Good then. We’re agreed. I will keep using the word “thug” when describing thugs, and if you think that’s racist I will use the word “idiot” when describing you.
Its not about what I think. Its about whoever you are speaking to or about thinks. If you don’t care about being misunderstood, or whether your audience or target thinks negatively about you, then by all means go on with your bad self. But don’t be under the misapprehension that no one is allowed to view you in a critical light based on your language usage.
I’m just some random guy on a message board. I wouldn’t expect you to give a shit about what I think. If you are arguing in this thread over concern about what I think about you then that seems like a pretty sad waste of time.
The little old ladies who use “nigras” and think they are being polite are dying off. Someone has to fill their sensible shoes.
What is your evidence that the term “nigra” and the term “thug” are generally equivalent? You are assuming this, but it has not been demonstrated.
Regards,
Shodan
It was Col Musturd, using coercion, in his Mom’s basement. 
Nope, not really assuming anything, just extrapolating out over time what is likely to happen to those who hang onto terms that others may find offensive.
Shoes? I thought they drove a brand-new, shiny red, super-stock Dodge. In Pasadena, anyway.
Ahem… “assuming” = “just extrapolating out over time what is likely to happen”.
You’re also assuming that others MAY find something offensive. Until then, “thug” still means someone, anyone, who acts in a violent manner.
This one will earn you a warning, Terr. Do not insult other posters outside the BBQ Pit.
You are, of course, free to extrapolate from unproven premises, but you are mistaken if you assert that such extrapolations are likely.
It is equally likely, IMO, that people who try to claim that “thug” is racist are going to get laughed at or dismissed. It is also possible that genuine racism is going to be put aside because the PC types used up all the outrage.
Regards,
Shodan
Forgot which forum this was in. But it was a general statement. Replace “you” with “someone/anyone”.
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Of course it is. People have a choice. Even you. People can make an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings (ie “thug” means any person who commits violent acts) OR they can begin the name-calling (ie racist). Of course, the name-calling will be returned (ie ignorant, thought-police, politically-correct word-police).
No it isn’t. You are badly missing the point here.
Say whatever you like, whenever you like. Have a ball. However, don’t expect that others will not form opinions of you based on what you say. This is how language and communication work, and it is literally all anyone has been saying, but you keep arguing against these fantasy arguments that no one is making.
Maybe an example may help you understand? In the past there was a time before the word ‘colored’ was used in a racist way. Then it started to be used that way. Now you shouldn’t use the word to refer to people or you will be thought of as a racist. If you heard someone refer to ‘colored people’ right now, what would your opinion be of them? Do you disagree with this historical progression also? There is a dictionary definition of ‘colored’ that has nothing to do with race, so why aren’t you fighting to reclaim that word too? I still hear people use ‘colored’ in that way occasionally, and they sure sound racist when they do. They probably feel the same way that you do about ‘thug’. These are easy parallels to draw, unless one is being intentionally obtuse.
Seriously though, if your participation in this thread is because you are concerned about what I think about you, that is a monumental waste of time.
Big difference. “Colored” when applied to humans refers to, ahem, colored. It never referred to anyone else. “Thug”, on the other hand, always referred to someone who is prone to violence. Not to someone of any particular race.
Can you find an example of a word that has nothing to do with race that becomes unacceptable to use because someone used it in a racial manner? Is it unacceptable to use the word “lazy” to describe a lazy black co-worker because some people sometimes use it in a racially-charged manner?
What is your evidence that “thug” has undergone this progression from neutral to racist in the minds of the general public? Until you present that, your example doesn’t do anything.
Regards,
Shodan
There are certain words for which it’s wise to be careful using around different groups. “Articulate” is one for black people. “Lazy” might be too. “Greedy” is one for Jews. There are many others.
It’s wise to be very careful with words like these because of the history in which they’ve been used in racist ways. No, it’s not always racist to call a black person “lazy”. But if you want to make sure people around you don’t think you just said something racist, then you might want to think about using different terms.
If you let racists dictate your choice of words, they win. I don’t usually discuss people’s greed (or generosity for that matter) but if I was, whether the person I was talking about is Jewish or not would not in any way influence my choice of words. That’s just silliness. And I don’t think I ever called anyone “articulate” (it is a bit of a back-handed compliment anyway) but if I ever had to, again, the race of the person would not enter into the equation. YMMV.
I would have absolutely no problem, though, even as a Jew, if someone described Bernard Madoff, for example, as “greedy”. If the shoe fits…
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Don’t expect that others will not form opinions of you based on what you say. Especially when you chose to call someone a racist for using the word “thug”.
Your intended victim, along with many others, will then form opinions of you based on what you say.
OR
Someone could simply educate the original user of the word “thug” as to why the word doesn’t apply in a particular instance.
In summation, the word “thug” is not a racial slur, and the word “thug” is in no way equal to the N-word.
For most of history, racists dictated everything. I’m choosing what words to use based on the history of these words, which includes centuries of racists-controlled-everything.
“Greedy” can mean different things when applied to different people, and it can mean different things when heard by different people. Same for these other words. I just try to recognize this and adapt.
Your choice, of course.
This Jew agrees. But I’m not black, so I feel much less qualified and comfortable about the use of “thug”, “articulate”, “lazy”, and the like. I legitimately and honestly don’t know how it feels to be black in America, and how those words sound to a black person. So I’m careful. I happily trade away the slight difficulty in finding different words to use to avoid the chance of offending decent people. There are plenty of other words to choose from.
Richard Sherman
Common
Rush Limbaugh referring to Obama repeatedly as a thug
Are you reading the thread?