Quote:
Originally posted by galleryseek
yes, the term "******" obviously has history. but so does the term "fuck", "fag (homosexual)", "cracker (a fucking piece of food)" and many others that we all use loosely...
so why do people get so objective to the term "******"? because of it's history... but if people could actually grow a brain and see past the PAST, and understand that the only ABSOLUTE TRUE MEANING of a word comes ONLY from the context in which it is used from any particular person, they wouldn't feel the need to be so offended.
a person could be completely sheltered in their life and trained that the word "******" means to Greet people... would you be so UPSET at that person if they called you a ******? NO, because you'd understand that that was how they were brought up...
on lil2rich4u2's case, perhaps he has been around a family that just refers to EACHOTHER (when fighting or whatever) as ******s (and they're white).. and say all of his white friend's call eachother ******s (to be used only as a negative insult and no racial meaning)..
so you see, you can't get totally upset at someone just because they used a WORD... its the INTENT behind the word that counts..
its not the FACE of the book that counts, its what IS INSIDE...
End of story.
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Actually no, that's incorrect.
With regards to "******," it's a word that used to be the white man's term of oppression, and which has been largely liberated by black people and the semantic ownership of the word has been transferred back to them. That is why it is considered acceptable for a black person to use the word "******" disparagingly, but not a white person - in the latter case, it is still a term of control, regardless of intention. It is just another example of the well documented subversion and assimilation of black (urban) culture into white pop culture - just as rich white kids listening to hip hop and trying to be gangstas is. Is it academic? Yes. Is it real? Yes. Language is the fundamental building block on which society is built, and it is through language and ideas that society changes.
My offence at rich's terminology is not at the word "******" itself, but at the inherent implication that the thieves were automatically black and thus a lower class of citizen. For the record I'm not an African American, just liberal.
