I would like some opinions on this. I started this thread because of a thread I saw in the pit debating over a picture of a Japanese person with a blacked-out face and an afro wig.
The person was obviously supporting Senegal, and therefore probably not being racist. If he was not being racist, should the people he was imitating be offended? He was supporting their team.
As another example, I know that some black people call their mates “my nigger”. They cannot be racist when they are doing this, they say it to people of their own race.
On a different tangent, if my friend called me a “hot sexy biatch” as a joke, I would not be offended, where I might be if someone drunkenly leered it to me at a club. (Hypothetically speaking here of course, would never happen! )
Hmmm, I think what I am getting at is: some words, for example “nigger” are routinely thought of as racist words. Would I be a racist if I (and I have a primarily “white” heritage) called someone a “nigger”, but not in a derogatory way?
Or has the word (or like words) such a background that any person saying it outside of their race is immediately being offensive because of the past use of the word?
Yes. I happened upon a talk show on BET (Black Entertainment Network) and the concensus was that Black people may call each other “N_____”, but white people are not allowed.
(Actually, you may not “be a racist”, but your use of the word would be considered so.)
First, I think “racist” and “offensive” need to be viewed as separate terms.
Personally, I don’t feel something can be “racist” unless you know the person you’re saying it to considers it (or could reasonably be assumed to consider it) offensive. If you are sincerely unaware of the offensive content of your words or actions, then it wouldn’t be racist, although it could still be offensive. The guy in the soccer photo is, I believe, sincere in his desire to show support for Senegal, so I would call him or his actions racist. I’m not even sure they fall under the category of offensive, either, but I can see how they could.
First of all, I agree with Sublight’s post about viewing “racist” and “offensive” as separate terms.
My answer to the OP? It depends…
Analogy: Your friend packs on a few, and you ask her when she’s due. Now, you genuinely thought that she was pregnant, so your
statement was not meant to be offensive. Was it? Well, sure, to her. Looking at it from two different sides, to you, it was an innocent mistake. To her, you’re an asshole.
Two sides to communication, two different perceptions, bound to happen all the time…
You can make an honest mistake, offend someone racially, and not be a racist. However, I don’t think that calling someone a “nigger”, even if you mean it playfully, applies. Language with negative associations cannot be personally reinterpretted and used by an individual (outside of certain groups where it may be permissable) to mean something different.
For instance, you can say I have a fat ass. Heck, you may LOVE
a big whoppin ass, and mean no disrespect at all. It may be a compliment coming from you. However, knowing that 99% of women in Western culture would be offended by this, you cannot say this and expect for it to not be taken offensively, just because you decided that you didn’t mean it that way.
One of the best ways of whiping out sensitivity to “Offensive” terminology is to use the word in apprpriate but non-offensive ways. In this way you steal the power of the word.
Ex: “I love my pussy” I’m female and I own 3 cats, and am Bisexual.
How did you understand it? Are you offended? If you are angered, the word has power over you and that power is Negitive. If you are giggling, you have the power and that power is Positive.
To most folks, the word “Nigger” is offensive. I’m a white girl who has called black friends by that tile and they smile and take it for the street compliment it was ment as. In that context it was ment to imply the were dependable, funny companions. The power of the word was changed my changing the context it was used in.
I’m thinking that dressed silly, if racialy, is one fans way of supporting the team that is a decidedly Positive action. To view it otherwise destroys the intent.
May we as a culture, grow out of being offended by mere words.
TelcontarStorm, I see your point, but I have to respectfully disagree with portions of your post.
The “I love my pussy” analogy is not really parallel, because you are referring to yourself, not to another person. In addition, “pussy” is simply considered naughty or sexually shocking or innapropriate by some people. I would not consider it on the same level as “nigger” at all. Furthermore, “pussy” begun and is still correctly an innocent word which has taken on explicit connotations, whereas I don’t believe “nigger” shares neutral origins.
Now, in terms of you being white and referring to your black friends as “niggers”, and them not being offended, that’s great, and is probably testament to how close you are.
However, I don’t think it’s the place of the speaker to decide when or if the hearer should be offended, or whether they choose to have “power” over the word.
I agree that black people have effectively diffused much of the hatefulness and offensiveness of the word by adopting as their own, taking power over the word instead of allowing it to have negative power, but I have still heard it used, once in a blue moon, in a purely derogatory, hateful way, so I’d rather just not use it altogether. Since I am not part of the group the word is/was originally targeted to offend, I don’t feel it’s my place to begin using it in a jocular sense.
Believe you me, though, on some level I agree with the idea that a word is just a combination of letters, with meanings attributed that aren’t necessarily there…I tried to convince my Mom of the same thing regarding “jackass” when I was 8, getting my mouth washed out with soap (this was before liquid soap, and lemme tell ya, a bar of soap can REALLY get CAKED in your molars!),
but I learned way back then that it’s a lot more complicated than that!
People (mind you, stupid people) have been offended by the word ‘niggard’ (as in ‘cheap’ or ‘miserly’) just because it SOUNDS like ‘nigger’, and have decided on there own that the first is derived from the second. So it takes VERY LITTLE to be accused of racism, nowadays.
The simple answer is this: if you use a word or phrase, and it offends someone, apologize and resolve not to use that phrase again in their presence.
Do NOT try making excuses like “Well, I’ve heard OTHER people” say that, and you didn’t get offended, so it must be okay for me to say it." Context matters. Personal familiarity matters, too.
When a group of Jewish friends gets together, they may very well tell jokes about their religion or customs. That doesn’t give Christian Astorian the right to tell such jokes around them.
A black man may call one of his homeboys the N-word in an affectionate manner. That doesn’t mean white Astorian has a carte blanche to say it.
A teenage boy may greet his best friend with an obscene insult, and his buddy will laugh. That doesn’t give ME, a stranger, the right to call either kid that same name.
A gay man may join Queer Nation, but that doesn’t mean he’s inviting rednecks to call him a &*@!# queer.
MOST of us know the people we can safely tease or insult. The safest rule is this: if you’re not sure whether it’s appropriate to use a word around someone, DON’T use it.
it’s potluck that the other person will understand that you are not being offensive, so therefore only use such language around people you are really comfortable with.
And:
Any word can be offensive if the person to whom it was said believes it to be, but there are words where more people would be offended.
…
I can see TelcontarStorm’s point. It is up to the individual whether they are offended by something said to them or not.
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