There’s also the mini-rants threads here in the Pit (this is the most current one)
[quote=“Blank_Slate, post:46, topic:701906”]
It would be interesting to hear from, say, Bahamians or Jamaicans or Haitians, about the usage of, and attitudes about, the word ‘nigger’ in their countries.
Grude’s thread was just a weird little rant, though, going nowhere.[/QUOT
I live in the Caribbean. On this island picknee and pickaneager are in normal every day usage. They are just other words for child and not rude at all. Nobody uses ‘nigger’ which is a **bad **word - it’s just not used.
Neager (sp?) is commonly used and pronounced differently to nigger. Neager is not rude. Let’s say someone is gossiping so you might respond: “You too like mind neager business”. (You are overly concerned with the affairs of other people) I think it’s more of a fond term for something old timish and/or the man in the street.
You might jokingly call a friend ‘vieux neg’ if you noticed them holding up their pants with a safety pin or a piece of string instead of a belt. It’s tongue in cheek stuff.
I fail to see the difference.
I think this pitting of Grude is way off base. Clearly Dibble is quickly offended and fails to see the deeper motivation of Grude. I perceive Grude as not clearly understanding Trinidad culture and trying to see their norms and culture through the US lense that he grew up with. He doesn’t like being perceived by locals as having racist attitudes solely because he’s white.
I just don’t get why grude feels compelled to share the details of the arbitrary vernacular of his homeland.
It’s not the bitching about your life that’s getting to people I think. We all do that. It’s the total lack of participation in the threads you start. We aren’t here to provide amusement to you, if you want others to participate then you should participate too.
No, it’s not sufficient to say “Well, I do read the responses!”. But you don’t ever provide context or clarification when asked or in any way respond to the very suggestions or opinions you seem to be requesting.
Think about a social situation, it’s conversation, back and forth. How often would you bother to engage with someone who doesn’t have anything to contribute beyond an opening statement?
Especially since so many of your posts are ill formed, screaming for context or clarification, and then, … nothing is forthcoming, even when requested.
Happy to hear you’re getting something out of it. A shame you don’t seem to want to actually fully participate. A drag that you don’t have more to offer.
Can you see why people are less than amused by your antics? If you want others to participate in your threads than you should, at least, do so yourself! If you feel your topics are worth discussion, than you should participate in that discussion. Otherwise we’re left to assume you yourself don’t even feel the topic is worthy of discussion!
:rolleyes: Clearly. That’s why I closed his thread with my mod mind control rays, after all.
IS he even American? I would think he wouldn’t be quite as tone-deaf to using the word “nigger” here if he were.
I don’t think they’re saying he has racist attitudes. Just parochial or backwards ones or something.
People write all kinds of things on internet message boards, that they would never say in a public setting…anonymity and all that. I don’t perceive Grude as a racist. He’s a white guy from the US and his wife is black from Trinidad. If he is, he’s got a hell of a way of showing it in real life…which is what matters most…not what someone writes on a message board.
Like I said I have tried to do this very thing, If someone has a question or a clarification I try to offer it. I explained with an example that if I stop participating in a thread it is because my question has been answered and I feel I have nothing to add(p-zombie). I know I was really, really bad about this when I joined the board and I have tried to improve.
Another issue which has nothing to do with the board is I hate typing on a phone or tablet, and I only have access to a PC with a full keyboard a few hours a night. I understand this issue and am trying not to post threads I view on a phone or tablet.
I’m an aspergery computer nerd, which my wife is too. Just last night I was like hey no weird interactions and then in a shop a fellow customer a woman asked me a question…
“Is that your brother?”
Grude:“no, that is my son”
“Oh…is his mother black?”
Grude:“yes…”
“Oh ok…”
I told my wife about it and she asked if people are going to be so nosy and ask this same question our whole life, I said not if we go to the USA. People would be too inhibited to ask this kind of question.
I do wonder WTF they ask it for though.
Just tell them she’s white and watch their heads explode.
I’ve wanted for a long time to say no that is my father, just to see them go whut?!
My wife told me about a white looking girl in her elementary school in the 80s, who was apparently fathered by a foreigner by a local woman. Said she was harassed by both students and teachers to tears, until her grandmother paid for her to go to an expat school.
AND SHE EXPECTED OUR SON TO GO TO THAT SCHOOL.
Me: you’re insane.
Her: I’m sure things have changed since the 80s.
Whatever.
Whatever, you don’t seem to get it. This is a lame excuse, in my opinion. Colour me not surprised.
I have mixed race children. I think this is much worse in the US than in Trinidad. Trinidad has a ton of mixed race people so it’s common. In the US, it is not as common and people can be incredibly rude and nosy. I’ve been asked if my child is adopted and whether I was the bio mom or nanny.
grude, just try branching out, don’t be known for specific things like that guy who talks about blacks all the time in a negative way. Take me for example, I’m known on the boards as the guy who gives middle aged men anal pleasure through the use of feng shui, but occasionally I dive into a food thread here, maybe start a politics thread there, talk about sports, you know, anything except ass fun with interior decorating
Look I am unconditionally saying I am sorry for my thread behaviour in the past, and from this point forward I am trying not to do it anymore. I get it, at least I think I do, and wasn’t trying to offer an excuse but an explanation for past events. I don’t know what more I can do honestly.
Crap, I’ve been trying to sell my wife on the idea that the culture in the USA due to political correctness or whatever this stuff would be not happening.