If you need to B*tch about something... this is the place — Page 19

darth_ender said:

It certainly is offensive to my mind.  I just find it somewhat hypocritical that I could tell you you're a GD MF and that Christians are the source of all evil in this world, but even using the N word in context of the time (as mentioned before, in Huck Finn) that regardless of anything else, the book must be burned.  I seriously think there is nothing more offensive to so many liberals than a white person using the N word, even innocently.  Notice I don't type it here because I know what will result from my using it.  Nevermind the fact that I have many black friends and co-workers.  Nevermind the fact that I've seen virtually every other offensive expression used here.  That word alone is the only word some liberals even consider a swear word, and it's one so offensive that they would burn you at the stake if they could.

As far as banning, I'm not just talking about school boards.  An independently-run newspaper at the University of Arizona had a black man's comic on the funny pages that used that word.  You would not believe the backlash.  There is backlash everywhere that word is used, unless it's in hip hop or used by Chris Tucker.

So you're... for the use of the word... as long as it's innocently? And as long as no one has a problem with Christians? And it's outrageous that us white Christians cant say it, but Chris Tucker (do you mean Chris Rock?) gets to?

And YOU find the word offensive, but you're offended that liberals find it offensive? For the record, Jesse Jackson, The NAACP, Al Sharpton, the City of New York, are all against hip hop or Chris Rock (or me!) using the word, so they're OK by you, except that they also find the word really offensive... so they're bad?

Have I got that all right?

TheBoost said:

darth_ender said:

It certainly is offensive to my mind.  I just find it somewhat hypocritical that I could tell you you're a GD MF and that Christians are the source of all evil in this world, but even using the N word in context of the time (as mentioned before, in Huck Finn) that regardless of anything else, the book must be burned.  I seriously think there is nothing more offensive to so many liberals than a white person using the N word, even innocently.  Notice I don't type it here because I know what will result from my using it.  Nevermind the fact that I have many black friends and co-workers.  Nevermind the fact that I've seen virtually every other offensive expression used here.  That word alone is the only word some liberals even consider a swear word, and it's one so offensive that they would burn you at the stake if they could.

As far as banning, I'm not just talking about school boards.  An independently-run newspaper at the University of Arizona had a black man's comic on the funny pages that used that word.  You would not believe the backlash.  There is backlash everywhere that word is used, unless it's in hip hop or used by Chris Tucker.

So you're... for the use of the word... as long as it's innocently?

I think that it need not be taken so offensively.  I would joke around with black friends in high school, and they had no problem with my use of the word.  I don't say it now because I know how offensive it is, but then, we were just dumb kids making jokes.

 

And as long as no one has a problem with Christians? And it's outrageous that us white Christians cant say it, but Chris Tucker (do you mean Chris Rock?) gets to?

No, I mean Chris Tucker, as in Rush Hour.  And no, it's not outrageous.  Just a tad hypocritical.

 

And YOU find the word offensive, but you're offended that liberals find it offensive? For the record, Jesse Jackson, The NAACP, Al Sharpton, the City of New York, are all against hip hop or Chris Rock (or me!) using the word, so they're OK by you, except that they also find the word really offensive... so they're bad?

Have I got that all right?

I don't even know what you're talking about.  I don't like the word.  I won't use the word.  Have you ever seen me use any swear words on this forum?  The answer is no, because I try to keep my mouth clean.  However, I think that if the word is a bad word, it should be bad for all to use.  If it's okay to use, it should be okay for all to use.  Double standards are a way of creating more division.  I don't ever remember bringing Jesse Jackson or the NAACP into this, nor do I remember saying they are good or bad.  I honestly have no idea what you mean.

That being said, this is a ridiculous argument.  I had to go back and reread what we were talking about because we got off on this stupid tangent.  My point is that Huckleberry Finn opposes slavery and is a product of its time.  To ban a book because of that is a little extreme to me.  I was also making the point that your coworkers are okay with books that are insulting to Mormons in theme and message, but (probably, if they're like those who banned Finn) are okay with banning a book that uses the word but is anti-racist.

My point is: Don't judge a book by the words it uses, but rather its message.  If you missed that, I either wrote it poorly, or you did not read it correctly.  Feel free to drop any oversensitivity and insinuation that I actually meant something racist by it.

Literally a minute ago, I turned off my lights to go to bed. Seconds later, there is a grasshopper on my face. Gross. He got his brown spit stuff on me.

(I didn't take this picture. It's an illustration)

Why am I the only room in the house with bugs in it? Is it because I keep my lights on so late at night?

Anchorhead, you seem to know about bugs, can you help me?

