Discussion: Racism

[Supernova]

And this is why I believe blaming music, a form of artistic expression, for racism is beyond ridiculous imo.

But seriously how is the N word an artistic expression?

 

[moviedoors]

But seriously how is the N word an artistic expression?

It's a word. It can take on a myriad of meanings depending upon the context, the intention, or the execution. Just like any other word.

The way Richard Pryor used it is different from how Nixon used it which is different from how Tarantino uses it to how Kanye used it to how George Carlin used it to how Michael Richards used it and on and on and on and on.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

And you have two political parties that only continue to feed into that emotion....you have the Republican party who blames minorities for their own problems, and you have the Democrats that want to keep those problems going in the minds of minorities in order to preach the doctrine that they are the party for the little man. Add on top of that, those within these movements that make so much money off of them, that they to want to continue the narrative, so why actually do anything about bringing it to an end? If what they deem as a plague on minorities ends, then they become irrelevant.

It is a vicious cycle and there are sooo many players feeding the problem, rather than coming up with a solution to break that cycle.

Obama had 100 days, just as FDR did and he spent it writing a godawlful piece of legislation called "Obamacare". So sad....

Sorry...


Huh?

I think we have a nice bit of evidence at least in the last two years if that's all one wanted to focus on, that the issues non-white citizens particularly African Americans are facing when it comes to interaction with the Justice system, from police to the courts, are hardly being fed to them by the Democratic Party. These are people with their own life experiences both as individuals and members of families. They are making up their own minds.

Also... What does the first 100 days have anything to do with this? Was the president supposed to unilaterally end racism or something in that time?

I am as a Puerto Rican that lives in an urban area the first to admit of some major issues of social and family breakdown that can be laid at the feet of too many bad personal choices made by individuals in the Hispanic and African American community but that doesn't negate or make untrue the evidence I also see of abuse suffered by our fellow citizens when it comes to our police and criminal justice system. Look at the Martin case. A family loses a teenager to totally unwarranted violence and then they didn't even get justice from the courts. That was something people saw and reacted to, it wasn't put in their heads by the Democratic Party.

Now I can run off a litany of supposed "threats" to Americans that the Republican Party has promulgated for sometime that the evidence and data just don't back up at all and imbibed whole heartedly by their base. Illegal immigrants are not coming to the country in the numbers they were and THIS administration has been sending people back across the border in huge numbers but that's not what hear from the GOP. Voter fraud is not an issue in our elections but you'd think it was if you listened to Republicans in government. We are also apparently a hare's breath away from Sharia law in every town and city in the heartland going by the word put out from media friendly to the Republican party like various talk radio shows and websites, not to mention Fox news.

There is a reflexive response I often find of people wanting all sides to be equal. Maybe it's an inherent admittance that we all have flaws. However in life while there are nuaces and gray areas sometimes, no, things aren't equal on all sides.

The Republican Party and the coalition of groups that have made it up for at least 45-55 years now (at least as long as I have been alive to observe it anyway) have been playing with fire with dog whistle politics, conspiracy theories and the like. Not just party members in government but rank and file as well. I'm sorry but in my experience while there are for sure individuals and certain groups (even sub-groups) in the Democratic Party that fan tensions it's nowhere near the concerted efforts of the Republican Party and it's members to try to ride resentment and fear of fellow citizens to electoral victory.

I'm a boilerplate "liberal" guy that hates the excesses of rhetoric and policy from Liberals over the years but that will never blind me to the extemism and bat guano nonsense the Republican Party has been sliding towards for at a minimum four decades. I wish there were more Republican/conservative/Libertarians of good conscience willing to call a spade a spade and work to drain the swamps of craziness and unreasonable extremism that has swallowed the party whole. We need that. We NEED a healthy alternative to the Democratic Party on general principle. But the view of "It's all the same on both sides so what are you gonna do?" is not going to accomplish that.

The sad part is that many groups that seem to be targets of the Republican rhetoric that never helps anything on a host of issues could be persuaded to actually vote for the GOP as there are lots of issues they probably are closer to the Republicans views on, generally speaking. Legal immigrants or middle class Black and Hispanic voters who are probably more in step with the culturally conservative and low tax and low regulation views of the Republican Party... But they aren't stupid. They know what is being said in between the lines. They hear the dog whistle loud and clear.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Nah not really, comparing sexual assault to 200 years of an ideology is asinine. You can stop rape and lock up sick freaks, you cant however change an idea unfortunately. Especially in our era where the media and leadership feed the fire as it calmns down

Rape, a crime based around control and power, in a society that for at least two centuries preached the inferiority of women, is not common ground at all.

And there you go again, blaming people for speaking out.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

But seriously how is the N word an artistic expression?

The response the word gets and how it resonates makes it rather obvious. I do like the idea of blaming black people for trying to take ownership of a word used to disparage them and portray them as subhuman. I mean, how dare they...

