Do You? You know use that word!

[ELENATION 0]

I do go to therapy. It made me stop thinking so much about other people, and start focusing on me and what's best for me. Why should I care if some stranger gets their feelings hurt? How will it negatively affect my child emotionally? Because I dont run up and randomly hug strangers or people I barely know and I dont censor myself to people I dont even care about. Strangers dont care about me, why should I care about them? Why care about people you dont even know exist? Why not focus on bettering yourself and becoming who YOU want to be, and not what others want you to be. I tried for years to be who everyone WANTED me to be, since I started focusing on myself my grades are up, I have a passion for life, and I take chances. Before I wouldnt make a move if I thought that anyone would dissapprove. Im a better person now that I dont care about other people. I guess you just gotta have the self-confidence not to let other people bother you or hinder you. My life has been 100x more fulfilled than before I started focusing on me.

Jodie, I know this is not my business and I REALLY mean this in a good way, more as a motherly advise...

I may be wrong....but it seems to me that you have been treated cold and in a heartless way and that is why you feel that way now...am I right? which if that's the case, I can understand where you are coming from....

BUt really, we should care about not hurting other people's feelings... and I don't mean in a debate, but just not caring at all about hurting someone ever...that sounds cruel.... obviously you don't see it that way, but it really does sound cruel, believe it or not, I've had strangers care for me before and more than once and one day it may happen to you too....

I think it's moraly and socialy responsible to care about people even when we don't know them.... for example, many care for the people in Darfur... me included, and this is just an example only, there are many people and causes that we care for, even if we haven't been in their shoes...I would absolutely LOVE to be able to help those.... and just because I feel that way doesn't mean you have to feel the same way, but a little compassion and care goes a long way... it actually softens your heart... and it gives you a nice good feeling...

Bettering yourself and caring about yourself is very good, but caring for yourself ONLY, is also selfish... so why not trying to balance it all out....?

Again, please take this as an advise with the best intentions...

Elena

[anonemouse 1]

ABSOLUTELY , PERFECTLY SAID!

Yep, I agree, too!

[Lap_dancer 8]

This explains it pretty well

YouTube - When White people can say the "N -Word"

OH OH OHH HAHHAHAHAAH GREAT STUFF!

For a word that's been tossed around in songs and syntax, I think it was a slow news week and the talking heads pounced on Dog.

C'mon...look at the guy. Racist? I think he'd turn racist if someone went trolling after his Beth but other than that...Not. I heard the tape, GOT IT..I know what he was meaning.

There are people "of color" but we still haven't figured out at school if someone's parents are black and Haitian. See, the whole "black" thing doesn't work.

and on the subject, there are *iggers and there are *rackers and trailor trash, *ed necks too. A nasty way to discribe a person who is lazy, no good..blah blah. To use it means the person really doesn't have a better vocabulary, just like swearing.

[VegasBones 0]

It's a nice dream that one day we really will "All get along" but when such a painful, awful word has been "cuted up" as a slang term of endearment, there will always be bigotry and hatred against races. Will the world change if everyone stops saying it? Probably not, but baby steps towards a more respectful, peaceful Earth can't hurt.

Regardless of its origin, it was what slaves were called as they were owned, whipped and murdered by white folks. The fact anyone thinks it's to let it slip past their lips with millions of other words to chose from radiates pure ignorance. I guess I'll jump in by justifying my reply by indicating I'm a white woman with a 1/2 black step child on the honor roll and headed towards a career in professional basketball. Does that give me license to call her Niggah? I could puke just writing it.

I received this e-mail last week and was dumbfounded with sadness and unable to forward it to anyone:

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I

can't even talk the way these people talk:

Niggah Why you ain't,

Niggah Where you is,

Niggah What he drive,

Niggah Where he stay,

Niggah Where he work,

Nigga Who you be...

She axed me...........

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English

except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor

with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.

In fact you will never get any kind of job making a

decent living. People marched and were hit in the

face with rocks to get an education, and now

we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up

their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting. They are buying

things for kids. $500 sneakers for what ? ?

And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing

there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?

Where were you when he was 12?

Where were you when he was 18 and why didn't you know that he

had a pistol?

And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward:

Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack,

isn't that a sign of something?

Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up

and got all type of piercing going through her body?

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't

know a thing about Africa .

