[GiRTh]

A five year old does not have enough hate to be racist.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

The most concerning thing about that, is you being a member of netmums

I only am for the good debates

[Vicky.]

Netmums is quite an underrated site. The debates can get very interesting on there. I am not a member but read it quite often

[T*]

Originally Posted by Ninastar

Yeah I do because I dont think its fair that only black people can say it and it be okay but if a white/non black person says it, they are racist?

i think thats wrong

its an awful word and if people think its offensive, they shouldn't use it themselves

[2]

[arista]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

No for utter bliss and no swears spin this platter

Youtube video

Yes Also Good


Stevie Vocal Solo
best bit

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Zee

If you get in trouble and you don't understand why you're in trouble (as is often the case with young kids - part of growing up is learning where the boundaries are) it can go one of two ways - either you learn that what you did/said was wrong and don't do it again or you don't understand why what you did/said was wrong and you do it again to shock people, depending on the child and what was said when they got into trouble. I don't really like the idea of any five year old kids using the word regardless of their race but I've already said in this thread that the word in general makes me uncomfortable because I was taught not to use the word as it's a very loaded, offensive term.

Exactly. Anyone who thinks a child caught using racist words would be sat down and get a history lesson and everything explained to them properly is fooling themselves IMO. Thats just not how it works..it would be nice if it did, but it doesnt. It would be a bollocking, and a confused child.

I will refer back to gavs youngest for this..got a detention for being homophobic. Came home and said he had got in trouble for 'something about fobic' and a gave his mum letter about it(letter just said a meeting with parents/headteacher a few days later). He didnt know what the hell he was being punished for. We found the best person to explain things to him was his uncle (who is gay himself) and he did kind of understand but this is like..2 days later once the school had actually explained properly what happened.

[arista]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

A five year old does not have enough hate to be racist.

Yes they play with adult words
for fun




Great Point Girth.

[Apple202]

i wouldnt use it and wouldnt expect anyone else to, even if they were black

i think the whole 'reclaiming word' thing is stupid (and if it was reclaimed, wouldnt everyone be able to use it??) the whole thing just causes more division then it solves and it'd be better if the word just wasn't used in general

[Apple202]

and on a kind of related note (looking at vickys post) i didnt even know ****** meant gay person until like year 8 lol i just thought it was a random insult throughout all of year 6 and 7

[InOne]

I can't recall a time I've ever used the word. If some Black people want to call each other that then it's up to them. They don't need White people patronising them telling them they shouldn't use it just because they don't like it themselves.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by InOne

I can't recall a time I've ever used the word. If some Black people want to call each other that then it's up to them. They don't need White people patronising them telling them they shouldn't use it just because they don't like it themselves.

exactly

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Apple202

i wouldnt use it and wouldnt expect anyone else to, even if they were black

i think the whole 'reclaiming word' thing is stupid (and if it was reclaimed, wouldnt everyone be able to use it??) the whole thing just causes more division then it solves and it'd be better if the word just wasn't used in general

preach it sista

[Vicky.]

I guess I just dont see why the colour of someones skin should have any bearing on anything in this day and age, even things as silly as who can say what word

[Brother Leon]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

I guess I just dont see why the colour of someones skin should have any bearing on anything in this day and age, even things as silly as who can say what word

I agree usually, but this is obviously a word that was originally used in terms of skin colour anyway and was something used almost exclusively by White people to degrade.

I don't really get the argument over why black people shouldn't want to try change what the word used to mean. It's not like they are going around calling white people Honkeys etc as some form of retribution (that I would disagree with doing of course)

[Z]

Originally Posted by InOne

I can't recall a time I've ever used the word. If some Black people want to call each other that then it's up to them. They don't need White people patronising them telling them they shouldn't use it just because they don't like it themselves.

I think it's a self perpetuating problem. The reclamation of the n word hasn't involved any kind of changing of meaning, compared to, say, homosexuals claiming the word gay - the word had a different meaning and then was claimed by that community to mean something else. The n word will always evoke the intention of a slur because the community that has tried to reclaim it hasn't significantly tried to change the definition of the word or allowed it to be used by people outside of the community. It's a taboo for non-black people to use the word, which is why it's still a problematic term. If there had been a movement for the word to become a term for 'friend' as it's generally intended nowadays, but for use by anyone, I think we'd be in a different place now... but by keeping the word exclusively to the community that it was originally used to slur, it means there's been no real advance in changing how the word is perceived by the world at large, just that within that community the word has been reclaimed.

I don't know if that makes much sense to other people or if I'm articulating myself particularly well but I just see such a huge difference in how the n word has been "reclaimed" (i.e. only for one group of people) and how the term gay, as an example, has been claimed and used in a positive way for everyone to use and move forward with. Before anyone jumps on me for comparing those two things, I'm in no way comparing the struggles of black people to those of gay people, but just comparing how the two words have evolved over the last few decades.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

I agree usually, but this is obviously a word that was originally used in terms of skin colour anyway and was something used almost exclusively by White people to degrade.

