You're white, you can't say that...(NSFW)

[Mytical]

First off I will say I am not white. I look white, I act white, but I have more Native American in me then European. Which is totally beside the point because to the average person I AM a white person. I'm not offended by that, nor am I offended when those who know me call me a redskin. Anyhow, that is getting off topic.

Warning : There will be questionable language in this post, so if you are offended by such..now is a good time to stop reading. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Here is my beef. Anybody can say pretty much anything they want about whites. Which I am ok with. If a white person says certain things, however, people break out the torches and pitchforks. Which I am not ok with. If a black guy can make jokes about a white guy, then it is fair game for the reverse to be true. If you are a black guy and walk around saying to other blacks "What up my nigga" and some white guy uses the word 'nigga' you have no right to be defended. You lost that right when you used the word.

Carlos Mencia* once said "I say the things that white people can't!" and he had a point. White people seem to be demonized whenever they make comments about other races, yet other races can say whatever they want about a white person and nobody says a thing. It's wrong.

[BlaqueKatt]

If you are a black guy and walk around saying to other blacks "What up my nigga" and some white guy uses the word 'nigga' you have no right to be defended. You lost that right when you used the word.

reclaiming words-we've had this debate before...

A reclaimed or reappropriated word, is a word that was at one time a pejorative but has been brought back into acceptable usage—usually starting within the communities that experienced oppression under that word, but sometimes also among the general populace as well.

Reclaimed words differ from general reclamation outside of language because of their deliberately provocative nature. In addition to neutral or acceptable connotations, reclaimed words often acquire positive meaning within the circles of the informed. Outside the community, such transitions are rare. As such, the use of these terms by outside parties is usually viewed as strongly derogatory

This expresses it well

[DGoddess]

I have asked myself that same question over the years, especially back in HS.

Why in High School? Because of the simple fact that due to my geographic location inside the then City School district, they decided I was to attend a historically black high school.

And it was mostly black when I went there in the 80's - as in approximately 95% of the students there were black. So I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.

If you are a black guy and walk around saying to other blacks "What up my nigga" and some white guy uses the word 'nigga' you have no right to be defended. You lost that right when you used the word.

Exactly. I always found that to be a hideous double standard. If that word, for example, is SOOOO bad, then NOBODY should be using it - ever. But as it is, people do and of course it creates an uprorar. . .

I've even heard coworkers use that word on occasion. I almost fainted the other week when one coworker, who is as white as I am, used that word to describe some of her neighbors.

Even funnier: she's not only white, but married to a black man. But then she has a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time on occasion as well.

All that aside, I can't seem to get past the fact that this word in particular leads to such a double standard.

And we can also thank all those rappers and actors who use the word like it's water in their films, songs, etc. If Quentin Tarrantino used the "nigger" word over a hundred times in "Django Unchained," that's his perogative. I see nothing wrong with it - in fact, that's in keeping with historical accuracy (as this was how people talked back then.)

Is that a reason to be offended by it? Nope. Get over it, it's a word.
Nonetheless, I do have to censor myself when out in public and be careful not to say anything that could start a race riot - especially here in the South. Frankly, it's STIFILING.

[Lachrymose]

Can't remember whether this was posted here or not, but I think this explains it well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MnmmDiQSdA

[siead_lietrathua]

hubs is funny. his opinion on it is that the words are not really socially acceptable, and shouldn't be used unless you mean them. however if someone pulls a race card on him, that means all bets are off. if you insist that he is being racist when he isn't.. well.. since they're calling him a racist anyway he's gonna act like one just to piss them off more.


hwever, jokes are jokes in our home. if you don't actually belive the stupid shit you're saying, say it all you want. we make women in kitchen jokes all the time. the one time our friend was legit being sexist he got kicked out for the night.

[wolfie]

First off I will say I am not white. I look white, I act white, but I have more Native American in me then European.

Some people would call you an "apple" (red on the outside, white on the inside) because of that. Similar terms for other ethnic groups are "banana" and "oreo".

