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[Aaronology]

I never said anyone gave me permission to call them anything. I said they gave me permission to use the word. Among my friends it was used a lot like this, "Lui Kang is my nigga! I'll beat all y'all with him."

You've quietly changed the word after I've stressed the distinction while still holding on to your argument about there being some double standard. How honest you are. Here, AVclub, this is what you originally said and what I found pretty unlikely:

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us."

What black person is going to go, "Hey it's ok to say nigger!"? You were apparently oblivious how ridiculous your claim was, this is a good example of why I normally avoid these sort of topics. I hate getting drawn into a semantic discussion with someone who is clearly confused about the distinction between -ga and -ger. Try calling Lui Kang your nigger next time you're around all of your many black friends and watch their reaction, AV.

 

[bill0527]

I don't even think context can be an excuse to use the word.

Its just awkward period if you're a white guy. Doesn't matter how or why or when you say it.

I said it once around black people, all friends of mine, and it slipped out. They called me nigga all the time. Somebody asked where Damon was at and I said, "I think that nigga downstairs paying for the pizza". Holeeee shit. Everyone just stopped and looked at me. One of those times where you're....oh damn I done fucked up here. There were no laughs, no smiles, and thankfully no ass beatings, just awkward silence.

So really white people....nigga, nigger, N-word, or N-----, just stay the fuck away from it. Its not that hard. Forget the double standard. Thats just life. Life isn't fair 100% of the time. Just don't fucking say the word or any variation. It isn't THAT hard.

 

[Count Dookkake]

There is no context where it would be okay for you to call a black person a nigger or nigga if you aren't black.

Term of endearment or not, you shouldn't be calling black people that at all.

I don't need the lecture.

This is an irrelevant diversion from our original interaction.

However, if it makes you feel any better, I can assure you that I don't use (or think) the mean or friendly version of the word in any other context. I also express displeasure when whites use them.

So, please, save yourself the concern and effort.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

He's got a fever and the only thing that will solve it is more niggers. Can I just ask why so many people want to be able to say the word without any consequence?

I'd say because replacing the actual word with "the word", "the n-word" or "n-----" is kinda stupid and trivializing, 'cause everyone knows what you actually want to say anyway. As a non American I completely get why "Nigger" as a word is offensive and shouldn't be used in any conversation at all, but I always had to raise an eyebrow if newslines read "He said the N-word" instead of actually using it. I don't know, it sometimes just is even more offending than just using the word.

Well at least that would be a non-stupid reason for me as someone watching from the sidelines, so to say.

So really white people....nigga, nigger, N-word, or N-----, just stay the fuck away from it. Its not that hard. Forget the double standard. Thats just life. Life isn't fair 100% of the time. Just don't fucking say the word or any variation. It isn't THAT hard.

I'll say yes to this though, when it comes to general conversation.

 

[daffy]

context!!! to use within context.

You can't just Paula Dean the word to talk down black people, that's racism.

But if you George Carlin the word into context, than that works.

Ok so if by chance someone does get offended.. can I just say george carlin did it and pull up youtube or no

I may not make it to a computer before they start pummeling my shit

 

[Ataraxia]

So what I've learned from this thread is that Tim Allen can't say the word because he sucks and is old news but Louis CK can because, well, he's just so darn funny and understands context.

Is that where we're going? If you're white and want to use the word just 1) be funny/popular and 2) understand context. I hate the word and especially don't think whites should be using it but if we're going to start approving the "cool" whites and handing them permissions slips we're not solving anything.

 

[CrazyDogg77]

I'd say because replacing the actual word with "the word", "the n-word" or "n-----" is kinda stupid and trivializing, 'cause everyone knows what you actually want to say anyway. As a non American I completely get why "Nigger" as a word is offensive and shouldn't be used in any conversation at all, but I always had to raise an eyebrow if newslines read "He said the N-word" instead of actually using it. I don't know, it sometimes just is even more offending than just using the word.

Well at least that would be a non-stupid reason for me as someone watching from the sidelines, so to say.

Oh I understand that within the news I mean people who just wanna be able to drop nigga or nigger in casual conversation and just have people accept that.

 

[inm8num2]

So what I've learned from this thread is that Tim Allen can't say the word because he sucks and is old news but Louis CK can because, well, he's just so darn funny and understands context.

Is that where we're going? If you're white and want to use the word just 1) be funny/popular and 2) understand context.

