Teacher punished for using the T word

[*PhilHos*]

(10-18-2017, 02:54 PM)Benton Wrote: Maybe I'm just living in a bubble... or I'm getting old... but I don't see thug as a racist term. 

It's not. IMO, anyone that claims that 'thug' is a racist term are the racists. 

[*bfine32*]

Apparently another phrase that is racist that I was not aware of is Empty Barrel

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/frederica-wilson-john-kelly-calling-me-an-empty-barrel-is-racist/article/2638139

"That's a racist term, too. I'm thinking about that one. We looked it up in the dictionary because I had never heard of an empty barrel. And I don't like to be dragged into something like that," Wilson told CNN Friday morning.

[Johnny Cupcakes]

(10-19-2017, 12:25 PM)PhilHos Wrote: It's not. IMO, anyone that claims that 'thug' is a racist term are the racists. 

People should pay attention to how others use the word before they say that they aren't using it in a racist manner.  I'm not saying that the word itself is inherently racist, but when it's nearly exclusively used to describe people of color negatively, there may be something to it.

My father in law has used "thug" on at least two occasions to describe my sister-in-law's seemingly good guy, college student, well read, black boyfriend, but his own son with a drug trafficking criminal history is merely a troubled guy with a lot to learn.

People sometimes distort the meanings of words, and often, those words gain additional meanings because of it.  Don't be foolish enough to believe that just because a word was used one way 20 years ago that it is used the same way today.

(10-20-2017, 02:02 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Apparently another phrase that is racist that I was not aware of is Empty Barrel

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/frederica-wilson-john-kelly-calling-me-an-empty-barrel-is-racist/article/2638139

"That's a racist term, too. I'm thinking about that one. We looked it up in the dictionary because I had never heard of an empty barrel. And I don't like to be dragged into something like that," Wilson told CNN Friday morning.

I've never even heard of this phrase, and after reading that link, I'm still not even sure of what it means.

[*bfine32*]

(10-20-2017, 02:48 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I've never even heard of this phrase, and after reading that link, I'm still not even sure of what it means.

From what I've read it goes back to a quote from Shakespeare.  "An empty vessel makes the most noise" with simply is a reference to physics. bang on an empty bucket and bang on a full one; the empty one will make more noise.

But Wilson and her staff looked it up in a dictionary and determined it was RACIST!! But then states she didn't want it to be about race.

[GMDino]

.@realDonaldTrump calling Frederica Wilson “whacky” is putting it mildly. The woman is a buffoon. Look at her. https://t.co/GlpIyCTAqY pic.twitter.com/ov3gFCtmjC

— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) October 20, 2017

Agreed! What kind of idiot would go on TV wearing a big, dumb cowboy hat and silly, fake jewelry? https://t.co/40ruap3KF0

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 20, 2017

[Johnny Cupcakes]

(10-20-2017, 02:57 PM)bfine32 Wrote: From what I've read it goes back to a quote from Shakespeare.  "An empty vessel makes the most noise" with simply is a reference to physics. bang on an empty bucket and bang on a full one; the empty one will make more noise.

But Wilson and her staff looked it up in a dictionary and determined it was RACIST!! But then states she didn't want it to be about race.

If people start using that term to exclusively describe people of color, it could be racist.  From what I see here, it's not even close.

[Vlad]

(10-20-2017, 02:48 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: My father in law has used "thug" on at least two occasions to describe my sister-in-law's seemingly good guy, college student, well read, black boyfriend, but his own son with a drug trafficking criminal history is merely a troubled guy with a lot to learn.

 
He is certainly wrong by calling your sister in laws black boyfriend a thug.

When I think of a thug I think of those who without moral conscious commit physical harm or property damage against innocent people.

Don't think  "thugs"  apply to white drug traffickers dealing mainly in suburbia if that's what you're getting at.

[Belsnickel]

What we're seeing here is a result of some of the dog whistles used by people when describing people they don't like. It takes a word or phrase that, on its face value, does not have any discriminatory/prejudicial intent behind it and ends up making that the inference for a community. It's the result of us pushing the sort of behavior into private while not actually addressing the systemic issues that foster the type of attitudes that cause the behavior in the first place. But that is something that takes actual work and it is a whole lot easier to just implement the PC Police rather than get anything done to treat the causes of it all.

[Matt_Crimson]

(10-23-2017, 12:25 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: What we're seeing here is a result of some of the dog whistles used by people when describing people they don't like. It takes a word or phrase that, on its face value, does not have any discriminatory/prejudicial intent behind it and ends up making that the inference for a community. It's the result of us pushing the sort of behavior into private while not actually addressing the systemic issues that foster the type of attitudes that cause the behavior in the first place. But that is something that takes actual work and it is a whole lot easier to just implement the PC Police rather than get anything done to treat the causes of it all.