 

[Supernova]

Rape, a crime based around control and power, in a society that for at least two centuries preached the inferiority of women, is not common ground at all.

And there you go again, blaming people for speaking out.

Blaming people for speaking out? About what? One minute I don't underatand english, the next rape is the same as racism and now im blaming people for speaking out? The troll is strong in you I sense. Have fun explaining to rape victums there in the same boat as minorities. What a crock

 

[Supernova]

The response the word gets and how it resonates makes it rather obvious. I do like the idea of blaming black people for trying to take ownership of a word used to disparage them and portray them as subhuman. I mean, how dare they...

You seem to be confused between blaming Someone and telling some one to drop a word if it's racist. The english language doesnt belong to one group of the population especially certain words. If its racist its racist don't go on tv and say you were offended then go back and use it between your friends because thats hypocrisy at it s finest.

You dont get the luxury of saying we need to abolish racism in this country but allow racist
Words to hang around.

Bottom line and this you can qoute me on

"If you dont the balls to get rid of racist words then you dont the balls to get rid of racism"

 

[BlueLanternKal]

I like how one person is attributing the use of one historically charged word that has in recent times lost most of it's baggage and power precisely because of it's continued use with being the root of racism towards black people or people of African descent today.

The truth is the word n***** bothers white people more than black people today because of white guilt. It would be best for everyone if it was just swept under the rug and forgotten, because nobody wants to be reminded of the crimes of their ancestors.

LOL, nope I'ma keep saying it when I'm with my fam. Sorry guys.

 

[moviedoors]

But it's only racist depending on the context.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

But it's only racist depending on the context.

Yeah, I know this. Most people know this. Some people just choose to ignore it because they'd rather pretend slavery, racism, prejudice, and discrimination doesn't or didn't exist at some point.

 

[Supernova]

I like how one person is attributing the use of one historically charged word that has in recent times lost most of it's baggage and power precisely because of it's continued use with being the root of racism towards black people or people of African descent today.

The truth is the word n***** bothers white people more than black people today because of white guilt. It would be best for everyone if it was just swept under the rug and forgotten, because nobody wants to be reminded of the crimes of their ancestors.

LOL, nope I'ma keep saying it when I'm with my fam. Sorry guys.

Why should we all pay for what our ancestors did? We had no control over that. Am I Suppose to pay for what a racist did 200 years ago to someone?

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Why should we all pay for what our ancestors did? We had no control over that. Am I Suppose to pay for what a racist did 200 years ago to someone?

Why should you indeed? So why does the word n***** bother you so much when black people say it? I suggest rereading my post again carefully.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

Bottom line and this you can qoute me on

"If you dont the balls to get rid of racist words then you dont the balls to get rid of racism"

The whole argument around the N-word is a farce for some white people to play victim.

At any point a white person could call another white person "my n---a" like in any rap song. But they don't actually want to. Why is that they only want to call black people that?

Nothing is stopping a man from calling any woman a b---h( in a friendly) at any point but they don't, but don't feel their rights to free speech are being hurt since it too is just a word.

 

[Supernova]

Why should you indeed? So why does the word n***** bother you so much when black people say it? I suggest rereading my post again carefully.

It bothers me I wont lie because I dont like the word, i dont use words to describe people I use names an treat people as humans under the same umbrella. Its not guilt or anything I just dont like it.

 

[Supernova]

The whole argument around the N-word is a farce for some white people to play victim.

At any point a white person could call another white person "my n---a" like in any rap song. But they don't actually want to. Why is that they only want to call black people that?

Nothing is stopping a man from calling any woman a b---h( in a friendly) at any point but they don't, but don't feel their rights to free speech are being hurt since it too is just a word.

I Actually hate ***** too, if you dont mind the words thats fine I just dont. I guess its not as racist as I Thought

 

[moviedoors]

Yeah, I know this. Most people know this. Some people just choose to ignore it because they'd rather pretend slavery, racism, prejudice, and discrimination doesn't or didn't exist at some point.

Sorry, this was aimed at the post before you.

 

[moviedoors]

The whole argument around the N-word is a farce for some white people to play victim.

At any point a white person could call another white person "my n---a" like in any rap song. But they don't actually want to. Why is that they only want to call black people that?

Nothing is stopping a man from calling any woman a b---h( in a friendly) at any point but they don't, but don't feel their rights to free speech are being hurt since it too is just a word.

WAY too much generalizing for comfort here. I only ever use the word "*****" in a friendly way, and that goes for my male friends too. It's the stand up comedy fan in me. Please don't speak for my intentions.

 

[Kelly]

Sorry...


Huh?

I think we have a nice bit of evidence at least in the last two years if that's all one wanted to focus on, that the issues non-white citizens particularly African Americans are facing when it comes to interaction with the Justice system, from police to the courts, are hardly being fed to them by the Democratic Party. These are people with their own life experiences both as individuals and members of families. They are making up their own minds.

