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‘That’s our word, and you can’t have it back’: Ice Cube confronts Bill Maher

Chumley

Banned
And Maher has had it explained to him time and time again. He just doesn't give a fuck, otherwise stuff such as his usage of the word that lead to the video the thread is about wouldn't have happened to begin with. From one of the other Maher threads that was active recently:


This ain't new for Maher. He's had it explained before numerous times. He then might back off a bit and let the situation cool down a bit, before he ends up going in again and pretending like none of that ever happened. It's not new behavior for him, so I see no reason this would be the time he would actually change. I'd like to be wrong about that--there's nothing I'd like better in fact--but I just can't see it, when he has a history of using pretty much every single talking point in the book of trying to defend it.

Maybe I'm being too optimistic then. I got the impression he took the Dyson interview to heart, and yes he was being defensive with Cube but I still think he was sincere when he said he was "evolving" and listening. Time will tell. If he steps in it again I'm fully prepared to admit I was completely wrong, but at 60 years old I don't think its too late for him to change.
 

Slayven

Member
It is often times "nigger" or "niggras" but it's sometimes "nigga" as well.
When that accent is thick it's no longer a hard "r."
https://youtu.be/niXhOmxr4EM?t=361

There was an old white dude that when i was kid that use to call me Punjub, i didn't care for him even without knowing how fucked up that was. But couldn't say anything because he use to bring my grandma collard greens and tomatoes fresh out the ground.

Fucking never won't be weird to me how Cube can go from real to children's movie actor at the drop of a hat.

Could you imagine being his kid?
 

cordy

Banned
Makes me think of this J Cole concert I went to the other day. Hearing these white kids say it just had me looking around at them. Even outside of the songs, just crazy.
 
I see we're still on that "it's comedy" tip since that's a nebulous and eternal catch all when you get caught saying dumb shit.

It's amazing how as children we're taught it's just a joke is not an excuse but for adult comedians it's a free pass to say whatever the fuck you want and any criticism is a chilling effect on "free speech".

Literally from any thread on comedians being morons you'd think they were the oppressed group with the way some folks flock to defend them.
 
I think a big issue when folk approach this conversation, is that there under the impression that the playing field is even, that no one has the high ground when it's never been that way for black people
 

Montresor

Member
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.
 
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.

Not really...

White folk just don't say it... done.
 
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.
So is watching black people get gunned down by police then watching them get off Scott free
 

Daingurse

Member
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

That word has been used against black people for hundreds of years to make us feel less than human. It ain't up to anyone else to decide how the word should be used.
 

Clancy

Banned
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.

Thank you for whitesplaining that to us.
 
Pretty sure the people that the word was used to demean and debase for 400+ years get final, ultimate say on the word makes perfect sense.

Maybe that's just me.
 

Enzom21

Member
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.
There really isn't a dicussion to be had about who can say it or not. If you're not black, don't say it.
Now the discussion about whether or not black folks should be saying it, is not for folks who aren't black.
It's none of your business what we find acceptable among us.

Not really...

White folk just don't say it... done.

Not just white folks, non-black PoC don't have a pass either.
 
But that's only half of the discussion, and I'm fairly certain that nobody here disagrees on that part.

I'll expand non black folk period shouldn't use it

Also no one who isn't black should tell black folk how to handle the word either

So there's the other half.


Not just white folks, non-black PoC don't have a pass either.

Yeah I expanded to that. I shouldn't have left that out of my first post though.
 

Slayven

Member
]"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.[/B]

Personally I like what Drifting Spirit has said in this thread in response to the Asian person that said "nigga" to his black friends. If you aren't black, and if you say the n-word, you shouldn't automatically expect that your audience will accept it. If your group of black friends are okay with it, doesn't mean that every black person will be okay with it.

If you are welling to accept history and context, please speak on it. But chances are if you did you wouldn't want to say it
 
"But what about"

No.

"What if"

No.

"But"

No.

