Do you use or have you used the "N" word? What are your feelings on racism, and racial slurs and words? The poll is anonymous so answer truthfully, please.

I wanted to respond...I feel like its one of those words that is only appropriate in certain settings...my friends (white, mexican, black, asian....etc..) use it around one another as a term of affection.. to call someone that means that you are a GOOD friend, not just an acquaintance...BUT we arent STUPID, we are not going around calling EVERYONE that in our lives, because to us its actually a GOOD thing (well as long as you dont put the "er" at the end of it lol) Now there is no reason for us to call anyone that word with the "er" added to it. I grew up in an almost completely 50/50 town, the word gets thrown around alot, its not ALWAYS a bad thing, JUST dont do it around ANYONE (no matter WHAT color their skin is) that you dont know or dont know very well lol! Im sorry if this is offensive to you or anyone else, but HONESTLY its a WORD, I had to learn a long time ago that words arent important, they dont physically hurt you, so dont let them bother you

the only time that i use this word, is when i am explaining to my son about how it's actual meaning is not used and instead it is used as an ultimate insult about someone. my son is 6. i live in arkansas, and it is disgusting to me to see how many people use this word regularly and do not even care. i let people know how i feel about it also. if my son or i am around someone using that word, i just flat out tell them that they should not talk like that (i don't care who they are).

To be honest, I use it the same way I'd use "White Trash." Ignorant black people who break the law, think the government is their "lifeline," and think white people today should somehow be responsible for their shortcomings. You notice I say black and not African-American too. I have a German heritage,can hold a basic conversation in German, and I do not consider myself a German-American. I'm an American. I'd guess 98%+ of so-called "African-Americans" would be hard-pressed to speak one sentence of any of the languages used in Africa. It's not a racist thing; it's a realist thing. I have nothing against black people. If Colin Powell ran for president, I'd vote for him in a second (over any of the present candidates, Republican or Democrat). If Al Sharpton ran, I might vote for Hugo Chavez first. It'd be a hard choice. The "N" word is hateful and demeaning-so are the people deserving of the moniker.

To be honest, I use it the same way I'd use "White Trash." Ignorant black people who break the law, think the government is their "lifeline," and think white people today should somehow be responsible for their shortcomings. You notice I say black and not African-American too. I have a German heritage,can hold a basic conversation in German, and I do not consider myself a German-American. I'm an American. I'd guess 98%+ of so-called "African-Americans" would be hard-pressed to speak one sentence of any of the languages used in Africa. It's not a racist thing; it's a realist thing. I have nothing against black people. If Colin Powell ran for president, I'd vote for him in a second (over any of the present candidates, Republican or Democrat). If Al Sharpton ran, I might vote for Hugo Chavez first. It'd be a hard choice. The "N" word is hateful and demeaning-so are the people deserving of the moniker.

I actually agree with this mostly. But I also believe that the word has more than one meaning.

The "N" word is the most powerful word in the English language and I do not use the that word and teach my kids that it is inappropriate no matter what the setting. Can you name another word that if it is used incorrectly (meaning whites that use the word in any setting) can completely ruin your life? Now if you work at a Sonic in Tyler Texas thats one thing and I guess you don't have that far to fall but those in the corporate world it would be a fatal mistake. I don't care how you spell it either street slang or the dictionary spelling it still comes across as racist. These days people will forgive you for using the Lords name in vain before they forgive that word.

I don't think I am racist because all types of people annoy me equally. Whether it is the booming car stereo going down my street, the pants hanging at your knees or the idiot that has nascar stickers all over his truck and is trying to draft off my SUV. They all ignore me equally. :rolleyes:rolleyes:

the "n" word????? there so many thousands of other forums to discuss this .PLEASE. get the hell off this sight, and seek your answers someplace else...lets talk fat, fightness, and success here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

....this is the "off topic debate area", considering the band would be "on topic", i think this topic fits appropriately.

the "n" word????? there so many thousands of other forums to discuss this .PLEASE. get the hell off this sight, and seek your answers someplace else...lets talk fat, fightness, and success here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Dude, this is the exact forum to discuss it. It's why the forum is called "Rants and Raves." Here's the disclaimer on it:

LBT Rants and Raves *** Off-Topic DEBATE AREA *** (14 Viewing)

Want debate? Get it here. Gripe, complain, moan, fight, rant and rave. Enter at your own risk!

Its not really an issue in Australia, with other races, yes, but we dont have a large black Afro-American population. To see someone with that jet black skin is rather unusual, although locally we have quite a Sudanese population.