Mostly the first one. You can get away with a hell of a lot more if people like you and think anything that comes out of your mouth is funny.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Oh I understand that within the news I mean people who just wanna be able to drop nigga or nigger in casual conversation and just have people accept that.

Oh that. Yeah that's just stupid.

 

[Darth Sonik]

So what I've learned from this thread is that Tim Allen can't say the word because he sucks and is old news but Louis CK can because, well, he's just so darn funny and understands context.

Is that where we're going? If you're white and want to use the word just 1) be funny/popular and 2) understand context. I hate the word and especially don't think whites should be using it but if we're going to start approving the "cool" whites and handing them permissions slips we're not solving anything.

No, if you have to ask why "you aren't allowed". You fail the test.

If you have a routine that is thoughtful & well worked out. You can carefully cover any subject.

Still not advisable, unless you are part of the 0.1% of comedians who are good enough to do the writing work properly.

 

[not_so_special]

Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay. Black people kill each other every day, but if a Hispanic guy in Florida does it, there's outrage. The US government is constantly doing shady shit to control other countries and even its own citizens through intimidation, violence, or fear. But if someone else does it in this country or another, they are terrorists.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.

hear this man people,speaks the truth

 

[akira28]

hear this man people,speaks the truth

one simple trick, eh?

 

[jordan0386]

Hispanics use it more than blacks. Whites can rent the word for a little too.

/Brofist

 

[DigitalRicket]

didn't know this guy was still around

They did make 3 Toy Story's with him as Buzz. He never went away. You just never saw his face.

 

[Fornaximus]

I agree that it's all about intent. It does irk me how everyone treats it like Voldemort, giving it infinitely more power than it should have. "THE N-WORD! The word that shall not be named!"

 

[Kurdel]

I am sure there a timeline where in the near future "TheaN'word" actually becomes a racial slur and people will need to say something else.

 

[Raw64life]

"You want to take the power away from that word so that no one is offended by it,"

Agree 100%. Simply telling people "Don't say _________ because it's offensive" has stood the test of time as a terrible method of getting people to stop using words you don't want them to use. Hasn't worked for 100s of years and will continue to not work. That people can't seem to come up with any other method baffles to me.

 

[Coins]

To me the N word has morphed from a word to insult blacks in general into a word that describes asshole blacks. Kind of like how redneck describes asshole white people. I never hear it used around myself in a racial way, but I hear some black coworkers use it as an insult against other blacks.

The video of the black guy describing whats going wrong with Justin Bieber nails how I view the use of the N word.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Hispanics use it more than blacks. Whites can rent the word for a little too.

/Brofist

Dominicans probably.

 

[akira28]

I always had to raise an eyebrow if newslines read "He said the N-word" instead of actually using it. I don't know, it sometimes just is even more offending than just using the word.

I don't think 'authenticity' or grammar integrity is a good reason to use the word. Especially if you're just relating information and not trying to broach a deeper subject.

They did make 3 Toy Story's with him as Buzz. He never went away. You just never saw his face.

oh shit, someone needs to make a youtube with Buzz Lightyear and this audio.

 

[mavs]

Agree 100%. Simply telling people "Don't say _________ because it's offensive" has stood the test of time as a terrible method of getting people to stop using words you don't want them to use. Hasn't worked for 100s of years and will continue to not work. That people can't seem to come up with any other method baffles to me.

What the...I'll never understand what people are thinking when they say this.

 

[freenudemacusers]

Hispanics use it more than blacks. Whites can rent the word for a little too.

/Brofist

when do I get bulk discounts?

 

[akira28]

Allen actually does factor in the b-word and the f-word. Will the on duty officer for the defense force please respond?

"the debate rages in pubic, but when it gets to the comedy world, we're not even allowed to say it, and I gotta refer to the Nword, the Fword, the Bword...it gets all the way down the line. It's really intense; we're running backwards."

 

[quickwhips]

Only morons say that word whats up stupid people.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Only morons say that word whats up stupid people.

 

[creationtheory]

It all boils down to the fact that people are categorized. In a perfect world nobody should be categorized and anyone should be able to use the word.

 

[Verano]

Hispanics use it more than blacks. Whites can rent the word for a little too.

/Brofist

It's more 50/50 where I used to live near south central...
anyways, I grew up saying the n word however if I said, "n*gger" then it would be considered offensive. Weird...

