I’m asking because of an incident that happened in my WoW guild’s chat tonight. It’s a pretty typical immature white-kid-gamer atmosphere, lots of n-words* being thrown around but everybody in the guild is white. meh… I don’t like it, but I’ve talked about it with guild leadership before. Short of leaving the guild, which I choose not to do for other reasons, I have no recourse. I’m a white female, if it’s relevant.
Guild leadership has been inviting some new people lately, and apparently one of them was black (nobody knew it). One of our mouthier officers–let’s call him Ray–called his friend a n-word, and the new guy said he was upset by the racism and quit the guild. I felt it was a reasonable response. Of course, Ray immediately declares that he’s not racist and the new guy is an oversensitive pussy. I told Ray that using a racial slur in that manner made him categorically indistinguishable from an actual racist. And if it walks like a racist, quacks like a racist, it is a racist. He got loudly offended at being grouped with “fucking racists,” what did I think he was, a member of the KKK? (I’m not exaggerating)
How could a black person, looking on, not take this phrase as a racist construction? Is there a way that a white kid can use the n-word–directed at another white kid–without being racist? Because I really don’t think there is. And that’s what I’d like to debate.
*I am not comfortable typing out or saying the actual word. I’m not trying to set a thread convention, and I’m not being judgmental. I just don’t do it myself.
**I’m also sorry if the racism topic has been overdone.
I’m sure there is a case somewhere where a white person can use the N word without it being racist or taken as such. Very rare but I’m sure it exists.
White teenager using the N word to another white teenager isn’t either news nor inoffens ive to the vast majority of 3rd party people. Cheeerist, why else would an angst to driven teenage gamer use the N word if not to attempt to be cool, shocking, street or some other reason. It’s in a lot of teenage DNA. And why wouldn’t a black person think this is anything from annoying to nasty racism? The n-bomb is a bad word and some immature idiots don’t quite get it can be quite an offensive trigger.
I used the word last Saturday morning when I was giving a presentation at a history conference. Nobody got pissed off at me (there was only one black person in the audience) because I was quoting someone and the manner I used the word was within socially acceptable guidelines for the event. Generally speaking, no, it’s not possible for while people to use the word in the manner rachelellogram describes. That’s really something the guild master should have put a halt to a long time ago. It certainly wouldn’t fly in my guild.
I have been thinking about finding a new guild, but it’s frankly not easy to find a successful guild that outlaws this sort of chatter, in my experience. Skilled gamers tend to be young and egoistic. Also, I would feel like a better person if I got any of my guildmates to examine their speech and perhaps consider making a change. If I leave now I’d feel like a quitter when I might have the power to effect a change.
My mother had always taught me that the N word refers to someone uneducated and rude, not, someone of a dark skin color. “Whites can be n*****s, too.” That’s what she told me.
First, online gaming of any sort is a collection of the worst degenerates in society, well, the worst degenerates in teenaged and young adult society (I say this as a guy who started playing various incarnations of electronic games over 30 years ago.)
What is a racist?
In the world of online gaming there are people that will say nigger, spic, chink, as well as things like faggot and other slurs. Based on my vague knowledge of the population of online gamers I would say that most of them would probably not answer yes to any of the following questions:
-Do you dislike individuals from different races because they are not the same race as you?
-Do you think individuals of different races should have fewer legal rights than you?
-Do you think individuals of different races are inherently inferior to you?
-Do individuals of different races disgust you?
-Do you hate individuals of other races because of their being a different race than you?
What is a racist if they can’t answer yes to even one of those questions? What is someone who can answer no to all those questions but will still use slurs constantly just because he knows they are offensive and he is being deliberately offensive? Definitely an immature asshole, but I don’t know if we can say they are racist, too.
Of course online gaming is a big enough arena that you have some definite racists who would answer yes to some or all of those questions.
You don’t seriously expect someone not to take offense at a statement like that, do you? Of course not. Not only is your statement unnecessarily rude, it doesn’t do anything to add to the conversation.
humanafterall, I am afraid that the word in question does not typically apply to whites. The only time I’ve ever heard a white person referred to as a nigger is when he or she is called a nigger-lover, which is something entirely different.
I’ve grappled with this for a while as a “serious” gamer.
High-end gaming has a thick profanity-laced atmosphere when things aren’t going well. Keyboards are slammed, headsets thrown, egos crushed, and racial expletives are tossed around like nothing. It’s just the culture. I don’t think I’ve ever met a genuine racist gamer, but nearly all of them will on occasion color their language with “nigger,” “gook,” “faggot” etc.
As for myself, I’ve been marinated in the culture from an early age and I can throw a vent-rage so outrageous that even Haley Barbour would denounce me. And honestly, I truly don’t believe I have a racist bone in my body.
There really is no racist intent when these expletives getting thrown around. That’s what’s important to remember. So while to an outsider, it may seem like Ray is a culturally tone-deaf, insensitive, moronic jackass and immature jerk, to Ray I’m sure it’s just frustration leaving the body.
Btw, a female in WoW with no recourse? Sounds like you’re not thinking hard enough ^_~
Speaking as a life-long gamer myself, have you ever considered growing the fuck up? It’s a video game. If you can’t lose at a video game without shrieking racial epithets, there’s something fundamentally wrong with you.
How fitting that you reproach me with such language and condescension. Perhaps, I should add something like that into my repertoire to become a more well-rounded rager.
That sounds about right to me. Using it doesn’t somehow automatically make you a racist and there are situations in which a nonblack person can use the word in the abstract. I can’t think of a situation in which a non-black person can apply the word to someone else without a reasonable expectation that a listener might think it’s racist.