you know what i can't stand?

I grew up in a neighborhood where i was a minority(im white) but have since moved to a suburban white dominant area. Ive seen both sides of the issue. I have lots of really good friends who are african america, and whenever I am with them, we like to joke around and say stuff to each other cus thats just how we are. I would never say anything in front of someone who i dont know, or just randomly in a public place, but with my friends we say it, and weve had countless conversations while smoking about it. The main thing is that its disrespectful because of the historical meaning, and what the word represents, but if you fear a word, your letting it have power over you, thus making it a "bad" word. Im not saying to go around saying it like its the coolest word, but even cracker is a racist term, even if you dont think its as historical as that other six letter word starting with the letter N.

I remember a time when i was playing football for my highschool, against a prodominantly black team, and during the snap the other team kept calling us crackers, words were exchanged, and truthfully i didnt feel bad about what was said, even though i would never stoop as low as some of my teamates did. You have to remember its a two way street, and no one likes to be disrespected.

 

Who are you to tell a white person what to say?

I think the whole world needs to get over stupid shit like this. It's a fucking word, 6 letters in a row. The only value it holds is what people give it. If someone is saying hateful things about someone, the sounds they use isn't important, it's the idea. I mean someone could make up a bunch of new hate-words and it'd be the same thing, except with a different word.

So if some people say "What's up *****?" regardless of their color, I'll be lucky to notice they even said it. Actually a friend of mine says it to me all the time (we're both white) and I don't think anything of it. But if he said it like "Those fucking ******s!" or some shit, then it'd be like "Whoh dude", you get me? I'm high so this is all kinda not coming out the way I want it to, so I hope my idea is getting through. It's the *meaning* of the person who's saying it, not their skin color.

//edit

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't understand how some people can have a double-standard on this word based entirely on the speaker's skin color. Either it's offensive, or it's not, because it's a word.

 

Well said.

Rep +

 

I agree, that is pretty much my opinion on the subject, I dont say it very often but it comes out sometimes.

I dont see how skin color can determine what we can and cannot say..

 

i know what you mean man. my friend has the same problem he uses the N word allllll the fucking time and he's a rich jewish fat kid. he calls his cats the N word. i can't wait till we go to the mall and he fucks up and some black guy is like "what the hell you just call me bitch?"

 

This is going to sound racist, but just know that I am not racist...

Black people get ready to fight and kill over a word... They seperate races SO MUCH, and that's what drives me nuts. Everyone should totally chill and smoke a bowl on the whole race thing.

I know a few black people that would have nothing to talk/think about if they were white. It's all, "What because I'm black?" "Kiss my black ass" "You're so white" "They hate black people" YOU'RE MORE RACIST THAN MOST PEOPLE!

If black people took less offense to it there would probably be less racists out there. I think a lot of the racists are just trying to cause trouble.

All my opinion, I'm sure many will disagree.

 

I know what you mean. I'm also not racist in anyway considering the first people I've ever smoked I was the only white one, and it was like that for awhile.

But it's not like they aren't known to be racist, in fact most of them I would consider more racist than any white people I know.

 

This is sorta on topic, but has anyone ever thought about how wierd the history of the word ****** is?

First, it was used openly by whites as a derogatory word for blacks.
Then after blacks started using it, it lost it's power.
Finally, it's used openly by black youths and only used by a few whites.

Kinda like how the homosexual community is dis-arming the words "queer" and "fag". They start using them, then they lose their power. Eventually I wonder if gay people will openly call other gay people 'fags' while everyone else becomes afraid to say it. South Park made fun of the (apparent) fact that gay people on TV are allowed to say 'fag' but non-gays get censored. I don't know if this was a parody or not, I'm sure censorship rules vary by channel.

Heh, I'm going to start calling my white friends honkies.

 

me,being a black man, i hate when someone of the other race says that word... it makes me cringe... but it doesnt mean i would go up to that person and whoop their ass. i just hate when people say the word (online mostly) and people start cracking up, or when someone describes a person as "that black man" when black has no relevance to the situation.

 

But, haven't you ever called some white dude white boy, cracker, anything related to being white? I know if I was black, I would.

 

I don't care for the word, either. Being a (nearly) 40 yr old woman in a small predominatly white town, almost everytime I've heard it, I took it as a deroggatory remark. Lately, I've noticed it being used more (mostly young people) in an offhand manor and thought to myself, 'Kid, if you were in the middle of Chicago talkin' like that, you'd probly be eatin' that word'. Then my mom married a man of color. Very risque for this little town. It really showed me who people are - including my father. I never realized how racist he was until this happened. I never thought I would be telling my own father to watch his tounge in front of the boys. Then my mom - well, she's somethin' else. You know the tale that concerns a black mans' "package". She had to assure me that it wasn't so. I had to remind her he IS pushing 70 - I figured ALL men of ALL colors had a certain amount of shrinkage due to age. Gosh mom!
Sorry - I got a little off subject there.....I guess I've learned to take what people say with a grain of salt. Actions mean more to me than words.

 

[quote name='popsson']me,being a black man, i hate when someone of the other race says that word... it makes me cringe... but it doesnt mean i would go up to that person and whoop their ass. i just hate when people say the word (online mostly) and people start cracking up, or when someone describes a person as "that black man" when black has no relevance to the situation.[/quote]

This whole issue kinda drives me crazy. It's gotten to the point where people are even afraid to say "that black guy," even when the situation warrants it. If you're trying to point out someone, you'd say "that fat guy" or "that guy with the green shirt"...but black is no longer a PC descriptor. Really it does all boil down to whether it's relevant to the situation.

I can totally understand being upset over a word, though. Lemme tell you, growing up as the fat kid, you really feel a seething hate for that word. FAT. Believe it or not, fat people are oppressed too...just for being that way. And while there is the argument that some people "do it to themselves"...for many people it is out of their hands. Still, you get taunted on the street.."hey fatty," "oh look at that fat chick," etc....and it's perfectly acceptable.

There are plenty of people in this world who get harassed simply for being who they are. Until we hold all the discriminating parties responsible, I can't feel sympathy for one group over another.

 

Apologize for not reading the other responses, while this may have been said heres my view:

The longer you see a word as taboo, the worse the word becomes.

 

no.. i just say.. "i saw a guy at the store."

 

dude my best friend is black and he calls me ***** and i call him and also ALL of my other black friends..i have so many.. but fo real..i do.

 

yeah, words can be very hurtful, but I think any person of any race should be allowed to say whatever the fuck they want so long as the understanding is there that you are using the word in a positive way...