yea.
go back and read that again.
yea.
this was part of facebook status update that an acquaintance of mine posted. the person thought that this particular statement made by a friend was hilarious. both people in question are of the caucasian persuasion. but that doesn't even matter. this statement, made by aaaanyone, is completely inane and inappropriate. i seriously did a triple take and had to convince myself i wasn't bugging. i even went so far as to try to convince myself that there was nothing wrong with that statement. but there is.
let's examine this a bit and break down exactly what is was wrong with this "joke". i'm going to start off with the stereotype that was used. the person compared never forgetting a camera to a black female never forgetting her weave. *news flash* not all black women wear weaves. and not all who do wear a weave feel they "can't leave home without it". furthermore, many women of other races wear weaves with much greater frequency than black women. 2008 and some people still pigeonhole black women into the shanaynay stereotype.
secondly, the word "nigga" can be an extremely incendiary word regardless of what context it is used in. it has generally come to be accepted as a term of endearment amongst many members of the black community, and to a lesser degree other male minorities, white men, and even members of the lesbian community. but it is not used (well at least not since, like, the civil war) by anyone other than slave owners, racists, and other equally ignorant individuals, as an acceptable term with which to casually describe or categorize a black person. that is absolutely not ok. ever.
thirdly, you are part of the problem. you are why black people cringe when other people use the "n-word". because they now that eventually, you're going to fuck up. you're going to use a word with such a destructive and painful history as a joke. and then all hell is going to break loose. and i know you don't mean to sound racist and i know you think it's ok. but it's not. trust me.
it is a very widely debated question as to whether or not the word nigger in any of its' form is acceptable in any setting or context. i'm not going to attempt to weigh in on that now. i use the word. sometimes in serious conversation, other times in jest. i also try not to use it. overuse of any given word can make an individual seem static and ignorant, and that my friends, is not me. so use the word or don't use it, i'm not one to judge. but at the very least use your brain when you do. or you might end up sounding like a nigger.
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4 comments:
nicely done, couldn't agree more.
shit man, even when i'm alone in my car singing along to the music i censor myself by using the wu-tang "nuh" edit.
So Right !
hypocrit! Do you recall writing this in a previous blog, ""oh look! it's the white man! let's run!"listen well children... "
Of course you can make a comment that stereotypes white people but Lord forbid if it were reversed.
I agree the word "n****" should be terminated from our vocabulary. But maybe we all are quick to stereotype another race.
I know that your friend went too far with his weak weave joke. But at the end theres an assumption made about a group just like you did.
ah my friend, anonymous... you obviously missed the point of that blog. it was a joke. it was an actual story that played out exactly as i wrote it. the final line was purely facetious in nature. and, if i do say so myself, it was funny.
if, in fact, i felt we should run away from white people i'd have been running away from half of my family, friends, and co-workers since birth (yea, in case you missed that...i'm white, half-irish - shamrock on my shoulder, buddy holly loving, chuck taylor wearing, john stockton admiring, called white boy by his friends irish kid...sounds like i'm a stereotype, huh?).
that being said, i didn't stereotype anyone. at least not intentionally, and if i did i apologize. also, don't rush to agree with me about terminating "the n-word" from our vocabulary. i never said i thought that was the case. i actually made it a point to not state my opinion on that. my case wasn't based on the existence of the word, it was based on the context in which it was used. my goal was to educate, not condemn or judge. again, i apologize if i offended anyone.
lastly...what assumption about a race did that "white man" post exhibit? you realize the white man in question was an LED display, right?
well i hoped i helped a little. ttfn :-).
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