Are you black? Then the answer to every single question or "feeling" you have about this issue is "no" unless that answer is "only black folks get to decide this shit".
 

Foggy

Member
The "point has already been made" exchange with Cube shut Maher the fuck up. The moment when the great rational white liberal showed his ass.
 

Mesousa

Banned
Its a losing position in the end.

Black people, especially in this country, don't have the power to take back the word. Look around with youth. All kids running around calling themselves nigga. Its only going to become more common.
 
Its a losing position in the end.

Black people, especially in this country, don't have the power to take back the word. Look around with youth. All kids running around calling themselves nigga. Its only going to become more common.
Until they say it in front of the wrong people
 

Zero315

Banned
I'll expand non black folk period shouldn't use it

Also no one who isn't black should tell black folk how to handle the word either

I mean, nothing else needs to be said on the matter. This should be the beginning and end of the conversation, I'm not sure why people keep arguing with ifs, ands, and buts.
 
Its a losing position in the end.

Black people, especially in this country, don't have the power to take back the word. Look around with youth. All kids running around calling themselves nigga. Its only going to become more common.

More common compared to when exactly?
 

Montresor

Member
You're applying a white state of mind to try and "dumb" down arguments for blacks i.e. whitesplaining

I'm not trying to dumb down any argument. All I'm saying is I don't agree that non-blacks don't get to participate in the discussion. You can say I'm wrong and disagree. I might very well be wrong but I don't get why you think I'm whitesplaining or "condescendingly trying to dumb down an argument".

My opinion is the word historically has been used to dehumanize blacks and for that reason non-black people should not use the word. That's an opinion that 99% of the people would probably agree with in this thread.
 
"If you are not black you don't get a say in the discussion" seems like a pretty fucked up viewpoint to me.

Edit: Oh I misread the statement. Uh, only black people get to determine the gravity of the word. It after all has been used to oppress them for hundreds of years. The opinion from somebody who wasn't a victim to that shouldn't get to to be taken as serious input.
 
I'm not trying to dumb down any argument. All I'm saying is I don't agree that non-blacks don't get to participate in the discussion. You can say I'm wrong and disagree. I might very well be wrong but I don't get why you think I'm whitesplaining or "condescendingly trying to dumb down an argument".

My opinion is the word historically has been used to dehumanize blacks and for that reason non-black people should not use the word. That's an opinion that 99% of the people would probably agree with in this thread.


The role in the "conversation" for non black people is to tell other non black people to not say it
 

Mesousa

Banned
More common compared to when exactly?

To ever. Its become a culture in itself, which makes you really question whats going on when you look at the execs who benefit from it and look how they look.

I know for a fact, and Ice Cube was guilty of this with Heller, that there is a nonblack element in the music industry who gets off on showcasing a stereotypical and fetishistic version of black culture to the world as a commodity so that they can get rich.

Black Americans have been calling each other nigga for decades, but this wasn't common knowledge to anybody outside of the immediate family until certain people began mass producing and selling "our" culture for their own benefit. Now every tom, dick, and Harry from Reykjavik to San Pedro Sula can pick up a nicely wrapped piece of black exploitation, and drop the word with their friends with no shame of thinking they are racist because they accept what is "Sold" to them. Its normalized, and Maher only caved because he, and his show, speaks to old people who haven't accepted the new world which has been produced by Music execs. When they go the younger generations will roll over.
 
I have liked Ice Cube ever since I first seen him in Boyz N the Hood when I was a kid in the mid 90s, but after this, the dude has become my hero.
 

Enzom21

Member
I'm not trying to dumb down any argument. All I'm saying is I don't agree that non-blacks don't get to participate in the discussion. You can say I'm wrong and disagree. I might very well be wrong but I don't get why you think I'm whitesplaining or "condescendingly trying to dumb down an argument".

My opinion is the word historically has been used to dehumanize blacks and for that reason non-black people should not use the word. That's an opinion that 99% of the people would probably agree with in this thread.