 

[TheOohChild]

What does n----- sound like? Is it like "Nnnnnnn" or "nnnuh"?

This reminds of when I was in fourth grade I really wanted to buy Wu Tang Enter the 36 Chambers, but my parents wouldn't let me have CD's with parental advisory labels. So I had to get the edited version at Wal-Mart. The edited version of "Shame On A Nigga" was "Shame On A Nuh". And the chorus would go "Shame on a NUH, who tried to run game on a NUH, WU buck wild with the trigga"

good times

 

[Monocle]

Anyone is free to say nigger and pretend that it's not a fundamentally dehumanizing term with a grotesque history. It just makes you a callous asshole, that's all.

 

[cutmeamango]

Racists really pulled a number with that word.
You'd expect the word to be used into oblivion and meaninglessness, but then they spice it up making it secretive, letters are hidden, blipped, themselves interdit it. It gains even more meaning.

Guns from cold dead hands and niggers from cold dead tongues, can't take'em. What are the chances of them coining up and mastering another word? Close to none!

 

[akira28]

This reminds of when I was in fourth grade I really wanted to buy Wu Tang Enter the 36 Chambers, but my parents wouldn't let me have CD's with parental advisory labels. So I had to get the edited version at Wal-Mart. The edited version of "Shame On A Nigga" was "Shame On A Nuh". And the chorus would go "Shame on a NUH, who tried to run game on a NUH, WU buck wild with the trigga"

good times

I was that kid, only ever heard censored versions of shit because my parents wouldn't let me buy and certainly wouldn't buy for me. Immediately identified me as a Herb when I would recite lyrics.

 

[childplease]

Dominicans probably.

Dominicans are technically black no ?

 

[creationtheory]

Can someone please provide a graph or chart of who can say what and who they can say it to?

 

[LegoArmo]

Eh, I always chuckle when someone says you're not "allowed" to say that. Any person can say any thing they want. There might be consequences to saying something that offends people, is all, and that's pretty much standard for any word or subject people object to talking about.

 

[akira28]

Can someone please provide a graph or chart of who can say what and who they can say it to?

Do we have to include South America? Because it's gonna get long.

 

[Enzom21]

Can someone please provide a graph or chart of who can say what and who they can say it to?

Anyone can say it... only black people can say it free of consequence. The end.

Do you want to be able to say it?

 

[TheKaeptain]

Dominicans are technically black no ?

Thatsthejoke.jpeg

 

[googleplex]

The censorship only gives the word MOAR POWAH

Is that what you think censorship is?

 

[creationtheory]

Do you want to be able to say it?

I already can.

 

[Slayven]

Why do people want to say this word so badly, knowing the history and context behind it? What do you gain?

Exactly. I want to hear a good answer to that first question so badly.

No one ever has a good answer

 

[googleplex]

Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay. Black people kill each other every day, but if a Hispanic guy in Florida does it, there's outrage. The US government is constantly doing shady shit to control other countries and even its own citizens through intimidation, violence, or fear. But if someone else does it in this country or another, they are terrorists.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.

This entire post is white privilege incarnate.

 

[Enzom21]

I already can.

So then why would you need to know who can say it and who can't?

No one ever has a good answer

"Because it's not fair you can say it and I can't, reverse racism!" Which pretty much means... "Why can't I call you a nigger free of consequence?!"

 

[Slayven]

This entire post is white privilege incarnate.

I loved the part where he was the educated white man that schooled the noble savages.

 

[PBalfredo]

Nigger is just a word. Words themselves are empty vessels we fill with meaning. It is that meaning that gives words their power; it is not something inherent in the word itself. If we use a word to convey racist or derogatory meaning, then what is said is racist, regardless if the word used is "nigger" or "finglepop". Likewise a word can be used in a positive fashion to mean friendship or brotherhood, even if word used is "nigga", "nigger" or anything else.

This remains true regardless of the race of the speaker. If a white person says "nigger" with positive meaning, then it is positive. If a black person says "nigger" with racist meaning, then it's racist. If anyone -white, black or purple- uses the word with racist meaning, they should absolutely be called out on it, as that is completely unacceptable.

The word nigger obviously has an ugly history connected to it, which is hard to shake even when not using the word with racist meaning. So you want to reappropriate it, "take it back" if you will. Fantastic. Go for it.

