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Racial Slurs and Stereotypes
I never really understood why people get so offended when somebody uses a racial slur. Personally, somebody can call me a "chink" until they're blue in the face, and I really don't care. It doesn't harm my sense of worth, or make me feel like a second-class citizen. What it does do, is bring out the ignorance in the other person for using such language.
Now, with that said, I sometimes make racial slurs and enforce racial stereotypes, usually for shits and giggles. I find it funny to poke fun at such things. I can't think of any specifics, but as long as whoever you're directing it at also sees the humour in it, it should be okay. I'm sure I've heard the N-word thrown around a lot these days, probably one of the most used of these words, and it's just funny hearing non-black people referring to each other as "nigga" or something similar.
Especially living in Canada, where we have a wide variety of ethnic groups, you would hope that people aren't too bothered by these little comments, even if the person saying it is genuinely serious. Now, if you're not being admitted into a school because of your ethnicity, or not getting a job, yes, there's a problem. But what's the harm in using such language, for example, when talking to friends? Do you think there's a problem with it?
Now, with that said, I sometimes make racial slurs and enforce racial stereotypes, usually for shits and giggles. I find it funny to poke fun at such things. I can't think of any specifics, but as long as whoever you're directing it at also sees the humour in it, it should be okay. I'm sure I've heard the N-word thrown around a lot these days, probably one of the most used of these words, and it's just funny hearing non-black people referring to each other as "nigga" or something similar.
Especially living in Canada, where we have a wide variety of ethnic groups, you would hope that people aren't too bothered by these little comments, even if the person saying it is genuinely serious. Now, if you're not being admitted into a school because of your ethnicity, or not getting a job, yes, there's a problem. But what's the harm in using such language, for example, when talking to friends? Do you think there's a problem with it?
Comments
Personally, I don't have a problem with other people using racial slurs, but I generally won't use them myself. I really have no need, and they would just sound awkward.
Also, I think it's much easier for non-whites to use racial slurs and get away with it. When a non-white person says "chink", or "nigger", or "cracker", people just assume that they are just joking around. When a white person says the same thing, I guarantee (unless they know the person well) that people are considering the possibility that they are a racist.
But in general, racial slurs should be "okayed" all around. Honestly, I've lost count of how many niggers I've called niggers.
Oh. Another thing that's been killing me lately is how so many niggers are making it so easy to be niggers. Just in the past two weeks I've seen two separate incidents of niggers getting arrested. One was a squatter who was living in an abandoned store on Edmond, and another looked like a drug bust (what with all the black vehicles with dim sirens).
Then there's the time we saw the nigger getting caught stealing a hat from the most red-neck looking dude I've ever seen.
Seriously, I think god got tipsy recently or something, what with all the stereotype-lawls that I've seen.
There's always the defense that, when we use a word like "nigger", we're using it to describe a negative situation/person. Ie. calling somebody a "nigger" because they did something stupid, for example. Now, you hear this a lot with the word "gay" or calling somebody a "fag" or "retard". Yes, it's used to describe something "stupid", let's say. So in that way, it's wrong? Well...the way I see it though, is that we use a lot of words in the english language that aren't to be taken literally. For example, saying something "sucks", doesn't mean that it is literally creating a vacuum. You use a word in place of "bad" or whatever in order to make your sentence more colourful. In the same way, calling somebody "fag" for doing something stupid doesn't mean you're a homophobe or that you don't respect gay people. It's just a fucking word. I could call them an "apple", but the meaning would be lost.
Words like nigger are so steeped in cultural history, I almost understand the reaction some people have to it. But it goes too far when the word is seen as being an attack on an almost physical level. For example, after Michael Richards went nuts and yelled nigger a billion times at some black guys in the audience, they sued him for all sorts of money, on the grounds that they were caused huge amounts of distress and pain. Would they have been able to do that if he'd called them ugly, or stupid, or something? Of course not. That's when it's gone too far, IMO.
Every time I tell people I go to university, they respond with a "UBC?" and I'll have to say "no...SFU." Then if that person is feeling evil, he/she will add a "isn't UBC better than SFU?"