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of

that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white

person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with

eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two

paragraphs. We, as black folks, have to do a better job. Someone

working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Nown, adjective, verb

Niggah'd it up [pimp mobile]

Niggah Rich

Niggah Ho

Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.

[anonemouse 1]

What really disturbs me is that there is over 16% of the people that voted that think there is nothing wrong with saying it. Ick.

[Wheetsin 714]

That's really disgusting. Again - we can hope that people are just mis-voting, but sadly, I doubt that's the case.

[Gone4Now 4]

I just dont understand how one word can hold so much power? Someone calls you that and you dont like it, so what? write them off as ignorant or stupid and go on...dont dwell on it, dont get offended. If you honestly did NOTHING to deserve to be called ANY NAME, then just dismiss it

I'm jumping in a little late, so I apologize if this has been addressed later on...But, here goes:

How can a word hold so much power? Are you kidding? Words ARE power. Speeches win or lose elections. Speeches move millions of people to walk/race/march. Words bring people to tears, words can make people angry; words are what make us civilized.

When I was a little girl, another girl came up to me, kicked me and called me a honky. I didn't even know her name. The kick? I don't feel that anymore...the anger and the hate in her eyes? I still see that.

My daughter is mixed, and if anyone EVER called her the N word I would be furious. Why? Because it's not appropriate. Even if her friends called her that, I would put a stop to it, whether she minded or not. It's not appropriate for anyone to call anyone derogatory names.

As for history...well, that's a waste to argue that. How much of your history do you want to hold on to? How far back should we go? Ancient Sumaria? (sp?) Things change -get over it. And, guess what? "Ain't" is in the dictionary now. We don't use Thee or Thou anymore... Language changes, and will always change. A large group of people (of all races) have said, "DON'T USE THAT WORD." It no longer means ignorance like it once did, now it's something worse.

So, don't use it. Period. Aren't there other words you can use?

[Jachut 487]

I'm not annoyed at all. I wanted to clear up the jet black skin comment. I definitely don't think that kangaroos are hopping around Sydney or Melbourne. In addition, I wanted to make sure that it was known that we have definitely assimilated as much as the other nationalities in America (even when we weren't accepted). A long standing story was that immigrants knew that in order to fit in when they first came to America that all they had to do was call us the "n" word. Black people have always wanted to be accepted and acknowledged for our contribution to this country. I may not like some of the things that happen, but I'm not going anywhere. Unfortunately, for us it was a long road. Not to mention that we've sabotaged ourselves. BET and crude movies don't define me and the people that I've encountered where it defines them, I stay away from.

Oh - yes, it was just a generalisation. Obviously I can see that people come in all combinations and shades. All I meant was that its rare enough here that any particular group as a whole is not necessarily stigmatised or identifiable.

[SlimTarnishedDiva 1]

It's a nice dream that one day we really will "All get along" but when such a painful, awful word has been "cuted up" as a slang term of endearment, there will always be bigotry and hatred against races. Will the world change if everyone stops saying it? Probably not, but baby steps towards a more respectful, peaceful Earth can't hurt.

Regardless of its origin, it was what slaves were called as they were owned, whipped and murdered by white folks. The fact anyone thinks it's to let it slip past their lips with millions of other words to chose from radiates pure ignorance. I guess I'll jump in by justifying my reply by indicating I'm a white woman with a 1/2 black step child on the honor roll and headed towards a career in professional basketball. Does that give me license to call her Niggah? I could puke just writing it.

I received this e-mail last week and was dumbfounded with sadness and unable to forward it to anyone:

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I

can't even talk the way these people talk:

Niggah Why you ain't,

Niggah Where you is,

Niggah What he drive,

Niggah Where he stay,

Niggah Where he work,

Nigga Who you be...

She axed me...........

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English

except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor

with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.

In fact you will never get any kind of job making a

decent living. People marched and were hit in the

face with rocks to get an education, and now

we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up

their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting. They are buying

things for kids. $500 sneakers for what ? ?

And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing

there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?

Where were you when he was 12?

Where were you when he was 18 and why didn't you know that he

had a pistol?

And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward:

Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack,

isn't that a sign of something?

Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up

and got all type of piercing going through her body?

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't

know a thing about Africa .

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of

that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white

person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with

eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two

paragraphs. We, as black folks, have to do a better job. Someone

working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Nown, adjective, verb

Niggah'd it up [pimp mobile]

Niggah Rich

Niggah Ho

Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.

