Patapwn
Member
Deal. *Snaps fingers*
Any white person want to be a guinea pig in my test of magic?
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White news anchor uses n-word, gets fired, black anchors does same is spared, sues
- Thread starter TacticalFox88
- Start date
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Deal. *Snaps fingers*
Any white person want to be a guinea pig in my test of magic?
I say this with all due respect to you: get the fuck outta here with that. Shit is delicious.
Ingueferroque
Banned
Seems like there is something to the story we do not know, so W/E. This is such a tough issue.
Maximus.
Member
This is absolutely true. Makes no fucking sense.
While true, this is a flawed comparison.
We assume the student isn't sincerely calling himself a "fucking dumbass", and we assume the teacher is. Even if the teacher isn't, it isn't appropriate because even as a joking about something leaves a mark and it's hurtful.
Now use your same example and replace "fucking dumbass" with the word in question. Imagine, if you will, all combinations of the student and teacher's colour.
What would that be? It seems pretty clear from the OP.
The only thing that seems remotely unclear is whether his colleague actually used the word too in a conversation with him later, but that appears rather he said-she said.
Zvonimir Boban
Banned
Of course not, nor should it. If there's a news story about gay marriage on the TV and my friend makes some remark about "fags" I'd feel uncomfortable but if a gay friend used that word I wouldn't have the same reaction.
probably because TV has taught me that gay people are all jolly and colourful and its impossible not to have a good time around them
I think the implication is he was asking if white people could finally use the word. At best it's an inappropriate joke, only he then doubled down on it when asked about it later.
The word has a bad history. But if you're going to have an intelligent discussion on the word nigga and how it is used today, you simply can't ignore the context of HOW it is used today, WHO is using it today, and the culture of the community that, by and large, sees themselves as taking the word back and turning it into something positive. You have to address that.
To sit just back and say "well the word has a bad history so fuck it it's stupid and nobody should use it!" without acknowledging the aforementioned context is not only ignorance of the word and the people/culture it references, it's ignorance of how the English language basically works.
So, now that I've established that I can read, would you mind answering the question?
Anton Sugar
Member
Again, to all the "EVERYONE needs to stop saying it" crowd: the history of (re)appropriation of the word "nigger" or "nigga" is complex and can't be boiled down to "it's bad, no one should say it."
It's vaguely similar to the sentiment that race doesn't exist. The sentiment is true, but to just blindly believe that is to ignore the state of our own culture/society, as well as entire communities that have been solidarity via their race and minority status.
"Does this mean we can finally say the word 'nigger'"? doesn't sounds 100% innocuous to me. Bad joke, bad taste, whatever--he wasn't simply asking if employees are clear to use the word in relation to the story.
It's vaguely similar to the sentiment that race doesn't exist. The sentiment is true, but to just blindly believe that is to ignore the state of our own culture/society, as well as entire communities that have been solidarity via their race and minority status.
"Does this mean we can finally say the word 'nigger'"? doesn't sounds 100% innocuous to me. Bad joke, bad taste, whatever--he wasn't simply asking if employees are clear to use the word in relation to the story.
Aquamarine
Member
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
It sounds like a horrific outcome of a really poorly timed joke. Dude probably thought it was edgy/funny before he got canned.
See how you're referring to the word without typing the word? He coulda did the same thing in spoken form. It really isn't that hard to do.
Its not black people's fault that other use it and end up getting themselves into this situations, I cant grasp how people go through life thinking saying that kind of stuff will be uniformly accepted. First time I went to the states I was nine and my dad told me not to use that word, I didnt, and no one punched me in the face nor did I have some urge to say it or get obsessed to the point that I demanded black people to stop using it like a child breaking a toy rather than let other play with it.
This need to take a word from the community just reeks of jealousy of not being able to say, the usual arguments also fall in line with the usual "Post-racial" shit like the one that inspired the anchorman getting fired.
Just because people do "immoral" things doesn't mean it should be encouraged.
The same people who say that television violence is not like the real thing, that it is just escapism, also vouch people to stop being coy. They are allowed to broadcast what they see and what they want to see for the world, these companies and governments don't have to provide for the worst people are into.
Anton Sugar
Member
Why are we comparing America's hypocritical system of censorship with a white dude making a bad joke lamenting not being able to use a word that almost single-handedly represents hundreds of years of institutional racism and slavery?
meet me somewhere
I edited my post a bit...could you change your quote to reflect that? Thanks.
I would still agree with you if that didn't just remind me of a real life scenario where in a private school I went to, we all loved the teachers with charm like that haha.
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If the teacher is to get in trouble here, then I think the student should also. It's quite different.
So yeah I agree that words have different meanings on context. No one is so shocked when black people say the word in question, they are when white people do.