Saying "that sucks" is different from "that's gay" because by saying the latter, you are implying that "gay" is inferior to "straight." You're attaching negative meanings to PEOPLE. Why don't you go around insulting people using "you're straight" or "you're Atheist"? If you say the meaning would be lost, then... well then tell me, how so?
I understand that not everyone who uses these terms are actually homophobes or racists... it's simply become natural or "automatic" for some people to use them. And you're right, under certain frames, using those words would not be considered offensive. But I don't think it should be considered so "normal" to talk like this when it's far from being harmless in the big picture.
btw I get that a lot too,
Asian dads/parents: "Engineering or sciences?"
me: "criminology"
them: "oh"
-awkward silence-
them: "thats not bad, go to law school, be a lawyer?"
me: "no, don't plan to"
them: "oh"
-more awkward silence-
me: "well I should get going!"
I don't think homosexuals identify themselves with just the word itself. They're not just "gay", and that's that. It's their lifestyle, their values and morals, all of that. What I think is the problem is that people are greedy, and want to take ownership of those words. "It's OUR word, only we can use it". And they get all uptight whenever the word is used out of context, especially in a negative manner.
Casting Goku in the new Dragonball movie as a white boy.
Casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Akira in the new Akira movie when the setting is CLEARLY a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
Casting a white boy as the Prince of PERSIA in the new Prince of Persia movie.
Throwing in a white boy in the new Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie when CLEARLY the setting is in a fictional Ancient China and as if Jackie Chan and Jet Li combined didn't have enough drawing power.
There is this stereotype that Asian and Arabic men must be replaced by white boys. It's sickening.
The only reason the white boy was in J&J's new movie was so that they can get the ASIAN GIRL. God forbid an ASIAN MAN get the ASIAN GIRL in a movie with a setting in ASIA.
But they never match a BLACK GIRL with a WHITE BOY. LEAVE THE BOOTY TO THE BLACK MAN EH!? What happened to leaving the Asian girls to the Asian man?
Why must the white man feel the need to rob us of our women? Have you not done enough!?
I don't care if people use the word "gay" to describe something flamboyant or metrosexual, but to substitute it for "stupid" or "unworthy" is something completely different. I can see why people would get offended even if the speaker doesn't intend to insult.
It might be hard for you to understand how people could "overreact" over one little word. All I'm saying is that not everyone can brush it off as "just a word" like you can, and I think they have a good reason to fuss about it. Please don't ask if I have sand in my vagina. =P
Yeah, you tell me... You forgot the movie 21. Where ALL Asians character in the book are played by white actors.
PS. Did you happen to go to the beach this past weekend? =P
I've got a movie for you, how about this Hollywood: "The Last Nigger on Earth" starring Tom Hanks.
/Thank you Dave Chappelle and Paul Mooney
Gay:
Happy-->Homosexual-->Stupid/unpleasant--->???
give it 30 years and "gay" will mean something else. then you'll be bitching about that too.
To the rest of your rant, Hollywood and American media perpetrates American value, one of those values is to devalue every other culture and rewrite non-American history with a white American lookin' man in it. You just can't do shit about it, well, you can by not going to the movies.
On a entirely separate note, why the fuck do people still go on movie dates? That has got to be the most inefficient use of bonding time, sit in a front of a movie screen for an hour and half or more mesmerized by useless propaganda telling you how you should live your life. If anything, movie dates are the cheesiest idea for a date, it's inefficient, it's boring, you can't talk, shitty ripoff cinema food, and after the movie, disagreement over the topic, and lethargy after sitting down for two fucking hours. On the plus side, you get to cuddle, but there's better places to cuddle and go further without being arrested for sexual indecency.
And no I was not at the beach. Maybe you saw my friend who was there, apparently she looks exactly like me. I don't think it's bitchy at all the way she argues her points. You can't blame her for defending her opinions forcefully when you do the same... in the end both sides aren't willing to open their ears to other perspectives. I share a lot of the views she does, I'm just not as vocal about them as she is... just because she's braver than I am, doesn't mean she's bitchier.
Plus, how dare you imply that white guys don't like black women. HOW DARE YOU?!? =P
It's something about the narrowed eyes--they're difficult to when it comes to expressing emotion.
Plus, anything emotional in the Asian culture is just awkward.