But somewhere along the line we ended up with this weird conditional clause where only black people can use the word in it's reappropriated meaning. White people can't even say it; even when talking about the word with clearly no racist meaning attached, it gets censored to "n-----". Well in this case the word hasn't been reapproprated at all! It's just spun off into two seperate words: nigger and nigga. The word nigger is just as loaded and explosive now as it was it was in 1967.

Many people in this thread have brought up the point of "Double standard or not, white people should just not use the word. It's an ugly word, and why would you want to use it?" Speaking for myself, I don't use the word, I'm just fine not using the word, and I'm not making this post because I want to use the word. BUT, when you tell me I can't use the word, then the word will never lose its potency, never be reappropriated. The word itself becomes profanity, regardless if I'm trying to use it in it's positive reappropriated meaning or not.

 

[Devolution]

Everybody wanna be a nigga but nobody wanna be a nigga.

 

[akira28]

Nigger amnesia.

 

[Slayven]

Nigger is just a word. Words themselves are empty vessels we fill with meaning. It is that meaning that gives words their power; it is not something inherent in the word itself. If we use a word to convey racist or derogatory meaning, then what is said is racist, regardless if the word used is "nigger" or "finglepop". Likewise a word can be used in a positive fashion to mean friendship or brotherhood, even if word used is "nigga", "nigger" or anything else.

This remains true regardless of the race of the speaker. If a white person says "nigger" with positive meaning, then it is positive. If a black person says "nigger" with racist meaning, then it's racist. If anyone -white, black or purple- uses the word with racist meaning, they should absolutely be called out on it, as that is completely unacceptable.

The word nigger obviously has an ugly history connected to it, which is hard to shake even when not using the word with racist meaning. So you want to reappropriate it, "take it back" if you will. Fantastic. Go for it.

But somewhere along the line we ended up with this weird conditional clause where only black people can use the word in it's reappropriated meaning. White people can't even say it; even when talking about the word with clearly no racist meaning attached, it gets censored to "n-----". Well in this case the word hasn't been reapproprated at all! It's just spun off into two seperate words: nigger and nigga. The word nigger is just as loaded and explosive now as it was it was in 1967.

Many people in this thread have brought up the point of "Double standard or not, white people should just not use the word. It's an ugly word, and why would you want to use it?" Speaking for myself, I don't use the word, I'm just fine not using the word, and I'm not making this post because I want to use the word. BUT, when you tell me I can't use the word, then the word will never lose its potency, never be reappropriated. The word itself becomes profanity, regardless if I'm trying to use it in it's positive reappropriated meaning or not.

Triple standard is white people want to use it free of consequence.

 

[PBalfredo]

Triple standard is white people want to use it free of consequence.

Good reading comprehension.

A+

 

[Devolution]

Nigger is just a word. Words themselves are empty vessels we fill with meaning. It is that meaning that gives words their power; it is not something inherent in the word itself. If we use a word to convey racist or derogatory meaning, then what is said is racist, regardless if the word used is "nigger" or "finglepop". Likewise a word can be used in a positive fashion to mean friendship or brotherhood, even if word used is "nigga", "nigger" or anything else.

This remains true regardless of the race of the speaker. If a white person says "nigger" with positive meaning, then it is positive. If a black person says "nigger" with racist meaning, then it's racist. If anyone -white, black or purple- uses the word with racist meaning, they should absolutely be called out on it, as that is completely unacceptable.

The word nigger obviously has an ugly history connected to it, which is hard to shake even when not using the word with racist meaning. So you want to reappropriate it, "take it back" if you will. Fantastic. Go for it.

But somewhere along the line we ended up with this weird conditional clause where only black people can use the word in it's reappropriated meaning. White people can't even say it; even when talking about the word with clearly no racist meaning attached, it gets censored to "n-----". Well in this case the word hasn't been reapproprated at all! It's just spun off into two seperate words: nigger and nigga. The word nigger is just as loaded and explosive now as it was it was in 1967.

Many people in this thread have brought up the point of "Double standard or not, white people should just not use the word. It's an ugly word, and why would you want to use it?" Speaking for myself, I don't use the word, I'm just fine not using the word, and I'm not making this post because I want to use the word. BUT, when you tell me I can't use the word, then the word will never lose its potency, never be reappropriated. The word itself becomes profanity, regardless if I'm trying to use it in it's positive reappropriated meaning or not.

Such as?

 

[Slayven]

Good reading comprehension.

A+

I read it but you just don't understand the politics of code switching and the n-word.