"We Have A Nigger In The White House..."
November 16th 2008 18:28
Now that I have your attention, here's a question. Who do you think would be more likely to make such an ignorant statement ? Would it be some White redneck racist or some ignorant Black person who blindly thinks that the word "nigger" is a term of endearment ?
The sad reality is that it would be both, which brings me to the actual point of this blog. Tracey and I attended an "Obama Victory Celebration" last night at the home of a married couple we're very close to.
There were people we haven't seen in a long time and so there were hugs and kisses all around. We were there barely 5 minutes when I was greeted by a friend of mine , a White woman in her 40's, who hugged me and said "where's my nigger ?".
Now it has to be understood that this woman spends a lot of time around Blacks and somehow, misguidedly so, feels comfortable enough to use "nigger" in her ever day language and seems to have a very distorted view of what Black culture is and isn't. My reply to her was "I don't where he is, but I'm here.", meaning that I am not, nor have I ever been anyone's "nigger". I was highly offended, but didn't want to let that spoil the rest of what turned out to be a fun evening.
My point is this. There are those of us who've always had a very strong sense of pride in who we are and have never tolerated anything in the way of disrespect. We've been just as hard on Blacks and Whites who would try to refer to us by anything less than who we are. I would also imagine that our Prresident, Barack Obama, has the same mindset. He would have to or he wouldn't have been able to achieve what he has.
Obama's presidency has already had a profound effect on the lives of some young Black men. They've chosen to leave behind a juvenile lifestyle (pseudo thuggery, pants sagging, bitch assery nonsense) and to clean up their act. They now feel that America is finally making an investment in them and they see that by working hard, they can reap the rewards.
I have the distinct feeling that you'll see a lot of that coming out of Black America and it's up to those of us that have already gained a measure of success to encourage these changes and to offer any kind of guidance we can. It is also up to all of us to keep our achievements and gains in self respect from being reduced or negated altogether by those that don't agree with our desire to be better than we are or those that've been brainwashed in distorted cultural ignorance. Really now, what self - respecting Black man or woman would allow themselves to be referred to as "nigger" ? You may as well get down on all fours and start barking like some dog.
Bottom line: Just as you would never call the President Of The United States a "nigger", you won't call me or mine "nigger" either. How can you respect his milestone achievement on one hand and then ignorantly use a word that embodies the worst in the very country he's been chosen to lead ?Your text goes hereYour text goes hereYour text goes here
The sad reality is that it would be both, which brings me to the actual point of this blog. Tracey and I attended an "Obama Victory Celebration" last night at the home of a married couple we're very close to.
There were people we haven't seen in a long time and so there were hugs and kisses all around. We were there barely 5 minutes when I was greeted by a friend of mine , a White woman in her 40's, who hugged me and said "where's my nigger ?".
Now it has to be understood that this woman spends a lot of time around Blacks and somehow, misguidedly so, feels comfortable enough to use "nigger" in her ever day language and seems to have a very distorted view of what Black culture is and isn't. My reply to her was "I don't where he is, but I'm here.", meaning that I am not, nor have I ever been anyone's "nigger". I was highly offended, but didn't want to let that spoil the rest of what turned out to be a fun evening.
My point is this. There are those of us who've always had a very strong sense of pride in who we are and have never tolerated anything in the way of disrespect. We've been just as hard on Blacks and Whites who would try to refer to us by anything less than who we are. I would also imagine that our Prresident, Barack Obama, has the same mindset. He would have to or he wouldn't have been able to achieve what he has.
Obama's presidency has already had a profound effect on the lives of some young Black men. They've chosen to leave behind a juvenile lifestyle (pseudo thuggery, pants sagging, bitch assery nonsense) and to clean up their act. They now feel that America is finally making an investment in them and they see that by working hard, they can reap the rewards.
I have the distinct feeling that you'll see a lot of that coming out of Black America and it's up to those of us that have already gained a measure of success to encourage these changes and to offer any kind of guidance we can. It is also up to all of us to keep our achievements and gains in self respect from being reduced or negated altogether by those that don't agree with our desire to be better than we are or those that've been brainwashed in distorted cultural ignorance. Really now, what self - respecting Black man or woman would allow themselves to be referred to as "nigger" ? You may as well get down on all fours and start barking like some dog.
Bottom line: Just as you would never call the President Of The United States a "nigger", you won't call me or mine "nigger" either. How can you respect his milestone achievement on one hand and then ignorantly use a word that embodies the worst in the very country he's been chosen to lead ?Your text goes hereYour text goes hereYour text goes here
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Comment by Lady Henrietta Muddling
Potter in a Harry
I'd be interested as to your thoughts about the film Pulp Fiction.
Comment by Damo
Personally I am colour blind. I just see another candidate that happen to be elected.
And I do have reservations about symbolic leaders as opposed to those with substance.