Other than talking about how no one but black people should say it, what does a non-black person contribute to this conversation?
 
To ever. Its become a culture in itself, which makes you really question whats going on when you look at the execs who benefit from it and look how they look.

I know for a fact, and Ice Cube was guilty of this with Heller, that there is a nonblack element in the music industry who gets off on showcasing a stereotypical and fetishistic version of black culture to the world as a commodity so that they can get rich.

Black Americans have been calling each other nigga for decades, but this wasn't common knowledge to anybody outside of the immediate family until certain people began mass producing and selling "our" culture for their own benefit. Now every tom, dick, and Harry from Reykjavik to San Pedro Sula can pick up a nicely wrapped piece of black exploitation, and drop the word with their friends with no shame of thinking they are racist because they accept what is "Sold" to them. Its normalized, and Maher only caved because he, and his show, speaks to old people who haven't accepted the new world which has been produced by Music execs. When they go the younger generations will roll over.


To ever?

Really?

You want to talk normalize? The N word use to basically be the word to use to refer to black folk but somehow now because of rap and shit it's more common than ever?

Come on.
 

Montresor

Member
Other than talking about how no one but black people should say it, what does a non-black person contribute to this conversation?

The Asian person in this thread mentioned using the word "nigga" freely with his black friends in Fort Knox. And he stopped using it when he left because he smartly knew that he should not expect that he will always be able to use the word without being looked down on or chastised with other blacks. Blacks aren't a hive mind and don't agree on everything (someone else's words from this thread).

That's a non-hypothetical and a real world example (from this thread) of someone non-black using the n-word in what I think is a not necessarily acceptable but understandable situation.

That's a non-black person (the Asian Gaffer in this thread) who I believe has a say in this discussion. And when I mention "he has a say" I don't mean that he can dictate the rules that the entire black race in the USA have to follow. I just mean that I want to hear his two cents. That's all.
 
If you're not black you don't get to have a say in how to use the word. Period. Let the black community discuss amongst itself the word.
No, it's not fair. But neither are a lot of things, and if we're keeping score, most of y'all got a few points on us. So how about you let us have something to ourselves?
Maybe once things start to even out a little more, we'll all sit down to discuss the Elephant sized Nigga in the room.

That's just my view on it.
 

Mesousa

Banned
To ever?

Really?

You want to talk normalize? The N word use to basically be the word to use to refer to black folk but somehow now because of rap and shit it's more common than ever?

Come on.

Nigger was, but that isnt the version kids are saying to each other. They are calling each other niggas. That is almost certainly wasn't something that was happening forever.

We can blame rap for every kid calling their friends, and themselves, niggas. They normalized it.
 

IrishNinja

Member
literally anyone bothered by the dynamics of language & think it's "hypocritical" of cube to say a word belongs to a culture that's not yours: congrats on leaning towards the fuckboys, take a moment of self-reflection here if possible

Who cares? Does any other nationality have the same exact historical experience and context that black Americans do? No.

preach

Maybe not derogatory to that exact person, but it shows a basic lack of empathy, understanding context, and history.

the longform of "showing your ass" right here

Time for me to dip from this thread, though I see a clear divide between the people who say it with malice and the people who like rap.

this is the soft version of "white nationalist" vs supremicist/nazi/etc; you're highlighting groups that, at best, are just ignorant as fuck/not caring, so why anyone should pay them any mind is beyond me

As a gay man I hate it when straight people use the word fag, but thanks to two straight white dudes a whole bunch of people think it's okay for them to use it.

wait, what's this about? who said it was cool?

