Defensewins
02-09-2011, 06:25 PM
While I wished that was true, that actually isn't. I was in a conversation with an African-American man one day and we got on the subject of race. He basically stated to me that while it is very offensive to the black race for white people to use racial slurs against black people, it is widely acceptable for black people to use racial slurs against white people. He justified it by saying that the words that black people used on white people were more or less "silly" names and should not be taken to offense like the names that a racist white person would use to describe black people. Now, have no idea if this truly is the belief amongst all black people in this country, but that is just what he stated. He also went on to state that white people should never use the term "boy" if talking about a black male, but it was OK for blacks to use the term "boy" in describing white males.
So, I would say, based on this info this gentleman had presented to me, it would seem like that rule doesn't apply to all. I'm hoping this was just his thoughts and nothing that is widely accepted amongst minorities, otherwise I would question the validity of fighting for equality. I, myself, would find any word that is used to disparage a race offensive. But, I think one should also consider the contextin which the word is being used. For instance, computer guys like myself find it a compliment to be called "computer geeks". We feel that is the highest form of flattery one could ever receive in the I.T. world. But, growing up through school, if you were called a geek, you were someone who was very unpopular, backwards, and would only find friends with other geeks. Maybe it's because most of us geeks grow up to be bosses of the "non-geeks"? Who knows?
I said all that to say, when we talk about racial slurs, are we just talking about the word itself? Shouldn't we also consider what context the word is being used? Just a thought.
A true test of any name or word that you question might be a racially charged word: would you in good conscious go up to a Native American and call him a redskin?
We should not use racially charged words or names, especially those that refer directly to peoples skin color. For a for a group of people that were mistreated just because of their ethnicity and because they were not white, like Native Americans or African Americans. It is better stop the practice of using that name or word. I really do not care how long the name Redskins has been used.
Would I stop being fan of the team if they changed the name? No.
You talk about considering words in their context of how they are being used.
Consider this:
Mr Snyder (a Jew) owner of the Washington REDSKINS is suing someone (another jew) because they drew horns on a picutre of him and Mr Snyder called it anti-semitic. But he is ok with using the name Redskins when referring to Native Americans, a race of people his team is named for. Warped.
Kind of like your african american friend who thinks it is ok to be racist against whites. It is not ok. It should never be ok.
So, I would say, based on this info this gentleman had presented to me, it would seem like that rule doesn't apply to all. I'm hoping this was just his thoughts and nothing that is widely accepted amongst minorities, otherwise I would question the validity of fighting for equality. I, myself, would find any word that is used to disparage a race offensive. But, I think one should also consider the contextin which the word is being used. For instance, computer guys like myself find it a compliment to be called "computer geeks". We feel that is the highest form of flattery one could ever receive in the I.T. world. But, growing up through school, if you were called a geek, you were someone who was very unpopular, backwards, and would only find friends with other geeks. Maybe it's because most of us geeks grow up to be bosses of the "non-geeks"? Who knows?
I said all that to say, when we talk about racial slurs, are we just talking about the word itself? Shouldn't we also consider what context the word is being used? Just a thought.
A true test of any name or word that you question might be a racially charged word: would you in good conscious go up to a Native American and call him a redskin?
We should not use racially charged words or names, especially those that refer directly to peoples skin color. For a for a group of people that were mistreated just because of their ethnicity and because they were not white, like Native Americans or African Americans. It is better stop the practice of using that name or word. I really do not care how long the name Redskins has been used.
Would I stop being fan of the team if they changed the name? No.
You talk about considering words in their context of how they are being used.
Consider this:
Mr Snyder (a Jew) owner of the Washington REDSKINS is suing someone (another jew) because they drew horns on a picutre of him and Mr Snyder called it anti-semitic. But he is ok with using the name Redskins when referring to Native Americans, a race of people his team is named for. Warped.
Kind of like your african american friend who thinks it is ok to be racist against whites. It is not ok. It should never be ok.