Comment by Yoipi
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
But, in terms of historical context, its a word of such offense and anger that it should never be used inappropriately.
Comment by Earl Leonard
Cook Focus
Earlsthoughts
Nigger is just a slang term developed from Negro (spannish/portuguese) which in turn derives from Niger, the latin for black (french is Noir) to refer to dark skinned people. Apparently, back in the day, it wasnt though to specifically be negative term, but was often used as such of course, and prgressively developed negative conotations (as tends to happen with words associated with minorities & the disenfranchised- such as how `Bimbo' used to just mean young woman and Retarded was the accepted medical term, but now both are thought of & used as insults).
Furthermore Niggard, from the norse Nig (which means stingy) doesn't even mean `of low status'! But rather `miserly'.
So, while Im not sure where you got your information (I've got an etymological dictionary at home, and have looked up this word previously) I think you may have to rethink your position.
As for whether its usage should be stamped out entirely, well, I believe that just as words can take on negative conotations it is possible for a word to take on possitive conotations or to lose their negative conotations via disassociation (such as how `sissy' isnt seen as being a serious insult anymore, even though its origin's as a word- the dominated male in a prison sex act- is fairly serious!) and that if some members of the African American community want to use the word to self identify possitively it is their perogative to do so. However, as is the thrust of Mr. Gunn's article (hello Mark, nice to meet you. Thanks for an itneresting post!) that raises the question of `ownership' of terminology... (if its ok to use the `n-word' if you're black, but not if you're white, is that racist in itself? What about `fag'? etc) which is obviously a tricky issue.
I use the following rule: "Its okay to wana be like Samuel L. Jackson, as long as you remember that copying someone elses idiom isn't something someone as cool as Samuel L. Jackson would do, and that you're not as badass as him yet, either way, so mind what you say around other people regardless."
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
I'm quite happy to refer to myself as a wog. 20 years ago, that word was just about the most hurtful thing you could say to me. Now, after 2 decades of incorporating it into the everyday lexicon, you call anyone a wog and you are likely to get a shrug and a puzzled look that reads, um, yeah, what's your point?
I can understand that you have a problem with a white person calling you a 'nigger' but maybe you could accept that some people deliberately refer to themselves as such, not because they see themselves as dogs but because they are taking away the power of the word. or more to the point, they are redefining it.
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Mark,
personally I dont like the word. I find it derogatory as it is a term used to address a slave from an era that is as dead as slavery itself. But tell me, do you prefer Black, or negro man, or is there another term that more aptly addresses a man of African descent in America today.
It is the same to me as people who call my daughter a cripple. A term used by those who still see a punishing God who strikes down wicked people with such calamity, rather than being merely disabled or physically challenged as part of an individual karma/ life lesson/blessing.
I guess its a matter of personal opinion, although there does seem to be a trend here away from such derogatory words, leaving only a handful of ignorant people who probably still call every German they meet a Nazi?
A really interesting post and question, good luck finding the answers.
Lilla ...
Comment by Neems
Koala Lounge
Truth Whisperer
I'm of Indian heritage and therefore our label is CURRY or curry-muncher.
Personally, I do my very best not to tag anyone because I really don't believe you give someone a fair go if you chuck them into a category.
The first time I heard the word "curry" was from a group of Indians. Which I found interesting. I guess in my head, I can't really chastise someone else for using that word when it's been thrown around so freely within Indian people.
I wonder how just because you are Indian- is it really any less derogatory to use it when we know others use it with more of a malicious intent behind the word.
I agree with you on that one. And I agree with Cibbuano about stripping the meaning of the "label" when used lightly and often.
I think I'm still deciding on exactly where i stand with this.
i'm rambling- I'm on 4 hours sleep today so if this comment makes no sense, it's because of that.
Neems *yawn*
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
I do agree with Ruby's comments on "wog". It used to be extremely offensive but now former southern european people refer to themselves - even proudly - as "wogs".
The word "nigger" still sounds pretty offensive to me. In Aboriginal culture in Australia it is quite common for them to refer to themselves as "black fellas" even though I would feel uncomfortable doing this myself. The older more derogatory term "Abo" is still regarded as deeply offensive.
Good post.
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
That's a pretty broad term..for instance, if I had voted for President-elect Obama based solely on the fact that he's part black, that would make me and anyone else who did that a racist too.
By the way, what the hell is a "wog"?? When I was in the U.S. Navy, a "slimy wog" was a sailor who had never crossed the equator..
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Up until the late 80s it was pretty much only used by white people to insult ethnic minorities until a group of young Greek actors and comedians put on a stage show called "Wogs Out Of Work". It toured the country and became unbelievably popular spawning TV shows and a movie. And suddenly all across Australia young Greeks and Italians and Lebanese started calling themselves (and each other) wogs and suddenly the word didn't mean the same thing anymore.