Killer Mike fast sliding into Hotepdom

honestly as a big fan of Mike, i started to notice the crack with his slew of "FUCK PC CULTURE" posts for a bit there, now we're reaching this awkward point where i fucks hard with tracks like Reagan but am putting him next to KRS with MC's i love most of their works but don't wanna hear shit from them out of the studio

Fucking never won't be weird to me how Cube can go from real to children's movie actor at the drop of a hat.

cube arguably put out several classics and unlike most rappers, found he could act - a lane that rips you off far less than he saw in NWA & even solo. i literally can't imagine not jumping headfirst at the chance to break out of that bullshit and have nothing but love for dude doing so, there's so very many MC's that would follow if they could

Nigger was, but that isnt the version kids are saying to each other. They are calling each other niggas. That is almost certainly wasn't something that was happening forever.

We can blame rap for every kid calling their friends, and themselves, niggas. They normalized it.

same bullshit ass argument used for rap is to blame for black on black violence/etc

lots of genres do foul/violent shit but don't get blamed when dumb shit happens - i don't care what you hear on the radio, you should know better

And what are the social consequences? If anyone of any race can buy the new Kendrick Lamar album where the word is said 10 times in each verse then where are we going with this. Should he put a warning label on the album cover that it's only meant for black people? My previous comment was supposed to suggest that many people have been oppressed in this world.

let's follow this dumbass train of logic

should only actual pimps buy albums by UGK, Too $hort, Rappin 4 Tay etc? should you actually have to body a dude before buying detroit trap shit, Gucci, etc? you can't be this dense. there's lots of things in music you don't emulate in real life, for reasons that, again, are obvious with even a moments thought

yeah lemme go listen to classic rock, metal, some manson etc and do things that are very clearly said for imagery/fantasy there and see how that goes - oh wait, white artists aren't held to the same standard, my bad
 
I wasn't generalizing a slur. I was refuting your insistence that it's hypocritical to have multiple standards for the same word depending upon the relationship between the speaker and audience, which you apparently agree with me on.

I was always seeing it in the larger scale here, not just some interpersonal stuff cause ... that's kinda the point here.

By saying "That's OUR word!" someone's speaking in terms larger than them self which includes people like me in this case. I think it's stupid to use such words for people you like as terms of endearment ... so it's kinda really makes no sense to try to speak for me or others that share my opinion when trying to limit the use of the word to just "only blacks towards blacks or w/e they feel like using it towards".
 

Mesousa

Banned
same bullshit ass argument used for rap is to blame for black on black violence/etc

lots of genres do foul/violent shit but don't get blamed when dumb shit happens - i don't care what you hear on the radio, you should know better

Its not bullshit because its true. Where did all of these kids hear "Nigga" at?

It isnt a new phenom, but people in this thread have noticed that all kinds of kids are referring to themselves and their friends with this term. Who normalized it? What songs are they listening to?
 

royalan

Member
The word is more common now...


...compared to 60 years ago when it was the most common way to refer to black people.

Ok.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
Mr.Shrugglesツ;239993963 said:
Only getting older gave you appreciation for it?

Why is that a bad thing? People learn as they age. Not every gets the same wake up early.

Anyone seeing the story on the front page of HuffingtonPost? It's oddly relevant to this discussion...


Edit: here's a direct link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...be9e4b024026879abe2?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Whiteness, in its very existence, is inherently dangerous; it is a fictitious character trait developed only as an antithesis to—and presumed class above — blackness. And Maher, as one of the foremost practitioners of whiteness, represents a particular danger because he serves our society as a caricature of radical liberalism, even as he spouts offensive rhetoric about people of color amid thunderous applause. Conservatives view him as a standard-bearer for liberal ideology, and his horde of predominantly-white viewers feels the same. The result of this assumption is that the confines of progressive thought, in the mainstream, rest at the feet of a man who called Black Lives Matter protesters ”fucking idiots" and suggests ― at numerous turns ― that Muslims are the scourge of the earth.

Herein lies the dilemma: Without condemning outright people who are white, it must be said that Whiteness as a thought experiment is problematic. It is religion of its own, with a strict adherence to racial hierarchy that so often silences and marginalizes people of color.

Done.

It's really not difficult to grasp, unless of course you just don't want to.
 
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