Comments on: Taking racial sensitivity to a ridiculous degree?

By: Æ¸ÌµÌ¡ÓœÌµÌ„Ì¨Æ·

Æ¸ÌµÌ¡ÓœÌµÌ„Ì¨Æ· — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:42:55 +0000

Moore is simply doing it for the money. I’m pretty sure most people, even racists, would do the same in this situation. It’s hypersensitivity that allows such claims to hold up in court, but it’s greed that starts the lawsuits in the first place.

By: Goldmare

Goldmare — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:54:49 +0000

Um, yeah, talk about taking it too far… I mean, racism is bad, that’s for sure, but really… black people themselves actually use the word “nigger” (yes, I said it! GASP!) towards each other in a friendly way (similarly to “dog”). The only time it’s offensive is when a non-black person uses it (without permission)… sounds almost like racism in the other direction, doesn’t it?

When I was in high school, I read a joke online. It involved skin colour, was funny, and was written by a black man. I repeated it to a friend in the Breakfast Room before class started. A classmate of mine, one of the small handful of black students in the school, came up to me and informed me (politely) that she found the joke offensive and asked that I not repeat it. I agreed (don’t like to step on toes), but was baffled as to the reason for the offense, and, quite frankly, still am.

Some peole are too easily offended, and then some people aren’t offended enough (turning a blind eye to real problems because they don’t want to be ridiculed or whatever). I don’t suppose there will ever be a healthy balance in this world. -_-

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:49:48 +0000

I would not be at all surprised. Despite the disparity in the two terms' etymologies, their pronunciation raises the irrational ire of some. One notable incident occurred in 1999, when a D.C. mayoral aide used some form of "niggard" with regard to a budget—some black employees, whose grasp of English was apparently less than stellar, took offense, called for the aide's resignation, and got it. Thankfully, sanity prevailed and he was later rehired. It's important to note that not everyone is a shrieking caricature: in the above-cited incident, Julian Bond (NAACP chairman at the time) backed the aide.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:04:46 +0000

Didn’t loads of people have a right old mardy at someone on telly using the word “niggardly” a year or two ago?

By: Fips

Fips — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:09:01 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. People often wonder what replace words like “fuck” or “cunt” when they’re overused to the extent that they completely lose their ability to shock, but of course such profanity already exists in the form of racial slurs, whether “niggers”, “spicks”, “chinks” or “pakis”. You’re right to point out that America is perhaps not completely secure about its past or its present racial diversity, but the basic point is sound. I prefer to imagine that much of this offence smacks of pretence than believe society really is breeding generations of wimps these days. It’s easier to stomach than believing people take offence at hearing the nursery rhyme “Ba ba black sheep” on account of some imaginery racist connotations.