Know what I hate?  I hate racism.  But you know what else I hate?  I hate the fact that folks look for every opportunity to accuse conservatives of racism that they can.  Nevermind that Lincoln was a Republican.  Nevermind that the KKK was started by Democrats.  Nevermind that conservatives teach that all people are created equal.  Nevermind that Michael Steele and was elected to be chair of the RNC.  Nevermind that two other prominent black men have recently run for Republican presidential tickets (Alan Keyes and Herman Cain).  Nevermind that so many conservatives actually go out of their way to avoid any hint of being perceived as racist, while liberals are not shy at all about their racism (not only blaming everything on whites, but even speaking negatively about black conservatives, such as Herman Cain and Alveda King.

I understand that racism is an ongoing problem.  But its use as ammunition to discredit anything said by a conservative is actually perpetuating what divides the races rather than unifying.  People who spend time together learn to get along, even if they originally had misgivings.  But when one side is victimized, they feel animosity towards the other.  Then the other side feels it is victimized by being stereotyped as such, and they feel angst towards the first group.  It's a perpetuating cycle, and it's brought on by the overused race card.  When we stop caring so much about what literally is little more than a minor genetic difference, then racism will finally begin to diminish.

Thanks :)  See, we can all get along.

There you go again, playing the racy card.

I have this overwhelming sense of fear and paranoia.

I just think that everything is a lie, I will never succeed, and that technology will doom us all. And we haven't done anything about it.

But most importantly, I think that I will mess up at any moment.

Ziggy Stardust said:

I have this overwhelming sense of fear and paranoia.

I just think that everything is a lie, I will never succeed, and that technology will doom us all. And we haven't done anything about it.

But most importantly, I think that I will mess up at any moment.

How about are we supposed to have done anything about you succeeding?   What can we do to help?

Going back to the topic of race, I'm really curious as to why we call Asians "Asians."  Why is "Oriental" no longer acceptable, as it means "eastern" (which is an accurate statement) and is more accurate than Asian?  I mean, there are about 3.9 billion people living in the continent of Asia.  A little over 2 billion of them are what Americans would call Asian.  While they may comprise somewhere between 55-60%, this does not seem to be to justify monopolizing the name.  It's not a big deal and doesn't necessarily belong in a thread dedicated to real whining, but we were already on the topic, and it is something that is curious to me.

darth_ender said:

Going back to the topic of race, I'm really curious as to why we call Asians "Asians."  Why is "Oriental" no longer acceptable, as it means "eastern" (which is an accurate statement) and is more accurate than Asian? 

 Well, they are only 'Eastern" if you look at them from the West.

Tyrphanax said:

The white man's burden.

 Keeping track of a handful of terms to know which is preffered is a pretty terrible burden.

TheBoost said:

darth_ender said:

Going back to the topic of race, I'm really curious as to why we call Asians "Asians."  Why is "Oriental" no longer acceptable, as it means "eastern" (which is an accurate statement) and is more accurate than Asian? 

 Well, they are only 'Eastern" if you look at them from the West.

truth.

So I guess the same applies to the so-called Western World, Western religions (which began in the Middle East, definitely east of most of us), and How the West Was Won?  And who says north goes at the top?

Of course east and west are subjective.  I don't mind calling anyone what they prefer to be called.  It's just an honest question about a racial term, and one that seems less merited than others.

Tyrphanax said:

If someone were to say Oriental, I wouldn't think of a Pakistani or Indian person. That was mah point there.

Well, I wouldn't today either.  But I remember the first time I heard that was the preferred method.  I was sitting in my Algebra I class my freshman year of high school, '96 or '97.  I heard this very reason given for it:

xhonzi said:

I've also heard that "Oriental" refers to "things" (noodles, furniture) and "Asian" refers to people... but that doesn't seem to be very consistent.

But to me, African does not just refer to rugs and food, but people native to Africa (including Arabs).  I don't get what made "Oriental" pejorative.  Apparently in the UK it is not.  But back to what Tyrphanax said, if you had told me someone was Asian prior to that Algebra class, I would have considered Russians, Middle Easterners, Indians/Pakistanis, and "Orientals."

In the end, it's not like it's a big deal.  I was just asking.

I have no problem USING the term, but I've always had a problem understanding "African American."

In general, I know it refers to a American cultural/racial group descended from West African slaves.

I remember times Pres Obama had to do little linguistic hurdles to avoid to strongly identifying as a member of that group, since his own (black) history is actually from Africa, not a member of the group commonly called African Americans.

That group also does not include the millions from the African continent of the "Arab" ethnic group, nor white people descended from colonists, who come to America.

I tend to use the term 'black,' and no one black has ever told me they prefer otherwise.

Oddly, when I use "African American" I've been corrected several times, including, "No, I'm Aboriginal" "No I'm Haitian" and "I'm Canadian."

Not an ideal term, but whatcha gonna do?