The Usage of Language and social impacts.

[Excel Zero]

That's pretty much what I am getting at...it's pathetic that the words are out there and that anyone let's it get to em. As I have said many times. People need to relax. So I guess ultra puppy and I are definately on the same page

End of line

Excel

[reaper]

My bottom line is we should all be offended by any racial slur, why? Because we are all the same race. White, black brown, Asian, aborigines, whatever, are all the same race, with different phenotypes. If we weren’t inter"racial" couples would not be able to copulate and produce viable offspring. Since they can, I doubt any one will argue that with me.

But I also /agree that we give simple words to much power over us. But since the words currently do have power it needs to be treated responsibly.

I also agree with grallik that if any one has legitimate cause to be racist is Native Americans.

[Shurikane]

If someone uses the word casually, all we need to do is inform him that some people might take it the bad way. He wasn't doing anything bad - he just didn't know the word might get him into some trouble. Problem solved.

If someone uses it as a clear insult, then it's another ball game entirely. I think I don't need to explain this one.

I've been called a Canuck many, many times. Most often by my USA friends, the kind of friends who come by and say "Hey, how's it going Canuck!" and say it while slapping me in the back and inviting me to go and drink a beer with them. However, I will invariably get pissed if someone goes "Hey you fuckin' Canuck!" and I know (obviously) it's meant to piss me off.

Random Fact: The term Eskimo meant "eater of raw meat". The people there prefer to be called Inuit, which means "men" and thus sounds a lot less stereotypical and derogatory (no sushi jokes please!)

[RivaOni]

where ever you go in the world you'll hear slang or un nice names for different people from different countries. the australiens call us brits limeys? why? coz we're alot paler than alot of the worlds "white" population or something along those lines. its not nice but its the way the world is, it shouldnt be that way, but everyone should relax unless its used as an insult but they should be strong enough not to retaliate and rise above it, i was bullied at school coz my hairs almost afro carribean (although both my parents are as british as they come) in that its extremely tight and curly and unless its full of water and hair products i cant control it, so id get chants of "afro afro man" and things like that, but it didnt bother me, well not visibly anyway and i kept my hair how it was, now its really bushy but when i do stuiff with it, its long enough to look pretty cool

[Ming]

I agree that it it is just a word, and that because of that, it doesn't really mean anything. It's really the derogatory nature of it that causes problems. But, it still does piss people off. What pisses me off is the double standard that exists in the world today, and going to school in NYC has really illustrated the point. I really don't think it's right for a black guy to call another black guy that, and yet, a white guy gets crucified if he calls a black guy that. While I would still never use the word, I personally believe that if you're fighting for equality, you have to take equality. There's no picking and choosing and no "some are more equal than others". If you don't want white people calling you by a name, then don't call yourself by that name. It's a simple concept. But will it ever stop? Probably not. Because too many white people are still too ignorant to accepts people who are different than then, and because too many black people are too stubborn to just forgive and forget. You know what? It sucks that we enslaved an entire race, and for that I am deeply apologetic, but it's over, and you have been apologized to, just let it go.

[underpants]

Graillik you grew up in Texas right?? Not making an generalizations or assumptions, but from what I got out there from hanging out with faye and everyone else. YOu guys use the N word very loosely. Try that crap in NYC and you'll be cruficied! You guys have a different way of life out there. I don't think I saw one black person out there in my 6 days there! In NY you see a black person every .0001 second, especially around my campus.
The N word is something I've never used and never will. I was brought up thinking that's a bad word, which it is as you can read the origin of it that Reaper so greatfully provided. If you know the origin of it you wouldn't use it any more.
Ming, black people probably won't stop calling each other the N word, but do they really have to? Other races shouldn't use it out of respect, but I feel that black people can say it as much as they want.

Just my opinion

[RivaOni]

sorry UP im with ming on that one, if you didnt want someone to think of you as someting, you wouldnt go round saying you were that and it applies to everyone, me and chixie(well her mum actually) had a bit of a disagreement the other night about the army and women wanting equal rights, we ewre on abot if britian made it law that you had to serve time in the army, but her mum was saying she thinks women shouldnt have to, so i put it to her that does she think women should be allowed the same oportunities as men and she said yes, so what she was basically saying is she wants equal rights for women but only in certain aspects, which isnt equal rights at all. if you want equal rights you cant pick and choose what you feel should be treated fairly and what should be treated as a speciality and black people calling each other by the N word but not liking other people saying it is wanting special treatment

[Excel Zero]

[reaper]

Well lets not forget that in there are still many people alive who shot black people with fire hoses and sicked german shepards on them, ect. ect. shit like that was going on into the 70's. go watch some civil rights movies, they are f'ed up.

[Ming]