I don't really get the argument over why black people shouldn't want to try change what the word used to mean. It's not like they are going around calling white people Honkeys etc as some form of retribution (that I would disagree with doing of course)

I actually find the word honkey quite funny..and if someone called me that I think I would crack up

I get what you are saying though. But in the same tone I think it should be acceptable for white people to say they find the word uncomfortable (given connections) without being called patronizing or similar.

[InOne]

Originally Posted by Zee

I think it's a self perpetuating problem. The reclamation of the n word hasn't involved any kind of changing of meaning, compared to, say, homosexuals claiming the word gay - the word had a different meaning and then was claimed by that community to mean something else. The n word will always evoke the intention of a slur because the community that has tried to reclaim it hasn't significantly tried to change the definition of the word or allowed it to be used by people outside of the community. It's a taboo for non-black people to use the word, which is why it's still a problematic term. If there had been a movement for the word to become a term for 'friend' as it's generally intended nowadays, but for use by anyone, I think we'd be in a different place now... but by keeping the word exclusively to the community that it was originally used to slur, it means there's been no real advance in changing how the word is perceived by the world at large, just that within that community the word has been reclaimed.

I don't know if that makes much sense to other people or if I'm articulating myself particularly well but I just see such a huge difference in how the n word has been "reclaimed" (i.e. only for one group of people) and how the term gay, as an example, has been claimed and used in a positive way for everyone to use and move forward with. Before anyone jumps on me for comparing those two things, I'm in no way comparing the struggles of black people to those of gay people, but just comparing how the two words have evolved over the last few decades.

But do people use the term 'reclaiming' to describe why they ended up using it? I don't know the progression of how it happened but would be interesting to find out. It's used in all different contexts with black people, not all bad. And I don't see many white people use the word really or probably don't even think about it until topics like this come up. It's almost like a debate that doesn't really need debating. I'm sure there would be campaigns in the black communities if they felt that strongly about other black people using it.

[Vicky.]

It is kinda a non-discussion that gets discussed a lot, I agree

It's not solely about reclaiming the word to change it's meaning. Simply disarming it is enough, without having white people set the parameters of how black people either should use it, or defining the measures for success of black people using it.

It's pretty simple - if you're white don't use it, if you're black, then it's your choice.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

I agree usually, but this is obviously a word that was originally used in terms of skin colour anyway and was something used almost exclusively by White people to degrade.

I don't really get the argument over why black people shouldn't want to try change what the word used to mean. It's not like they are going around calling white people Honkeys etc as some form of retribution (that I would disagree with doing of course)

Have you heard that 1975 Chicago Soul Band Track?
Its so Funky Honkey Zee loves it

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/foru...t=super+people

[arista]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

It's not solely about reclaiming the word to change it's meaning. Simply disarming it is enough, without having white people set the parameters of how black people either should use it, or defining the measures for success of black people using it.

It's pretty simple - if you're white don't use it, if you're black, then it's your choice.

Yes play it safe

12 years a slave will have to be changed to 12 years as Dave, just to make sure the subject doesn't offend my fellow crackers.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

12 years a slave will have to be changed to 12 years as Dave, just to make sure the subject doesn't offend my fellow crackers.

DaveHD

[james130]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

Yes.......I have a problem with black people using that word.

It is a highly offensive word and is best left to disappear from the urban lexicon. Non black people do not go near that word but if they hear black people using the word in an almost familiar way when describing their best friends or buddies, then it can become confusing to non black people.

They are not sure if the word is taboo or is it just taboo for them which in itself suggests a form of verbal racism.

I don't see young Pakistani's going around calling each other ****'s so I think young black people need to let this word slide into history and move on from trying to "own" the word..........

Agree with this.

[Z]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

It's not solely about reclaiming the word to change it's meaning. Simply disarming it is enough, without having white people set the parameters of how black people either should use it, or defining the measures for success of black people using it.

It's pretty simple - if you're white don't use it, if you're black, then it's your choice.

But I don't think it's been adequately disarmed. Within the black community, some black people now use it as a term more along the lines of comrade, friend, brother; but as it's not accepted widely (by virtue of it being exclusively okay for black people to use) the word is therefore still loaded and now it's not clear what it means and depends completely on context and perception. That girl got kicked out of Big Brother for saying the n word despite not using it in a hostile, offensive way which I think sums up the entire problem - it's not clear what the word really means anymore. It's all good and well saying white people shouldn't go near the word as it is, because they shouldn't, but it doesn't help to remove the problematic nature of the word itself.