Good points here. The word thug is definitely motivated by race.

I remember very clearly a few years ago I was watching an NBA game on TV at my then girlfriends house in the living room. I'm a huge Lebron James fan and he was playing for the Heat at the time so I was watching them and my girlfriends dad comes walking by and says "Ugh... watching those thugs huh?" And I kind of just sat there with a "did he really just say that?" kind of look.

Being a "thug" isn't always just about being a criminal. It has kind of become a term to describe black people who don't "act properly" or "speak properly". 

[GMDino]

(10-23-2017, 12:25 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: What we're seeing here is a result of some of the dog whistles used by people when describing people they don't like. It takes a word or phrase that, on its face value, does not have any discriminatory/prejudicial intent behind it and ends up making that the inference for a community. It's the result of us pushing the sort of behavior into private while not actually addressing the systemic issues that foster the type of attitudes that cause the behavior in the first place. But that is something that takes actual work and it is a whole lot easier to just implement the PC Police rather than get anything done to treat the causes of it all.

(10-23-2017, 04:40 PM)Matt_Crimson Wrote: Good points here. The word thug is definitely motivated by race.

I remember very clearly a few years ago I was watching an NBA game on TV at my then girlfriends house in the living room. I'm a huge Lebron James fan and he was playing for the Heat at the time so I was watching them and my girlfriends dad comes walking by and says "Ugh... watching those thugs huh?" And I kind of just sat there with a "did he really just say that?" kind of look.

Being a "thug" isn't always just about being a criminal. It has kind of become a term to describe black people who don't "act properly" or "speak properly". 

Agree.

"Thug" isn't a racist term. It HAS been used in racist ways.

It's a side effect of our current society being so interconnected. It doesn't take long for someone to attach "new meaning" to a word.  Or long for others to accept it.  Meanwhile anyone who doesn't think thugs means blacks is caught in the crossfire. Conversely anyone who denies they've heard thug used that way is either very sheltered or lying.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

[Dill]

(10-23-2017, 05:26 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote:

Looks like "thug" = "black trash" here, on analogy to the white trash looked down on by whites.

[Johnny Cupcakes]

(10-23-2017, 12:04 PM)Vlad Wrote:  
He is certainly wrong by calling your sister in laws black boyfriend a thug.

When I think of a thug I think of those who without moral conscious commit physical harm or property damage against innocent people.

Don't think  "thugs"  apply to white drug traffickers dealing mainly in suburbia if that's what you're getting at.

I don't even think that drug trafficking should be a criminal offense (at least the kind of drug that he was dealing), so that's not how I'm moving with this.  I don't really think that he should be referring to either of them as a thug, because neither of them fit the classical description.  That's not the case though.

I could be wrong, but it seems that skin color is the determining factor for him. If not, why call the black guy a thug, but not the white guy?  Especially when the black guy is a seemingly upstanding citizen, and the white guy has a detailed criminal record.  I don't really see what the justification for the word use is.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(10-24-2017, 11:23 AM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I don't even think that drug trafficking should be a criminal offense (at least the kind of drug that he was dealing), so that's not how I'm moving with this.  I don't really think that he should be referring to either of them as a thug, because neither of them fit the classical description.  That's not the case though.

If you don't think drug traffickers are thugs then you have zero idea how trafficking is done.

Quote:I could be wrong, but it seems that skin color is the determining factor for him. If not, why call the black guy a thug, but not the white guy?  Especially when the black guy is a seemingly upstanding citizen, and the white guy has a detailed criminal record.  I don't really see what the justification for the word use is.

Thug is not a racist term.  If used exclusively, by a certain person, to label a certain ethnicity then it's being used in a racist way.  This still does not make the term racist, intent is the real determinant.  The far left is making the term "racist" irrelevant because they use it to label any argument or statement they disagree with.

[GMDino]

(10-24-2017, 11:32 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: If you don't think drug traffickers are thugs then you have zero idea how trafficking is done.


Thug is not a racist term.  If used exclusively, by a certain person, to label a certain ethnicity then it's being used in a racist way.  This still does not make the term racist, intent is the real determinant.  The far left is making the term "racist" irrelevant because they use it to label any argument or statement they disagree with.

The far left is.

But is there a problem with the vast majority (not "far left") calling something racist when the intent is racist like in the example above?

[Johnny Cupcakes]

(10-24-2017, 11:32 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Thug is not a racist term.  If used exclusively, by a certain person, to label a certain ethnicity then it's being used in a racist way.  This still does not make the term racist, intent is the real determinant.  The far left is making the term "racist" irrelevant because they use it to label any argument or statement they disagree with.

Do I think that the word is racist by classic definition? Of course not, and I don't think you'll find anyone arguing that it is.  