I was playing Destiny and, I guess being British, I sounded white. All 5 people were quoting rap lyrics, and after another thread on gaf I decided to quote others (including the word nigga of course). Two got insanely upset, one left the party, and I was grilled on how I couldn't say it being white. I made sure to say -a and not -er too.
Then they called me a liar when I said, "while it shouldn't matter if you're rational, I'm not" and they checked my profile to confirm.
In the end they ended up saying "well you sounded white - bla bla bla".
So all in all I think it's best to just not bother trying to offend anyone, there are many other words I can use instead I guess.
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The mam in the OP does deserve some sort of disciplinary action here anyway. Though if he really did have it said to him so casually on many occasions and he wanted to join in on the joke, it just makes me sigh at that.
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Without trying to sound insensitive, I think racial slurs will eventually go their way to not be so taboo in the future. The same way blasphemy isn't anymore. Even when that happens I'll still remember all the pointlessness of taking an incredibly offensive word and making it a cool thing to say (if you have a high enough melanin content).
No one say reverse racism though haha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw_mRaIHb-M
So who should use the word nigger?
I don't know. Maybe the group that historically has never been able to use it as a dehumanizing racial slur?
Ugh.
How inclusive is this group? Are mixed raced people allowed in? Is it possible to be too light-skinned due to genetics to be in such group? (I say this because of the history to half-casted children seems to be forgotten, and yet are call not black enough).
It is dehumanizing in definition. Regardless of who says it.
The Faceless Master
Member
yes. yes, it became that hundreds of years ago.
why would it be unacceptable for two white people to compare their dieting stories and then say "God, we're still such niggers eh?", that sounds perfectly acceptable!
i'm guessing that as a news reporter of ~20 years, he has been privy to hundreds, possibly thousands of news reports about that word where the word was not used.
Of All Trades
Member
Except in a professional workplace "it's bad" is the correct stance, full stop. It's inappropriate language for the workplace and contributes to hostile work environments. All the anchor has to do is find one black person in that office who is willing to testify that they find the word racially insensitive but were afraid to complain out of fear of being ostracized and the station is super-fucked.
There's a reason smart workplaces have routine training on what's not appropriate at the office and any large workplace that condones usage of nigga/er as implied by the OP is almost certainly letting other lawsuit-ready behavior go untouched.
It is dehumanizing in one of its several definitions and in certain contexts.
You may not like that, izunadono, but you can't just write that off wholesale because it bothers you.
So it's a word that not only is exclusively for black people, but is a word that they should actively use to the exclusion of others.
That doesn't seem very inclusive and actually seems passive aggressive. But I'm not black so whatever.
I'm confused. I though nigger was the bad word and nigga was okay.
Who said anything about the word being inclusive? When me and my other gay friends call each other "fags" we're definitely not looking to be inclusive with that word, either.
This must be runoff from a discussion you were having with someone else.
The Faceless Master
Member
if this were 50 years ago and someone shouted "there's the nigger that did it!" and your first instinct is to run the fuck away as fast as your legs can carry you because you certainly are not the nigger that did it, then you can probably say it without backlash.
PeskyToaster
Member
I don't know if he should've been fired if I understand the article correctly but probably at least a talking to. I know I would never say the word because of the history behind it and because people have a legitimate reason to be offended by it. It's just one of those words I can't see myself saying.
Yeah. I think my opinion is stuck at the fact that there isn't a consensus on this. Forcing, in my mind, such that the word is a slur.
It's not in the companies interest to just fire everyone who has ever said the word or even fire all of the ones that do, but sadly it isn't illegal to turn a blind eye for one employee and not the other.
It may be because this OP dude is white, but I think he should save his views for stand-up comedy , not to try and make out his use of the word is justified by other idiots.
If inclusion isn't your point, then what is?
Anyone, as long as they are aware of the consequences it may incur on them.
The problem I have noticed, once again, is European-Americans and even African-Americans using the word in in appropriate circumstances or towards people who do not approve of the word. As in every situation, it requires nuance. A white man using the n-word to refer to a group of strangers whom he is afraid of is a different situation to a white boy using the word in a casual manner with friends. A black man using the n-word at work is a different situation to a black boy using it while singing. Context is key as well.
So, to conclude, "So who should use the word nigger?" Anyone. However the reaction may range from a "Hello" to a loss of your social standing and employment.
Can we get a head count of white people here writing "nigger" or "nigga" in their posts which express disapproval of this guy in the story? Particularly given this portion?
Which suggests no context whatsoever where the word can be spoken, given posts saying it despite what I would assume posters allege is "proper context"? Just for laughs. Thanks.
Which suggests no context whatsoever where the word can be spoken, given posts saying it despite what I would assume posters allege is "proper context"? Just for laughs. Thanks.