I remember the transition. I remember the first time I was ever called a wog. I was on a school excursion in the city and there was another group of kids from some other school with fancy uniforms and one of them, a guy, who didn't know me from a bar of soap called out as I passed "fucking wog". I think I was about 12? He was older. What a thing to say to someone you don't know. Fucking wog. Do you think words can never hurt you? Try those ones on for size. It seemed so unreal. I lived in a multicultural working class neighborhood so I'd never seen that sort of racism before. It really was like being punched in the stomach.
I think that'[s why the 'wogs out of work' guys just latched onto that word. They took such a huge risk and it paid off. In more ways than one.
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Lenny Bruce tried a similar tactic here--defusing a word's power by constant repetition until it became a nonsense word--but naturally a lot of people never got it. Richard Pryor did the same, with mixed results.
People say they were "ahead of their time" now, but I wonder..they'd probably get a worse reception now than they did in the 60s-70s.
Comment by colocountry
Col
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
WHEN DOES THE SEASON OPEN FOR KNUCKLE-DRAGGING IGNORAMI LIKE YOURSELF OPEN?
I WANT TO BE SURE AND GET MY PERMIT EARLY!!
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
What a bunch of charmers you are! Maybe you should give each other your emails so you can get together. Now that would be a good party wouldn't it?
And one- a member of the clergy.....really?
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Anons., get your facts straight. I voted for that "Ay-rab" Ralph Nader.
Comment by colocountry
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Ah, yes..the children are the future....
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Comment by colocountry
Col
Comment by Earl Leonard
Cook Focus
Earlsthoughts
They seemed to not understand that Mr Gunn is a black man himself, and in a perfectly reasonable position- completely seperate from any form of possible liberal guilt- to object to being called a nigger by a white woman, even in a friendly manner (its called historical context people! That's why things mean something different when said by a white vs a black person, or man vs a woman etc. It's not that complicated a concept!). Not that one needs to be black to have such an objection (empathy/solidarity etc perfectly reasonable starting points for a moral objection) but one of the all caps ranters seemed to think that. So, yep, they were being incredibly non-sensicle even for a... see I cant even think of a descriptive term that's appropriate.
I actually object to the terms `Redneck' and `Bogan' being used to descibe those so bereft of thoughtful social-conscious as plenty of Rednecks and Bogans- in the original uses of the social slang- are quite nice and considerate. Being poor and or southern/workingclass/western suburban etc doesn't automatically make you a racist and being uneducated isn't the same as being ignorant.
Man, I out liberal myself sometimes.
Comment by Useful info
Really Long Link
Comment by Damo
We had Nazis on Orble once before and they were deleted.
Mark welcome to the world of blogging.
Volume 100%
IQ 0%
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
As for my use of "bogan"--if the shoe fits, I'll put it on the guilty party. Comments like the deleted ones were ignorant stupidity at its finest, which happens to fit the definition of the word "bogan" as I understand it. Economic or social class has nothing to do with it.
What a humorless, touchy lot everyone's turned into. This isn't fun anymore.
Comment by colocountry
You're right, it is becoming tedious. I can't tell if there have been deleted blogs from lunatics, but you may notice that there is a difference between a polite inquiry and a blistering venting of spleen. I'm glad that Orble has the facility and the will to shaft comments that are vitriolic and inciteful. Apologies if my lack of Orble savvy has caused misgivings.
Col
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
I'm taking a break from Orble but wanted to respond to you. Thanks.
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Comment by Damo
Sounds to me that he is frightened that he may have a bit a coloured blood in him. Defensive, very defensive.
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Comment by Anonymous
It's not a matter of color any longer. It's a matter of haves and have-nots--and you, me, the guy who wrote this article, all of our families and friends--are have-nots.
Time to stop attacking each other and start paying attention to what is being done in our government and our constitution, if you're American.
The next wars will be in Pakistan, Africa and/or Iran. Media focus will be shifted to China and Russia, and we will be at war for many many years. You will serve as soldiers, and your children too if we don't educate ourselves and work together to stop the corporate fascism that is being gradually implemented in our own government.
D. Armenta, still on break.
Comment by Anonymous
on the other hand, if the majority of a people gets violently active and reacts as such to hearing a word, they are much worse than stupid.
i know lots of people, and i do not respect those who take offense to LANGUAGE.
Comment by Earl Leonard
Cook Focus
Earlsthoughts
Earl
Comment by tibor
Comment by Anonymous
Its very simple. Anyone who disrespects another human living sould do to skin color/ race.. is not worthy of been considered a matured and wise individual.
To me Obama, just fits the bill as our President. He is smart and looks like a man who can turn things around.
Anyone who dislikes a person because of skin pigmentation, race or whatever...is not worthy of any repect.
Comment by Earl Leonard
Cook Focus
Earlsthoughts
Comment by Anonymous