Love Bill Cosby! The true sadness is that until "we" as adults start acting accordingly things won't turn around. When you teach or don't teach your child that they can or can't be much more than a corner boy, a rapper, a ball player, or a video dancer than you are falling short on your parental responsibilities. Until, you instill that getting an education is mandatory, and everything else is secondary..the problem will only get worse. You have mothers who do drugs with their children, mothers who themselves glamorize the rappers, the drug dealers with the big car, the mother who kids see her sitting home collecting a check not wanting MORE for herself or her kids. You have kids who see their mother keep bringing different men home then telling them what she is doing with these men because she is their "friend" as appose to the person who provides them structure and guidance--where's the responsibility, who is there to tell these kids right from wrong, especially when they're 13, their mother is 26...and grandma is 38. BET then becomes their nurturer and junk food from the corner store provides their nourishment. When did it become acceptable to idolize someone who got shot or even worse the shooter. What happen to the darn village? If you can't see pass your situation, then that's all you're going to be...

My look at this situation is unfair, and bias I guess, because I had parents, family, and their friends who not only wanted me to succeed, but instilled values, goals, and validation so that was possible. On the other hand I have friends who parents ran wild, and now these kids are succeeding well at life.

I got off on a little tangent but the use of the word is wrong in any form. I guess when I was called that word I could've acted out, but it was being taught that you are only what you answer to...that doesn't mean that the use of the word didn't sting a bit...I just knew that myself and those other people wasn't that.

See it's that patient, the Richards', the Bill O'reily's, the Don Imes' and the Dog Chapman's of this world who will bring you back to a time when you were ONLY that, nothing mattered--not what you've accomplished, achieved, or succeeded at...because that's all that they see. That a person's black so they are the "n" word..

I'd rather have someone use it, own up to it than for them to excuse it away, my friends use it, the black people use it, it had an a on the end...I am going to rehab...:faint:

[ELENATION 0]

Love Bill Cosby! The true sadness is that until "we" as adults start acting accordingly things won't turn around. When you teach or don't teach your child that they can or can't be much more than a corner boy, a rapper, a ball player, or a video dancer than you are falling short on your parental responsibilities. Until, you instill that getting an education is mandatory, and everything else is secondary..the problem will only get worse. You have mothers who do drugs with their children, mothers who themselves glamorize the rappers, the drug dealers with the big car, the mother who kids see her sitting home collecting a check not wanting MORE for herself or her kids. You have kids who see their mother keep bringing different men home then telling them what she is doing with these men because she is their "friend" as appose to the person who provides them structure and guidance--where's the responsibility, who is there to tell these kids right from wrong, especially when they're 13, their mother is 26...and grandma is 38. BET then becomes their nurturer and junk food from the corner store provides their nourishment. When did it become acceptable to idolize someone who got shot or even worse the shooter. What happen to the darn village? If you can't see pass your situation, then that's all you're going to be...

My look at this situation is unfair, and bias I guess, because I had parents, family, and their friends who not only wanted me to succeed, but instilled values, goals, and validation so that was possible. On the other hand I have friends who parents ran wild, and now these kids are succeeding well at life.

I got off on a little tangent but the use of the word is wrong in any form. I guess when I was called that word I could've acted out, but it was being taught that you are only what you answer to...that doesn't mean that the use of the word didn't sting a bit...I just knew that myself and those other people wasn't that.

See it's that patient, the Richards', the Bill O'reily's, the Don Imes' and the Dog Chapman's of this world who will bring you back to a time when you were ONLY that, nothing mattered--not what you've accomplished, achieved, or succeeded at...because that's all that they see. That a person's black so they are the "n" word..

I'd rather have someone use it, own up to it than for them to excuse it away, my friends use it, the black people use it, it had an a on the end...I am going to rehab...:faint:

[DerickM 1]

I respect black people more when they speak the language of Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Martian Luther King, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, etc.

NOT "Ebonics" or Hip-Hop speech

[Joyouslyme 0]

Who cares when you respect us?

[DerickM 1]

Respect is the basis for civility, for politeness, and for consideration toward others.

[Joyouslyme 0]

So you don't respect people that have a lesser education than you? I wasn't aware that the folks that you named above spoke a different language. To ME, it's just English.

[DerickM 1]

what does education have to do with anything? I only have a High School Diploma myself.