Also... What does the first 100 days have anything to do with this? Was the president supposed to unilaterally end racism or something in that time?

I am as a Puerto Rican that lives in an urban area the first to admit of some major issues of social and family breakdown that can be laid at the feet of too many bad personal choices made by individuals in the Hispanic and African American community but that doesn't negate or make untrue the evidence I also see of abuse suffered by our fellow citizens when it comes to our police and criminal justice system. Look at the Martin case. A family loses a teenager to totally unwarranted violence and then they didn't even get justice from the courts. That was something people saw and reacted to, it wasn't put in their heads by the Democratic Party.

Now I can run off a litany of supposed "threats" to Americans that the Republican Party has promulgated for sometime that the evidence and data just don't back up at all and imbibed whole heartedly by their base. Illegal immigrants are not coming to the country in the numbers they were and THIS administration has been sending people back across the border in huge numbers but that's not what hear from the GOP. Voter fraud is not an issue in our elections but you'd think it was if you listened to Republicans in government. We are also apparently a hare's breath away from Sharia law in every town and city in the heartland going by the word put out from media friendly to the Republican party like various talk radio shows and websites, not to mention Fox news.

There is a reflexive response I often find of people wanting all sides to be equal. Maybe it's an inherent admittance that we all have flaws. However in life while there are nuaces and gray areas sometimes, no, things aren't equal on all sides.

The Republican Party and the coalition of groups that have made it up for at least 45-55 years now (at least as long as I have been alive to observe it anyway) have been playing with fire with dog whistle politics, conspiracy theories and the like. Not just party members in government but rank and file as well. I'm sorry but in my experience while there are for sure individuals and certain groups (even sub-groups) in the Democratic Party that fan tensions it's nowhere near the concerted efforts of the Republican Party and it's members to try to ride resentment and fear of fellow citizens to electoral victory.

I'm a boilerplate "liberal" guy that hates the excesses of rhetoric and policy from Liberals over the years but that will never blind me to the extemism and bat guano nonsense the Republican Party has been sliding towards for at a minimum four decades. I wish there were more Republican/conservative/Libertarians of good conscience willing to call a spade a spade and work to drain the swamps of craziness and unreasonable extremism that has swallowed the party whole. We need that. We NEED a healthy alternative to the Democratic Party on general principle. But the view of "It's all the same on both sides so what are you gonna do?" is not going to accomplish that.

The sad part is that many groups that seem to be targets of the Republican rhetoric that never helps anything on a host of issues could be persuaded to actually vote for the GOP as there are lots of issues they probably are closer to the Republicans views on, generally speaking. Legal immigrants or middle class Black and Hispanic voters who are probably more in step with the culturally conservative and low tax and low regulation views of the Republican Party... But they aren't stupid. They know what is being said in between the lines. They hear the dog whistle loud and clear.

In his first 100 days he had the House and Senate...it was his best chance getting policy through....much the same way that FDR did with The New Deal.

You've again made this a Dems are better Reps. suck discussion. Every time any kind of discussion happens on what and how the parties should change, that is usually the argument that gets made from one side or the other. Not sure where you got the "It's all the same on both sides, so what are you going to do" mentality, you didn't get it from my post....so I'll assume you have heard it elsewhere.

 

[Kelly]

I don't like the word "******" because growing up I heard it used as a negative, and I don't believe using a word in a different way makes that history go away, or makes it a positive word. Sorry, that is just how feel about it....I hate the word, that isn't changing because two of my black students call each other that with a smile.

 

[Thundercrack85]

It's not a positive word. If it was, it wouldn't have this much stigma associated. It's probably the most controversial word in the English language.

I have also never seen any pejorative be turned into a positive word like this. It's silly.

 

[moviedoors]

I don't like the word "******" because growing up I heard it used as a negative, and I don't believe using a word in a different way makes that history go away, or makes it a positive word. Sorry, that is just how feel about it....I hate the word, that isn't changing because two of my black students call each other that with a smile.

Maybe they heard it in a positive way growing up. Why does your experience with the word override theirs?

 

[moviedoors]

I have also never seen any pejorative be turned into a positive word like this. It's silly.

***** and *** are two traditionally ugly words I've seen reappropriated as terms of endearment. Especially ***. The only common ground you'll find between Dan Savage and Milo Yiannipoulos is the use of the word *** in an empowering way

 

[Kelly]

LOL....I'm sorry, but that made me laugh.

 

[Thundercrack85]

***** and *** are two traditionally ugly words I've seen reappropriated as terms of endearment

...I'll take your word for it.

 

[moviedoors]

LOL....I'm sorry, but that made me laugh.

Yeah, it's pretty goofy looking isn't it?