The 'N' word

[Rotobeast]

I don't think it's a necessary word.
However, if you want to use it, go for it.
Just be prepared for the consequences.

[Beaker]

(08-28-2015, 11:30 PM)Devils Advocate Wrote: Is it ok for white boys to say it?

You can say it all you want...freedom of speech. And nowhere in the Constitution do people have the right to not be offended. But if you do choose to use it, the consequences for using it are on you.

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 12:23 AM)CKwi88 Wrote: I loved this episode of the Boondocks. It's the Boondocks, consider yourself warned about language.





And this clip.

Congratulations. You won the interwebs today.

[Johnny Cupcakes]

(08-29-2015, 10:28 AM)Benton Wrote: Didn't you just give a longer answer?

No.

I briefly and simply explained the lack of necessity for a longer explanation of the answer.

[*Nately120*]

(08-29-2015, 12:28 PM)Beaker Wrote: You can say it all you want...freedom of speech. And nowhere in the Constitution do people have the right to not be offended. But if you do choose to use it, the consequences for using it are on you.

The government might not come down on you for using it, but damn near everyone else sure will.  What is it with people wanting to use freedom of speech to defend the N-bomb?  I never hear anyone saying they have the freedom of speech to call every woman the C-word, or every man they meet a mother f******, d***-s*****!  What if I use my free speech to go around and tell everyone I meet in great detail a long list of hardcore sexual activities I want to do to them?  Hmm, I'm actually going to try that last one....be back in a bit!

[*bfine32*]

Story time:

Until I was in the 9th grade I never had more than 2 black people in my school (Rural KY and Muncie, IN). Prior to my Freshman year we moved to Forest Park (just north of Cincy). We had to read the book Of Mice and Men; unfortunately I was called on to tell who Crooks was. I used the word that had been used to describe him in the book.

I quickly learned this was unacceptable.

[Beaker]

(08-29-2015, 03:43 PM)Nately120 Wrote: The government might not come down on you for using it, but damn near everyone else sure will.  What is it with people wanting to use freedom of speech to defend the N-bomb?  I never hear anyone saying they have the freedom of speech to call every woman the C-word, or every man they meet a mother f******, d***-s*****!  What if I use my free speech to go around and tell everyone I meet in great detail a long list of hardcore sexual activities I want to do to them?  Hmm, I'm actually going to try that last one....be back in a bit!

All I was saying is you can say what you want. But there will be consequences for your choices. You may get beat up, lose a job, etc. Just don't act surprised at the outcome of your choices.

[*Nately120*]

(08-29-2015, 04:11 PM)Beaker Wrote: All I was saying is you can say what you want. But there will be consequences for your choices. You may get beat up, lose a job, etc. Just don't act surprised at the outcome of your choices.

Woah, is the America or Russia, dude?

Serious note, I worked at a baseball stadium and someone tried to walk out the door with beer and the policy was "no beer outside the stadium" because that was public property.  So when I said "no beer outside" he said "What is this, Russia?" and I told him that actually you CAN drink in public in Russia, so no, this isn't Russia.

Story time, over.  

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 04:03 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Story time:

Until I was in the 9th grade I never had more than 2 black people in my school (Rural KY and Muncie, IN). Prior to my Freshman year we moved to Forest Park (just north of Cincy). We had to read the book Of Mice and Men; unfortunately I was called on to tell who Crooks was. I used the word that had been used to describe him in the book.

I quickly learned this was unacceptable.

Seeing a lot lately about how liberals are the "PC" type and offended by everything. But, I don't find that necessarily so. Classic example in the anecdote above. I think most liberals would be fine with reading the book, reading it uncensored, and using the language the book uses when discusses it. It is generally conservatives who want to censor the language in books or ban them outright.

Came across an excellent "teaching moment" in graduate school that is sort of related. In Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn, Huck has a black friend named Jim. Numerous characters refer to Jim as a "******" (and Jim uses the term to describe himself in more than one passage if I am not mistaken). However, the character's name is clearly Jim. In literary criticism of the book for decades critics referred to him as "****** Jim" as if that were his name. Huck is called "Huck Finn" and Jim is called "****** Jim" in essay after essay. But his name is simply Jim. And for decades no critic writing about the book pointed this out. It is a pretty good example of the subtle way racism invades our minds.

I am happy to say some critics finally recognized the error and today most don't make the mistake, but I am sure some do. When I wrote about the book I called Jim by his name, but did not feel constrained to censor my language in any way and in classes I don't think anyone did either. We actually talked a bit about how "******" has - like many words - evolved over the years. It seems to have lost much of its power and is more often used as a term of endearment than a term of derision in our times. Language does that. It keeps changing. I am happy students still read this book, read it uncensored, and can have dialogue about these sorts of things.

[*Nately120*]

(08-29-2015, 04:41 PM)xxlt Wrote: Seeing a lot lately about how liberals are the "PC" type and offended by everything. But, I don't find that necessarily so.

I always thought liberals were more likely to be annoyingly worried about what would offend others (who aren't rich, white, or Christian) while conservatives were more likely to be annoyingly worried about what would offend those who were rich, white, or Christian.  Every group gets offended about something. 

Let's also point out that being offended by people being offended counts, too.  I get sick of hearing people complain about everything NOT being PC as much as I get sick of hearing people whine and moan about not being able to be PC anymore.  CAN'T EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!?!?!

