Would it be OK for someone to register “Nigger Boy” or “Kike Queen”? I somehow don’t think so. So I wish to protest the username Venus Hottentot. Hottentot’s a racial slur to my people, and I’d appreciate it if something’s done about it, please.
Before anyone chimes in, I know who it’s a reference to. Doesn’t make it any better, believe me.
I just popped in here to say that it’s true what they say, you learn something new every day. Quite the interesting Wikipedia article, it was.
I thought that username was a strange reference to some kind of tater tot :smack:
The only disparaging sense listed in the OED is this one:
It’s highly unlikely that this almost obsolete sense is referenced here.
Your request has been taken under advisement. Please allow 24 to 48 hours for us to reach a decision.
Thanks.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
Thanks
It’s irrelevant what it’s referencing. Believe me, it’s a very offensive racial slur to me, and others, here. Dictionary definitions are not the be-all and end-all of a word’s meaning. Khoekhoe - Wikipedia
MrDibble: On the other hand, nobody would ever have been aware of the status of that word if you hadn’t explicitly called attention to it. You gave that word a much more impressive standing here than it could ever have attained otherwise. I can only wonder what you must think of the person who picked it.
You’re exaggerating a bit. The slur isn’t that obscure. I was taken aback when I saw the first post by that user.
And twisting it around, back to the OP, is even beneath the perceived/assumed offense of the username in question. I can only wonder what Mr. Dibble thinks of you.
I think they’re a little clueless, but well-meaning. If I read their posts right (urban black, impressed by the Luxor exhibit) I’d say they were a little “Afrocentric”, and chose the name out of good motives. But it still contains an ethnic slur.
One I’ve mentioned on these boards before, Derleth, as being something I don’t care to be exposed to. Just search for it.
You don’t care to be exposed to it? It must be nice to be able to declare that something offends you personally and have its usage restricted or banned. I tried that before, and because it was a matter of faith instead of ethnicity, I was pretty much laughed at and told to go on back out and play. Faith is a “choice”, you see. Apparently, an atheist can squint and grunt real hard until voila!, he trusts in God and relies on Him for salvation.
I found that wiki article very informative and could absolutely understand why it would be offensive. I had never known the root of that word before.
It’s unneccesarily inflamatory, IMO.
Take your issues to the Pit, godbotherer. I was referencing an actual ethnic slur here, not your semantic offenderati games .I don’t think someone who uses "handstabber"as a pejorative has any moral high ground left when it comes to namecalling.
Mods are dicussing. I have to say, I was aware that it was a name used to refer to an African tribe, but I was not aware that it is now an ethnic slur. Language changes and sensitivities change.
Ok, I’ll chime in.
It’s not a word, “hottentot.” It’s two words, Venus Hottentot. As in Hottentot Venus.
If you know who it’s a reference to, you undoubtedly know it’s Saartjie Baartman. The failure to provide any link or reference on your part seems disingenuous to me. Saartjie Baartman was called “the Hottentot Venus” as part of her exploitation and degradation…the username, in context of the new user’s OP, seems to be a tribute to Ms. Baartman and might be intended as a way of taking up her legacy.
It might still be offensive – it does have the offending word in it – but it references a specific attitude about a specific historical person that is indeed highly relevant to what the new user wanted to talk about.
Furthermore, the OP posted by the new user is a very sensitive exploration of some of the more stubborn racial issues. To me, this indicates that the intent was not merely to drop a racial slur into the forums.
Look, I’m as much against racism and as much aware of the power implicit in labels as anyone. Maybe it can’t be permitted, period; I don’t know. I tend to react to it as an educated historical reference, although I’m something of a dweeb for history – anyone who googles “Hottentot Venus” is surely in for an education on racism and exploitation.
But your thread here seems to be taking the term out of context – almost deliberately, if you know who Saartjie Baartman really was – and agitating the situation. I don’t know you, and it’s not a slur I’d take personally, being “white,” so maybe I’m under-reacting…if so, I apologize.
Clearly, it’s ultimately up to the Administration. But I wanted to point out that, to me, this name choice, although it contains a slur, implies something more thoughtful than just yelling a slur into the conversation here at the Dope.
Respectfully,
Sailboat
We’ve had Tio Gringo for quite some time. Is gringo racist?
Edit: The American Heritage Dictionary finds it offensive.
Editing to add, see post #2.
I’m not sure what your point is. Someone could chose the name Nigger Jim and as long as they keep in threads about the book Huckleberry Finn the name might not be offensive taken in context. If you see it in an American Idol thread there will probably be a different reaction. You could argue that the character was not racist and it was a very important literary character that showed the ignorance of racism. I doubt there would be many supporters for keeping that user name alive. Hottentot is a racial slur. It was a racial slur when it was used to reference Ms Baartman. The fact that she was able to live her life with as much dignity as she could while being shown as a sideshow freak does not take away from the fact that the term is racist.
So what is the function of the report post button? I reported that user name as soon as I saw it knowing that it was a racial slur. I thought the mods would be able to head off this trainwreck before it started. Apparently it was ignored and the “discussion” started only after this thread was opened.
Speaking of the Pit, why the personal insults? “Godbotherer” is an urban slang pejorative, and you directed at me personally.
Come on. He made a point and you go insulting him. I grant there may be reasons to get irritated with Liberal - I have stayed out of those fights - but you expect respect and yet you won’t give it.
Makes me wanna shout Hottentot at the top of my lungs, it does. “Humperdinck!”
If I wanted to be disengenous, I wouldn’t have mentioned that I knew who was referenced, in post #2, would I? Plus there is a link to that wikipedia article from the Khoikhoi Wiki article I linked to.
I acknowledged that VH probably has the best of motives, see my earlier post. So what? I don’t think the user’s motives have anything to do with the offensiveness, actually. I doubt s/he knows it’s a slur. I leave it up to the Administaration to tell her, if they choose.
It was a “slave name”, there’s nothing to celebrate about what was done to her.
You have no idea how we celebrated when her remains were finally returned and interred in a place of honour. Just because that was a name the British and Parisienne press used, doesn’t make it any less offensive.
Plus I don’t see what my ethnic identity has to do with VH’s American ghetto discussion. Better to call her/himself Park’s Rose or something, neh?
At no point have I said anything negative about VH’s intent, quite the opposite. Again, so what?
If the username was Saartjie Baartman, I’d be all for it. As it is, it contains an ethnic slur, and I don’t think it’s something that’s OK, even if it is educational.
I’m part-Khoi, and I take it very seriously. If you think my OP’s disingenous, take it to the Pit. As it is, I don’t think I’m taking it out of context - it’s a username, and a turned-about one at that (It’s Venus Hottentot, not Hottentot Venus), not an educational article or a Staff Report.
And I never said otherwise. I pointed out that it did, in fact, contain an ethnic slur, one that I find as offensive as the word “Nigger” or “Kike”, and that I’d prefer it not be allowed. I have not Pitted the new user at all, or ranted against anyone (except Liberal, but then he asked for it). I’m quite prepared to stand by the Admin’s decision (but if they disagree, I might consider changing my name to Chinko McPaddy NiggerJewLover to see how far this tolerance goes)
I don’t find all the accusations of disingenuity very respectful at all, actually.