Why does inclusion have to be my point? I think it's pretty clear that nobody arguing for the use of the word nigga is doing so because it's an "inclusive" term. It's obviously not.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
So my initial interpretation of his usage in the meeting was asking if it could be said in all future news stories covering its use, not a joke, yet that's what a good number of folks here seem to think. I mean the guy did go to the racial sensitivity training and was evaluated there as not exhibiting bias, yet I suppose he could easily have been playing nice for job security, clearly that didn't do him any good. I do think it's bs how much his co anchor went after him if those allegations are true, and the HR meeting is bs too, as he was asked to repeat the incident and what was said. Curious to see how the hearing plays out and what the defense has to show.
The Faceless Master
Member
they'd still be typing it, not saying it.
That's....my point.
Ironically in today's world, with its new meaning, I think anyone of any race would run away.
But hey, I am called white by black people and black by white people and all the same. At least for young British people, neither tend to be racist but "go with the flow" on racist jokes and stereotypes.
I have heard "is it true that" from both sides.
All I take away from this is that I'm not really allowed in either group because I'm too black or too white for each. When to be honest I didn't know there was a group system based on colour in the UK until College. It would be better if everyone decided on what they would be okay with what everyone can and can't say, and change up their vocabulary to match that. I find it hypocrisy that it isn't done this way,
BeatResetsTheWorld
Banned
Not sure what world you're living in
Good for you. I didn't question your point. You questioned mine.
Zvonimir Boban
Banned
It's an in-joke/common ground between him and his gay friends. It's not an invitation for straight people to start blurting out "fags"sound their gay acquaintances.
Just like black people using the n-word amongst themselves or when I say Paki around my Asian friends.
It might be for different reasons from person to person, whether its ironic usage or an attempt to take ownership of the word away from bigots but it's not an open invitation for the whole world to start saying it too.
An interesting interpretation which would change my viewpoint slightly. The company still is under no obligation to renew his contract, but it would make me question who had malicious intent against him.
This is a good point, it makes me think.
If it were a banned word on GAF I probably wouldn't write it anywhere. This is something that I do talking about the word because it seems socially accepted here,
This man was told it wouldn't be socially accepted to say at his work place, and he seemed to try and make an equality point or something and disrespected, hypocritical or not, the code of conduct of his employment.
If I got banned for writing the word alone, and it was just me and not anyone else, that I was the example... at least then I would know it won't be tolerated from that point onwards. If it was, then I guess his lawsuit should go forward.
You'd seriously like to argue that's a relevant distinction given what occurred in the HR meeting? That, applied to this specific part of the situation, if the guy wrote an email describing the incident and admitting he uttered the word "nigger" in that meeting without self censoring the email admitting his actions, there wouldn't be cause for anger on behalf of the HR person.
Huh.
Hypocrisy from posters here is still hypocrisy, even if they ultimately agree with you.
The Faceless Master
Member
well, if it wasn't an attempt at humor, it was an absolutely terrible way to ask a question that a 20 year industry veteran should already know the answer to.
Just to recap to see if we are on the same page -
I asked who should use the word nigger. When I asked this, I was challenging your assertion that nigger has truly been transformed into something positive.
In reply you said that black people should use the word nigger.
I pointed out that this is inherently exclusionary.
You said you don't care.
I said then what's the point, because logically, an argument for exclusion seems to be identical to an argument for racism.
Good night and good luck.
Onion_Relish
Member
"She allegedly encouraged fellow employees to denounce Burlington to management. Evans tried to enlist a white coworker to complain because [t]he only people who have complained so far have been black people, according to a deposition cited by Judge Surrick."
YOU THINK?
YOU THINK?
In fairness, I think you are trying your best to never try to understand that people can believe in racial exclusion without it being a huge problem.
Let's change the example. I saw a facebook post of Filipino friends all making their eyes squint with their fingers. They are doing it for the same reason but the implied context doesn't come across that they think all asian people have squinty eyes, because that wouldn't make sense.
I'll be rational and say what I said in another thread. Equality is important, but some social issues are difficult to break down and you have to think about what the benefit actually is. In relation to the OP this man, if he was serious, could have trying to say that he wanted to be able to say the word.
There is no reason why anyone should want to. If people do, and black people are not treated poorly for saying the word, that doesn't suddenly mean they are taking something so important away from white people being able to say the word too. So why even care at all? Saying it for the sake of equality is robotic and fucking stupid.
History happened to being us where we are today on the use of the word being a slur, oh well.
White people wanting to say the word is the dumbest part of any debate surrounding the word.
I'm talking about the idea that nigga just means dude these days. I mean, it isn't weird to imagine a black person shouting that line, referring to just about any person or any race, and that person understanding the black person means him. Right?
I'm joking about how stupid the example was as a requirement of whether or not you can say the word being based on whether or not you could believe someone is referring to you by it in that scenario.
So basically the post I quoted literally said "if he be called nigga, then he shall utter the word nigga" or something.
The Faceless Master
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