I don't mind you showing support for the minority, but in an equal society, the majority people should be allowed to do the same.

Maybe we should all be allowed to show our pride in our own culture/colour etc without fear of being accussed of racism for doing so, equality.

Me neither. The justification offered by a small number of Black people using it is that, it softens the words painful conitations, sort of re-defines the word in a way that makes it a positive word rather than a negative. One reason i dislike 50 Cent and other rappers like him is because they Bastardizes the word in this way. Trouble is because they are on TV 24/7 the message comes across it is now an accepted term of endearment between Black people. It is not at all, just as the term whoa to discribe a Female is not, or Biatch or......

well you see my point

The midlands is the same distance from the north as it is Londinia. Isn't Freddie from Hertfordshire?
If Londinia is south, whats Southampton :banana:

this is what annoys me

she was making an observation. she's black and so is he. she may have thought that he's had the same kind of upbringing/backround as her, faced the same issues as her. possibly the same negativity she may have by being black growing up.

if i moved to somewhere else and met another scottish person, i'd like to think i'd have a connection with them coz we had something in common

just like most people with red hair will have had the same issues growing up.

she shouldn't be branded as being racist because she made a slight generalisation and thought they had something in common

it's double standards. how can they justify using the n word by saying they're 'redefining' it to be possitive. if that were the case, why should non-blacks not be allowed to say it??

remember when jennifer lopez caused uproar by using it in the same 'redefined' way to describe puff daddy?? she apologised for it. she shouldn't have. but then, people came out and said it was ok for her to use the word because she too was from a minority. just terrible!! basically saying everyone but white people can say it!! it doesn't make sense!!

It's double standards and all so wrong.

It makes sense if you know the history of the word and you clearly dont. Why dont you try and understand why white people cant say it instead of simply demanding your right to say the word?

I want to agree, but in today's society, it is deemed racist if say Kris had said it. We can't have rules for non whites and different rules for whites, doesn't how much of a minority you are.

Maybe we need to change the mind set of the politicians and those around them to stop accussing white people of liking their colour?

In a sensible society, Noirin, Marcus, Sree a Chinesse man etc shouldn't be attacked for loving themselves.
As long as they don't flaunt it in my face :cheer2:

Its double post :wink:

no it doesn't make sense!! why is it ok for black people to use that word?? it shouldn't be used at all. if it's offensive for one person to say it, it should be offensive for anyone to say it.

people like you are maintaining the divide between black and white. something that the majority of people want to stamp out

and as for knowing the history of the word, one would have to have been living under a rock not to know it. my god

If you know the history then why dont you understand why its such a touchy subject? And, why someone shouldn't simply demand their right to use it?

Winge winge winge always with the race card.. At the end of the day it's dangerous being white these days because it's so simple for someone to use the race card on ya! What a pile of wank! We get called names against our skin colour all the ffeckin time and sure the Irish (moi) get a right slagging but we think it's funny.. Such a pity that people have gotta be so careful with what they say these day as everything gets twisted, manipulated and disected into something it never was meant to be..

but you yourself have said some people have the right- only black people. and by saying that you are discriminating against ALL non-black races!!

i don't think it should be used at all because of what it means and it just pisses me off that one person can say it and be loved for saying it, and another hated for saying it just because of the colour of their skin. now THAT is racism

Marcus definitely holds some muted prejudices. Against both other cultures and members of the opposite sex. It's typical of people who lack an understanding of others and struggle to put themselves in somebody else's shoes.

You seem to be forgetting that Black people aren't one voice, with one united direction, and all agree with each other, any more than White people are. Call some Women "Love" and they will take no offence, but a minority will. Jenny Lopez felt it was acceptable to call Puffy that and she did, presumably because she knew that Puffy would not take offence, but saying it publicly opens up a whole new can of worms. As soon as she said it in a public forum she opens herself up to criticism from anyone that reads/hears it. I personally did not take offence at it, i just thought oh no hears another celeb trying to re-define a very ugly word.

You can't see why this subject is not Black and white but grey,

Racism is ultimitly about Intention not Action. Therefore in order to know if someone is Racist we have to judge there intentions, unfortunetly, it is not possible to judge directly someone elses intention, therefore we are forced to judge there actions and infer there intention. An inferrence is best guess, Best guess is = They could intend this, or that, or they other = Grey

Does that make any sence?

The blacks who like to call themselves Ns. could really innovate language if they called themselves Honkeys. Complete the circle. It has become valid to call a man a bitch after all.

The North/South terminology has a similar meta-geography to notions like "The West" which can include Japan, South Korea & Australia etc.

It does not matter if Birmingham sits in the lower half of the island of Great Britain if the people who live there think they get a crap deal and unfairly overlooked. eg. Olympics etc.

Here we go back tou your understanding of the history of the word. The word was initially directed at black people and used in a very derogatory way, so for anything positive to come out of the use of the word then there had to be an feeling that only people who truly understand the impact of the word should use it. If you think thats a doulbe standard then thats on you. IF you tookthe time to understand why it exists then we wouldnt be having this discussion.

The word has been around for centuries so you'll have a job getting rid of it. Even within the black community that word is contentious with many black people refusing to use the word.

But isn't it a little bit absurd to cry 'racism' because you are apparently denied the 'right', as a white person, to use a fundamentally awful racist term intended to demean black people? Why let it get to you?

I agree it is double standards. White people are treated much more harshly when it comes to racism claims and I am asian and I think this. Totally agreed with Siavash about not using the race card. Using the race card over every little thing... it makes everyone behave so unnecessarliy PC and stifles free speech.

Halfwit you are right, It's the PC wagon train that has been the established criteria for Racism in this country. What's happened now is White people have been victimized for an over-zelous culture of fear which pervades Media today

Exactly.:thumbs:

I've never understood why so many white people demand to use a word that half the black community are uncomfortable using.

"because she too was from a minority. just terrible!! basically saying everyone but white people can say it!! it doesn't make sense!! " (kisy)
It doesn't make sense to you because you are misinterpreting the situation.
It is not colour which is important, it is majority or minority which counts.
You obviously live in and are familiar with a society where white is the large majority colour: this behoves whites to take care what language they use about minority colours (races).
If you lived in a society where you were in a small minority you would find any sort of derogatory language from the majority to be much more unsettling, even frightening. Try it some day,when you are older.

older and know what they're talking about!

It is a cultural thing to adopt certain words that have a negative connotation in the general population and use them within the culture. Its not just the N word, in the gay community you get people using 'queen' and in the Deaf community 'Deafies'.

This kind of thing DOES happen and yes it is OK to use these words if you are IN the community, you might find it a double standard but it doesn't change anything.... it DOES happen and there are rules about it that people IN the community understand.

I studied culture at Uni.

Oh also to add - it only happens in long standing community's, some theorize it is due to being so long established that there is such a strength in the community they can basically take the negative and use it in the community and still stay strong.

Oh and also - I wouldn't use any of them.