The differences are arbitrary. A holdover from social Darwinism - the bad kind where women of color were forcibly raped by white men to "improve" their children. It is in the law - on the census, on the job, in the colleges - because of the prejudices that existed when I was younger. Those prejudices existed and still exist in many areas of the US today. Though recently, it is starting to switch from black to Latino.
It is easy to say "deal with it" when you don't have to deal, isn't it? My friend had problems on a home loan just two years ago because of her color. All was fine until she walked in to start the process and all of a sudden the interest rate shot way up for no reason. Illegal? Sure is. But first you have to be able to put $5000 down on the lawyer's fees and be willing to keep paying through a long process that involves legions of corporate lawyers that the bank employs. Oh, and when my friend went back with her white husband? Rates came right back down. Hmmm.......
As long as people are discriminated against for no other reason than some physical attribute that they have no control over, we need the laws and we need to count. So I put my "race" down "white". Because of my friends who aren't.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Actually I was born in 1959 so I've been around since the Eisenhower administration. I don't dispute any of your observations regarding acts of bigotry and there is certainly nothing about those incidents that I find implausible. Prejudice exists whether it's between red necks and hippies, Serbs and Croats, or Hutu and Tutsis. No disagreement from me.
While your argument tends to deal with race ( and gender ) and bigoted behavior my previous emphasis was upon classification and simple taxonomy. All the issues that you touched upon are still valid of course.
I guess my point is that evolution has "created" human beings ... so to speak,... and then, based upon external factors, further "refined" them in physical ways that significantly differentiated them from each other. That's all I am trying to say.
Like it or not, "race" is a politically loaded term and as a concept it is rarely dealt with in a detached, dispassionate way. Actually there is still some dissent among the *scientific community as to the actual utility of the term, or any similar concept. Of course there is genetic overlap, now more than ever I would guess. Nevertheless, even as distinctions may become more blurred through inter-racial "mingling" that does not invalidate that separate and distinct categories have existed previously.
At any rate, I am simply sharing my views on this topic and I don't want to be perceived as lecturing you. For you racial distinctions do not exist, for me they do exist. I will keep reading though as genetic diversity is not something I can absorb in one afternoon.
Ciao
*Neil Risch, taught at Columbia, Yale and Stanford: http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.0010014
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Risch
By the way, what IS the politically correct term now? Is it black or african-american? it seems to flip flop. I know negro is out and has been but mexicans still say it, it literally means black in spanish though. I wonder if thats where the term negro came from in the first place hmm it would make sense..
I don't remember anyone ever calling me a european-american, or welch-american (Most of my documented ancestors are from wales) so what gives with the "african-american" term?
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
The long version is boring to say and takes up more space.
"I live in America but my ancestors were from........."
No one wants to state the obvious though. Nostalgia of what brings anyone comfort has nothing to do with the finality all of us will face and no human will trump.
Who said "death and taxes". That is a better gauge to reality than the artificial labels we think are important.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
To you... someone who isn't going to live much past 2 more decades, immortality is indistinguishable from "someone who might actually live to be 123 years old".
Your last point is bullshit, because death is, by definition, a no-longer-functioning heart. The Cardiac Muscle is one that can be kept alive indefinitely. It's simply a matter of expensive life support machinery and embryonic stem-cell research. No way around technology, really.
But more-on-the-point, "indefinite lifespan" is a simple matter of maintaining the molecular "status quo" of the human mind.
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
That sucks remind me of a friend in the USA he got a job which was owned by christians, well he is an atheist but he needed the cash so what the heck
the fun thing is they told him they dont hire blacks lmao so much for god loving eh
Yeah, I applied for a job years ago. I knew I wouldn't get it when I walked in the manager's office. He had a picture of the Virgin Mary on his wall. His boss had a picture of Jesus. I managed to get out without being hired. Close call.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Wait ? can i ask what "race" are you if you dont mind ?
She be lilly white and a grand mother.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
She is the stereotypical worst christian type, an older white woman.
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
Nah, I don't mind. Mostly northern European. Scot, English, German, maybe Irish, maybe Dutch, maybe French, maybe a hint of American Indian. I sun burn easily.
So I put "white" on the census forms.
I have tried to research my family, but I keep running into dead ends. Even the Mormons don't have some of my ancestors, I asked for their free trial. What I have found showed that my family oral history is a lot of wishful thinking. That is why all the "maybes".
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Well, a little on the pink side. Not olive complected at all. Sigh.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Yeah, and if we take along my husband's dog, a 20 pound Lhasa Apso-Pekingese cross, we have the obligatory little foofy yappy dog as well. Chuck and I detest each other. He doesn't bite me, I don't kick him into next week. It's a stand off.
So stereotypical - atheist, swears like a trucker, works in IT, hates little yappy dogs. All I need is to trade in the jeans for sweat pants and you couldn't tell me from any other old lady in Walmart - except I never shop in Walmart or Costco. Give it up, Rob. I just don't fit in your pigeon hole.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
You missed my sarcasm =(
Watch the end of this.
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
You don't fit a pigeon hole, but only if you use the "bugspray" response here...
Vastet can be Sylvester Puttytat.
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
I thought you were Infidel Guy...
I am talking about permanent death, after the window has closed and all motion ceases beyond the window. Longevity will not stave off death. I am sure between science and evolution and environment some extension is possible for some individuals, but all of us will DIE no matter what, eventually.
"indefinite lifespan" is bullshit. Period. When the brain dies we die and that is it. You are not "poking me" btw. You are just spewing si fi crap.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Yeah, I figured it might be. But I just couldn't resist as I harass my husband about his little yappy foofy dog every chance I get. Even if he isn't reading over my shoulder.
And then, of course, once I got started, it was hard to stop.
I believe the guy that white women of a certain age are the most obnoxious. It is one reason I have very few women friends.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Bugspray???? No, no, this calls for -----
Dear repellent.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Just for you, a yip yappy dog. Well she is yip happy anyway.
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin
lmao
lol
ah ok
i happen to like european women 
Since the European part is 4-6 generations ago, I'm afraid I'm most like a nasty old American woman.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
I'm still not convinced they even take into consideration the rammifications of what it says to other people. To put it mildly, I do not personally think very highly of them choosing to use the term amongst themselves, it seems to say THEY think they are trash or something and self image reflects on others. Considering it is mostly the younger ones using the term, is it some kind of rebellious behavior?
Faith is the word but next to that snugged up closely "lie's" the want.
"By simple common sense I don't believe in god, in none."-Charlie Chaplin