[mallorian69]

(08-29-2015, 04:41 PM)xxlt Wrote: Seeing a lot lately about how liberals are the "PC" type and offended by everything. But, I don't find that necessarily so. Classic example in the anecdote above. I think most liberals would be fine with reading the book, reading it uncensored, and using the language the book uses when discusses it. It is generally conservatives who want to censor the language in books or ban them outright.

Came across an excellent "teaching moment" in graduate school that is sort of related. In Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn, Huck has a black friend named Jim. Numerous characters refer to Jim as a "******" (and Jim uses the term to describe himself in more than one passage if I am not mistaken). However, the character's name is clearly Jim. In literary criticism of the book for decades critics referred to him as "****** Jim" as if that were his name. Huck is called "Huck Finn" and Jim is called "****** Jim" in essay after essay. But his name is simply Jim. And for decades no critic writing about the book pointed this out. It is a pretty good example of the subtle way racism invades our minds.

I am happy to say some critics finally recognized the error and today most don't make the mistake, but I am sure some do. When I wrote about the book I called Jim by his name, but did not feel constrained to censor my language in any way and in classes I don't think anyone did either. We actually talked a bit about how "******" has - like many words - evolved over the years. It seems to have lost much of its power and is more often used as a term of endearment than a term of derision in our times. Language does that. It keeps changing. I am happy students still read this book, read it uncensored, and can have dialogue about these sorts of things.

You sure liberals don't want to ban classics because I remember here recently a big stink being made about Gone With The Wind after the Charleston shootings and I'm pretty sure it was a bunch of liberals whining and complaining about the film.

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 04:46 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I always thought liberals were more likely to be annoyingly worried about what would offend others (who aren't rich, white, or Christian) while conservatives were more likely to be annoyingly worried about what would offend those who were rich, white, or Christian.  Every group gets offended about something. 

Let's also point out that being offended by people being offended counts, too.  I get sick of hearing people complain about everything NOT being PC as much as I get sick of hearing people whine and moan about not being able to be PC anymore.  CAN'T EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!?!?!

Great points.

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 04:55 PM)mallorian69 Wrote: You sure liberals don't want to ban classics because I remember here recently a big stink being made about Gone With The Wind after the Charleston shootings and I'm pretty sure it was a bunch of liberals whining and complaining about the film.

I dunno dude. Remember, it is the ***** in Hollywood that destroyed America with everything from movies to music about all things unseemly. The liberals lap up art in all its forms from b-movies to avant-garde performance art to kitschy to classic cinema. In my experience they never met an art display, film, book, sculpture, painting, or performance they wouldn't defend. I think maybe all the whining about whining liberals has you brain washed. Don't assume everyone crying wolf or otherwise is a pinko-*****. Might be a god fearin' red-blooded pick up drivin' 'mehrkun conservative man.

[xxlt]

Another first in message board history. After watching people rave for weeks about the thrill of saying dookey and wee-wee and all things naughty I get censored for discussing literary criticism of an American classic. Child please. And then I managed to get censored again in the same thread. This guy is en fuego. I got censored when none of y'all could. And then, I did it again.

[mallorian69]

(08-29-2015, 05:17 PM)xxlt Wrote: I dunno dude. Remember, it is the ***** in Hollywood that destroyed America with everything from movies to music about all things unseemly. The liberals lap up art in all its forms from b-movies to avant-garde performance art to kitschy to classic cinema. In my experience they never met an art display, film, book, sculpture, painting, or performance they wouldn't defend. I think maybe all the whining about whining liberals has you brain washed. Don't assume everyone crying wolf or otherwise is a pinko-*****. Might be a god fearin' red-blooded pick up drivin' 'mehrkun conservative man.

I wouldn't call Lou Lumenick a "God fearin' red-blooded, pick up driving, mehrkun conservative man".
http://nypost.com/2015/06/24/gone-with-the-wind-should-go-the-way-of-the-confederate-flag/

[Rotobeast]

(08-29-2015, 05:23 PM)xxlt Wrote: Another first in message board history. After watching people rave for weeks about the thrill of saying dookey and wee-wee and all things naughty I get censored for discussing literary criticism of an American classic. Child please. And then I managed to get censored again in the same thread. This guy is en fuego. I got censored when none of y'all could. And then, I did it again.

I got censored the other day for using the "B-word" and had to change it to breeding female dog.

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 06:41 PM)mallorian69 Wrote: I wouldn't call Lou Lumenick a "God fearin' red-blooded, pick up driving, mehrkun conservative man".
http://nypost.com/2015/06/24/gone-with-the-wind-should-go-the-way-of-the-confederate-flag/

Sorry, but one op-ed piece in a crappy paper does not constitute a "big stink" where I come from. And even Lumenick concedes the movie has merits, including the fact it garnered the first Oscar for a black actress. I heard a fair amount of people of all stripes saying the Confederate flag should not be flown over public buildings and I agree. It would be kind of like flying the Union Jack over public buildings. I mean, this country started under English rule, so shouldn't we honor that "heritage" too if we are going to "honor" the Confederate heritage? But I have heard nobody else say a word about banning GWTW. So, not a big stink, and certainly not a liberal cause.

[xxlt]

(08-29-2015, 07:55 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: I got censored the other day for using the "B-word" and had to change it to breeding female dog.

Every body dance now!

[Rotobeast]

(08-29-2015, 08:28 PM)xxlt Wrote: Every body dance now!