Dr Laura's N word rant

[Rageaholic]

I agree with the Dr. that there seems to be a double-standard as to who can use the word, but here are my issues with this case:

1. The first complaint of the caller had nothing to do with the word. It was that her husband's friends kept making stereotyping comments regarding her race and interests. I wouldn't find this racist as there's not really discrimination, but it is ignorant and rather irritating to have people implicitly assume they know what someone does or thinks because of their incidental qualities.

2. The caller barely got to mention the word before the Dr. started her rant which pretty much ended the caller's discussion of what had actually happened. We never found out if anyone called her a nigger, or if they used it in telling black jokes, or anti-black discussion, or discussion about the word itself in which they used the word. Acceptable use of it and any word is a contextual thing, but in this case we never got any context.

That's what I found insulting about her tirade. She has a caller call in asking for help in dealing with family members, but Dr turns it into a tirade against "black think". I actually get the point she was trying to make (about double standards), but the time and place was inappropriate. Then again, she's no different than the many other judgmental talk show personalities.

I heard about this a while ago, and I just kind of brushed it off. Now that I've listened to it, I'm actually a little surprised that there has been such an outcry over this. She really didn't do anything that she doesn't typically do when people call her show---that is, blow up a bunch of smokescreens; accuse the caller of being petty, irrational, stupid, etc.; going out of her way to offend and humiliate the caller, etc.

Granted, she did use the n word, but from what I heard, she was using it to describe what she heard black comedians say (and that was a smokescreen, since it had nothing to do with the caller's situation, but I digress).

I don't think it was the N word so much as it was about her stance on "marrying outside your race". I do think people tend to overreact to things these people say, but it doesn't make it right.

Anyway, Dr Laura sounds like a real bitch. I don't like anyone who gets their jollies off of humiliating people like that, hiding behind the "brutally honest" persona. It's not much of a loss that she quit imo.

[Ginger Tea]

I've been called cracker before; I never really got why it was insulting, to be honest, so the insult lost fire. XD

I hadn't heard that term as an offencive word to a white man untill 2-3 years ago a polish guy who lived in chicago for about 10 years told me about it one time at work.

to me cracker, outside of christmas novelties, software terminoligy and that Robbie Coletrain TV show, would be thus
"you crack me up" you make me laugh
"I'm cracking up" I'm having some form of a nervous breakdown
or similar variations, not a word that stemmed from the slaver's whip.

[Plaidman]

I don't think it was the N word so much as it was about her stance on "marrying outside your race". I do think people tend to overreact to things these people say, but it doesn't make it right.

Again context.

She stated if you cannot handle interracial relations, which includes racial insults, then don't marry outside your race. She at no point stated that no-one should marry outsid their race.

[Jack]

Definitely a term of endearment "of sorts". As often as you can hear "my nigga" you can hear about how "this nigga walked up" and did something that made the speaker dislike the person.

Also, I take Carlin's viewpoint: "Bad Words. That's what they told us they were, remember? "That's a bad word!" No bad words. Bad thoughts, bad intentions . . ."

It does occur to me that if I'm called a cracker I wouldn't really care no matter what the person meant by it, but if I called a black person a nigger, even if I meant it "endearingly" (so it goes) and they knew it, they may still get pissed off at me. There are no bad intentions or thoughts, you may think, but remember that we as a society have built this association between the sound and the thought, and people can have bad reactions to the sounds even if they consciously know there's no bad thought.

[KnitShoni]

She stated if you cannot handle interracial relations, which includes racial insults, then don't marry outside your race. She at no point stated that no-one should marry outsid their race.

I think that was the issue with her stance. She's acting like anyone who gets into an interracial relationship should just accept racial insults as part of the package. Why should that be treated any differently than any other type of insult directed at someone's wife/husband? People aren't expected to allow others to insult their spouses, but if it's a racial insult, they should just step back and say, "Hey, that's what you get for marrying me instead of someone your race"?

[crashhelmet]

This reminds of of this scene from the Poolhall Junkies.

I agree with the George Carlin quote though. They're not bad words. They're bad people and bad intentions. The n word may carry a lot of history, just like the S word does for hispanics like myself. But I could take and use any word I wanted to insult someone and have them know I'm insulting them simply how I'm using it.

CH

[HYHYBT]

I just couldn't get over her claim that, basically, freedom of speech means that people can't complain about what she says.

[KnitShoni]

I just couldn't get over her claim that, basically, freedom of speech means that people can't complain about what she says.

People sometimes forget that freedom of speech only means you have the right to say what you want and the government can't punish you (to a certain extent). Nowhere does it say you're protected from people telling you that saying it was not a good idea.

[Jack]

Here's one I was looking for earlier and just found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZCS5I80X-8