OLBERMANN AND GARAFOLO: Playing the Racist Game

[Coronita]

[quote=afx114][quote=AN]If it’s no longer a weapon, then why cry racist when other people who are not part of your race use that same weapon?[/quote]

I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]

afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you? I don’t think it would be by many african americans. I think if anyone besides african americans said that, they’d end up like Jackie Chan did in Rush Hour.

How many times has a white guy said to you “hang the xxx?” Just curious….

That said, how can any minority possibly expect to be accepted beyond what the law and etiquette requires white people to do if minorities create such an uptight environment such that it becomes a liability to have minorities as friends? That might not matter to some folks (like some asians who have no desire to ever blend in with the rest of america), but how can an minority possibly call out being “left out of american society” as sometimes minorities do, when there is no such level playing field such that it creates an truely tiptoeing environment for white people to operate under?

Just curious.

[afx114]

[quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]

My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).

I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.

[afx114]

[quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]

My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).

I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.

[afx114]

[quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]

My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).

I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.

[afx114]

[quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]

My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).

I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.

[afx114]

[quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]

My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).

I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.

[an]

[quote=afx114]
I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]
So, would it be OK for a white guy to say “Sup my nigga?” and a black guy to say “Hang the nigger!”?

[an]

[quote=afx114]
I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]
So, would it be OK for a white guy to say “Sup my nigga?” and a black guy to say “Hang the nigger!”?

[an]

[quote=afx114]
I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]
So, would it be OK for a white guy to say “Sup my nigga?” and a black guy to say “Hang the nigger!”?

[an]

[quote=afx114]
I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]
So, would it be OK for a white guy to say “Sup my nigga?” and a black guy to say “Hang the nigger!”?

[an]

[quote=afx114]
I knew that would be your response. Context is everything. It’s not the word itself that is the weapon, it is the context in which it is used. If you can’t see the difference between “Hang the nigger!” yelled by a white guy and “Sup my nigga?” said by a black guy, then I guess you’ll never be convinced.[/quote]
So, would it be OK for a white guy to say “Sup my nigga?” and a black guy to say “Hang the nigger!”?

[Coronita]

[quote=afx114]
You don’t see the difference between threatening a Jew with a furnace and threatening a non-Jew with the same? You have read history, haven’t you?
[/quote]

No, because in the context of the politics as you suggested in your previous statement, such a statement was obviously not used in a threatening or intimidating way such as to evoke the fear of one’s life, wouldn’t you agree? (Since when does anyone threaten the President of the United States )?

By all means neither a picture of Obama portrayed like Bush nor the furnace statement would be words of my choice…But I’m just trying to understand how a white person is suppose to navigate through this complex sea of political correctness without having to learn about every single culture before they can properly interact with someone….
For example, how is a white person suppose to know calling someone “oriental” is racist? If it happens, is that considered “threatening”?

[Coronita]

[quote=afx114]
You don’t see the difference between threatening a Jew with a furnace and threatening a non-Jew with the same? You have read history, haven’t you?
[/quote]

No, because in the context of the politics as you suggested in your previous statement, such a statement was obviously not used in a threatening or intimidating way such as to evoke the fear of one’s life, wouldn’t you agree? (Since when does anyone threaten the President of the United States )?

By all means neither a picture of Obama portrayed like Bush nor the furnace statement would be words of my choice…But I’m just trying to understand how a white person is suppose to navigate through this complex sea of political correctness without having to learn about every single culture before they can properly interact with someone….
For example, how is a white person suppose to know calling someone “oriental” is racist? If it happens, is that considered “threatening”?

[Coronita]

[quote=afx114]
You don’t see the difference between threatening a Jew with a furnace and threatening a non-Jew with the same? You have read history, haven’t you?
[/quote]

No, because in the context of the politics as you suggested in your previous statement, such a statement was obviously not used in a threatening or intimidating way such as to evoke the fear of one’s life, wouldn’t you agree? (Since when does anyone threaten the President of the United States )?

By all means neither a picture of Obama portrayed like Bush nor the furnace statement would be words of my choice…But I’m just trying to understand how a white person is suppose to navigate through this complex sea of political correctness without having to learn about every single culture before they can properly interact with someone….
For example, how is a white person suppose to know calling someone “oriental” is racist? If it happens, is that considered “threatening”?

[Coronita]

[quote=afx114]
You don’t see the difference between threatening a Jew with a furnace and threatening a non-Jew with the same? You have read history, haven’t you?
[/quote]

No, because in the context of the politics as you suggested in your previous statement, such a statement was obviously not used in a threatening or intimidating way such as to evoke the fear of one’s life, wouldn’t you agree? (Since when does anyone threaten the President of the United States )?

By all means neither a picture of Obama portrayed like Bush nor the furnace statement would be words of my choice…But I’m just trying to understand how a white person is suppose to navigate through this complex sea of political correctness without having to learn about every single culture before they can properly interact with someone….
For example, how is a white person suppose to know calling someone “oriental” is racist? If it happens, is that considered “threatening”?

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