Here is my beef. Anybody can say pretty much anything they want about whites. Which I am ok with. If a white person says certain things, however, people break out the torches and pitchforks. Which I am not ok with. If a black guy can make jokes about a white guy, then it is fair game for the reverse to be true. If you are a black guy and walk around saying to other blacks "What up my nigga" and some white guy uses the word 'nigga' you have no right to be defended.

I'm sort of split on that. If black people tell jokes about black people, that doesn't necessarily make it OK for whites to tell jokes about black people. If blacks tell jokes about white people, then they shouldn't object to whites telling jokes about black people - it's generally OK to make jokes about your OWN ethnic group, but if you feel it's OK to make jokes about OTHER ethnic groups, don't bitch about other people making jokes about YOUR ethnic group.

One CHiPS episode dealt with that - the guys were out at a comedy club, and everyone was laughing at the comedian's jokes about black people. One of the guys (the little one who works in the office) later told the same jokes at an amateur night, and was lucky he didn't get lynched. Why? The comedian telling jokes about black people was black, and his audience was white (i.e. telling jokes about his own ethnic group). The guy at amateur night was white, and the audience was mostly black.

[Andara Bledin]

I've always wanted to take one of those black comedies you find on the WB and plagiarize it directly, but reverse the races.

Then, when the screaming mob shows up on my doorstep, point out what I did and show them all what a raging pack of hypocrites they are.

^-.-^

[HYHYBT]

It seems to come down to "it shouldn't matter, but it very definitely *does* so behave accordingly unless you're among people you know won't mind."

[Nyoibo]

I've always wanted to take one of those black comedies you find on the WB and plagiarize it directly, but reverse the races.

Then, when the screaming mob shows up on my doorstep, point out what I did and show them all what a raging pack of hypocrites they are.

^-.-^

Slightly off topic, but a guy did that at a hearing on same sex marriage, he used all the arguements against mixed race marriages and just changed references to race to sexuality.

[MadMike]

hwever, jokes are jokes in our home. if you don't actually belive the stupid shit you're saying, say it all you want. we make women in kitchen jokes all the time.

That's my take on it as well. I'll take it a step further and say that if you don't really believe the racist bullshit in the jokes you're telling, then you're really making fun of the racists and their stupid stereotypes. As long as you don't do it around someone who might take offense, then I don't see a problem.

A little side note, I remember when I was a teenager, I was at McDonald's, and this white guy and this black girl, who were both working there, were playfully busting on each other. I think the guy seriously crossed the line, for the simple fact that there were customers around. He said something like, "You're just mad because my grandfather owned your grandfather!" The girl seemed to think it was funny, and I'll admit I kind of got a chuckle out of it too, and if it wasn't for the fact that a customer could have heard them, I wouldn't have seen a problem with it.

[Mytical]

Some people would call you an "apple" (red on the outside, white on the inside) because of that. Similar terms for other ethnic groups are "banana" and "oreo".

Never heard that one before. but I am white (except for slightly slanted eyes) on the outside..and the red would be on the inside (ie I look and act white but my blood is mostly Native) so what is white on the outside and red on the inside?

[violiav]

A red velvet cake ball?

[Mytical]

A red velvet cake ball?

That....sounds delicious!

[TheHuckster]

A little side note, I remember when I was a teenager, I was at McDonald's, and this white guy and this black girl, who were both working there, were playfully busting on each other. I think the guy seriously crossed the line, for the simple fact that there were customers around. He said something like, "You're just mad because my grandfather owned your grandfather!" The girl seemed to think it was funny, and I'll admit I kind of got a chuckle out of it too, and if it wasn't for the fact that a customer could have heard them, I wouldn't have seen a problem with it.

Oooooh, ouch. Yeah, there are things that you can joke about with close friends because they know you well and can josh you around in jovial retaliation, but damn that's something I would never even think of saying in public in front of strangers, especially if you're working and representing your employer.

[wolfie]

Never heard that one before. but I am white (except for slightly slanted eyes) on the outside..and the red would be on the inside (ie I look and act white but my blood is mostly Native) so what is white on the outside and red on the inside?

Karl Marx?