Do I think that the word is racist by usage?  Yes, I do. I don't really see why people are arguing against that statement.

This isn't a word that got SJW'd.  This is a word that is exclusively used to speak negatively of non-white people.  It is the polite (or chickenshit) way of saying "******".  When you hear someone talking about thugs ruining a neighborhood, or thugs committing various crimes, it is highly unlikely that they are referring to someone with pale skin.  You say that "If used exclusively, by a certain person, to label a certain ethnicity then it's being used in a racist way".  Well, this is its most common usage now.  How many people have to use it in this way for others to take notice of what is actually being said?

Words evolve.  They are shaped by the context surrounding their use.  Unfortunately, the evolution of the word "Thug" is pointing toward it being a racist term.

[Bengalzona]

I've seen quite a few hockey and football players I would label as "thugs".... most of them white.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(10-24-2017, 11:38 AM)GMDino Wrote: The far left is.

But is there a problem with the vast majority (not "far left") calling something racist when the intent is racist like in the example above?

The problem lies in labeling everything racist, thereby cheapening the term/accusation and causing people to ignore the accusation entirely based on having heard it ad naseum.  If people want to address this, then call out the legions of ******** overusing the term by slapping the label on everyone who has an opinion they don't like.

(10-24-2017, 03:19 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: Do I think that the word is racist by classic definition? Of course not, and I don't think you'll find anyone arguing that it is.

Sure you will, but point taken.  

Quote:Do I think that the word is racist by usage?  Yes, I do. I don't really see why people are arguing against that statement.

By some people, sure.  Not by anything approaching a majority of people though.

Quote:This isn't a word that got SJW'd.  This is a word that is exclusively used to speak negatively of non-white people.  It is the polite (or chickenshit) way of saying "******".  When you hear someone talking about thugs ruining a neighborhood, or thugs committing various crimes, it is highly unlikely that they are referring to someone with pale skin.  You say that "If used exclusively, by a certain person, to label a certain ethnicity then it's being used in a racist way".  Well, this is its most common usage now.  How many people have to use it in this way for others to take notice of what is actually being said?

Utter horseshit.  It's used, the vast majority of the times it is used, to describe a criminally oriented POS.  People don't care about the skin melanin content of the criminal dickheads ruining their neighborhoods, they care about their criminal conduct.  

Quote:Words evolve.  They are shaped by the context surrounding their use.  Unfortunately, the evolution of the word "Thug" is pointing toward it being a racist term.

They sure do.  The word racist used to mean someone who judged/disliked someone based on their ethnicity.  Now it means white people who dislike other ethnicities and use their societal advantages to oppress them.  Remember, words evolve and only white people can be racist now.

[GMDino]

(10-25-2017, 01:21 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: The problem lies in labeling everything racist, thereby cheapening the term/accusation and causing people to ignore the accusation entirely based on having heard it ad naseum.  If people want to address this, then call out the legions of ******** overusing the term by slapping the label on everyone who has an opinion they don't like.

Again, some may do that. But the vast majority are calling out racist speech. then the racist denies it and claims the "left" says "everything is racist".

(10-25-2017, 01:21 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Utter horseshit.  It's used, the vast majority of the times it is used, to describe a criminally oriented POS.  People don't care about the skin melanin content of the criminal dickheads ruining their neighborhoods, they care about their criminal conduct.  

I think that may be hyperbole on your part.

(10-25-2017, 01:21 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: They sure do.  The word racist used to mean someone who judged/disliked someone based on their ethnicity.  Now it means white people who dislike other ethnicities and use their societal advantages to oppress them.  Remember, words evolve and only white people can be racist now.

So your argument is that, in your opinion, black people are called racist anymore?

That might be overthinking it.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(10-25-2017, 09:01 AM)GMDino Wrote: Again, some may do that. But the vast majority are calling out racist speech.  then the racist denies it and claims the "left" says "everything is racist".

Unfortunately, for you, this hasn't been my experience while absorbing media content for the past eighteen months.  I'll use one topic to disprove your theory, immigration.  One would think that enforcing immigration laws would be rather black and white, the law is the law.  For some reason those laws are now racist and anyone wanting to enforce them is guilty of racism.  I'll wait for you to try and claim otherwise, I do enjoy when you dig your hole deeper and let me rest for a bit.

Quote:I think that may be hyperbole on your part.  

Then I don't think you know what the word hyperbole means.  I know you try an co-opt the terms of others.  Having never succeeded in actually doing so I have to say I admire you persistence.  Quite the Sisyphusian task you've set for yourself.

Quote:So your argument is that, in your opinion, black people are called racist anymore?

 
This sentence doesn't make sense.  please try again.

Quote:That might be overthinking it.

I'm sure this would make more sense if the sentence before made any.  Like I said, please try again.