Australia has always been pretty multicultural within my lifetime, its something I've grown up with so to me, I dont have embedded racism issues. I honestly dont.

Muslims have faced a pretty tough time here too and that upsets me, in the wake of 9/11, its like every muslim you see is a terrorist? That's stupid, its as stupid as if a fundamentalist group of Christians bombed Baghdhad then that means I'm personally responsibe?

I do believe thought that assimilation takes effort from BOTH sides and that it is perfectly possible to retain the values of one's culture and also to take on new ones too. But it rarely happens sadly.

Still, race means nothing to me, I can see obvious physical differences but I make no assumptions based on them.

The "N" word is the most powerful word in the English language and I do not use the that word and teach my kids that it is inappropriate no matter what the setting. Can you name another word that if it is used incorrectly (meaning whites that use the word in any setting) can completely ruin your life? Now if you work at a Sonic in Tyler Texas thats one thing and I guess you don't have that far to fall but those in the corporate world it would be a fatal mistake. I don't care how you spell it either street slang or the dictionary spelling it still comes across as racist. These days people will forgive you for using the Lords name in vain before they forgive that word.

I don't think I am racist because all types of people annoy me equally. Whether it is the booming car stereo going down my street, the pants hanging at your knees or the idiot that has nascar stickers all over his truck and is trying to draft off my SUV. They all ignore me equally. :rolleyes:rolleyes:

I disagree, ask any of my black girlfriends if they would rather be called the "n" word or the Big C bomb! Bet they choose the "n" word... I believe that the C word is possibly the most controversial and powerful word in the english language. If you EVER want to see a 85 pound anorexic or a 350lb woman go psycho on someone (especially a man) and muster up the energy and strength of a pro-wrestler....Bust out the C word (whether joking or not) SEE WHAT HAPPENS THEN...At least the "n" word is used in casual (hopefully not formal) situations in a joking manner and with other black people, however women USUALLY (there are always exceptions) NEVER joke with the "c" word

In the UK using this word is an absolute no-no!

This summer one of the contestants on Big Brother was thrown off the show for using it, even though it was said in an affectionate way with no malice.

I have found in my experiance that its use is perfectly acceptable between young black people in Britain as a form of affection, one of my white friends who is in a mixed race relationship and has been for years, is known affectionatly amongst our black mates as 'nigs' , they argue she is about as close as you can get without being black!

Any word when used in a derogatory fashion is unacceptable, the word 'woman' when said with the wrong tone can be an insult.

I have to say though that I think words only have the power that we allow them, if I remember my history correctly the word nigger was a coruption of the word negro, which in itself was a corruption of the word negra meaning black.

In Britain the word 'paki' has equally hateful connetations but it is just a shortened version of the word pakistani, it is the people that use these words that give them power, not the words themselves.

Political correctness can go to far the other way, and result in a situation as we have in Britain where official termanology is amended every year to allow only the new socially acceptable words to be used, on pain of prosecution for racism.

One of the most amusing conversations I have thus far with regards to this particular topic, was between my then 6 year old son ( who was very olive skinned like me) and my husbands best mate ( who is half nigerian but very fair skinned) went something like this.

Best mate: '....... so you are white, and I am black'

Son: ' no you're not you are brown'

BM: ' no I am black I am a black man'

Son ' no you're not you are brown......and I am not white I am brown too'

BM ' yes I know that *long pause* but I am a black man, my dad was black and my mum was white which means I am a black man'

Son ' yes but you ARE brown, and I am browner than you, and so are my mum and dad, does that mean we are black too?'

At which point BM wandered off muttering.

NIna x

I disagree, ask any of my black girlfriends if they would rather be called the "n" word or the Big C bomb!

Are you crazy? Ask Kramer (Seinfield) what happens when you use that word. The N word can/will follow that idiot forever. The guy has been on the most popular TV series in the world and was loved by everyone and then gets up and does a comedy routine and calls someone in the stands that word and the next night he is on Jay Leno apologizing to the masses. Ask Dog the bounty Hunter who is now in the same boat as Kramer.

NO doubt the C word is a bad and I know what you are saying. If you are on the street and you want to make the ultimate insult for a Woman that is it. The difference is that if someone overhears that comment and tells your boss you dont lose your job, get branded as a racist and have the media cast you out. Name one time in world history where the C word caused anything but a street fight? History is riddled with people that have used the N word and lost it all.

This explains it pretty well

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM9pAhu6Sxk]YouTube - When White people can say the "N -Word"[/ame]

Do you use or have you used the "N" word? What are your feelings on racism, and racial slurs and words? The poll is anonymous so answer truthfully, please.

Never! It is an evil word...