Do You? You know use that word!

[uniqueone 0]

I would not want my child to behave in this manner (I'm talking my own child) and that's always a good measuring stick for my own behavior. Sticking up for yourself is one thing. Calling someone a name because they called you one both feeds the flame so the situation could become escalated in a real bad way and is frightfully immature to say the very least.

[j_war06 0]

I would not want my child to behave in this manner (I'm talking my own child) and that's always a good measuring stick for my own behavior. Sticking up for yourself is one thing. Calling someone a name because they called you one both feeds the flame so the situation could become escalated in a real bad way and is frightfully immature to say the very least.

Well maybe Im immature, but atleast I dont dwell on being called a stupid name all day (or the rest of my life). And atleast I stick up for myself in someway. And sometimes people just need a dose of their own medicine

[uniqueone 0]

Ummm....Do you really think that EVERY slave was whipped into submission? That they were ALL beat down. They werent. I will admit that my family owned 2 or 3 slaves during that period and treated them quite well (according to journals and such). They didnt beat them or mentally abuse them. They used them for labor purposes only (which was wrong I admit.) So, therefore according to the history of a culture asking someone of that culture to do something for me would allow them to assume Im being racist....In theory ofcourse.

That theory is absolutely ridiculous. Picking up a pencil for someone in no way compares to picking cotton in 100 degree heat for 18 hours a stretch with no pay. Unless you have some way of communicating with the dead, you have no idea what occurred back before the civil war with your relatives. The journals you speak of were written by them, correct? I think that's probably kind of one-sided, don't you? Their idea of physical abuse may be quite different from ours today. I don't even think mental abuse was even addressed one way or the other back then.

[j_war06 0]

That theory is absolutely ridiculous. Picking up a pencil for someone in no way compares to picking cotton in 100 degree heat for 18 hours a stretch with no pay. Unless you have some way of communicating with the dead, you have no idea what occurred back before the civil war with your relatives. The journals you speak of were written by them, correct? I think that's probably kind of one-sided, don't you? Their idea of physical abuse may be quite different from ours today. I don't even think mental abuse was even addressed one way or the other back then.

That is simply hypothetical and extreme, but that was the point. So if that doesnt represent racism, why is its bad for my friends and I to refer to one another as that word in a friendly tone. And there are written accounts in history where slaves were not beaten down to work. And I guess that by your definition an internship or and apprenticeship is a slavery of sort, your overworked and not paid for what you do...believe what you want but an in-depth look at history reveals many things and the government has more than paid for those who want compensation for the slavery of their culture (some of which may not have been slaves). I want to know when Im going to get a break from the government?

[uniqueone 0]

Well maybe Im immature, but atleast I dont dwell on being called a stupid name all day (or the rest of my life). And atleast I stick up for myself in someway. And sometimes people just need a dose of their own medicine

well, you remember things you were called back in grade school, per you. you said those things hurt you....obviously, they had some sort of impact on you.

again, there are ways of sticking up for yourself without calling someone a horrible name!

[j_war06 0]

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

[j_war06 0]

well, you remember things you were called back in grade school, per you. you said those things hurt you....obviously, they had some sort of impact on you.

again, there are ways of sticking up for yourself without calling someone a horrible name!

Yeah they hurt me, until I realized that it was nothing but ignorance and people trying to cut me down. They dont hurt me anymore, well it could have something to do with the fact that Ive been quite cold and heartless for most of my life. I am a pretty mean person in reality, I do what I want, when I want and if I TRULY dont want to do it, then I dont. If I dont use words to defend myself I have no other method, what? you want me to be sued for battery or assault? Atleast with words I can deny them or counter-sue.

[uniqueone 0]

Okay, here's the deal. We have no idea how it feels to be black and be called that name. However, we know it really bothers most blacks so it doesn't matter why really...out of courtesy, we should completely exclude that word from our vocabulary. Pure and simple. It doesn't really go beyond that. Even if you don't feel the word is an awful one, you still shouldn't use it because others do feel that way. It's human kindness.

[uniqueone 0]

Yeah they hurt me, until I realized that it was nothing but ignorance and people trying to cut me down. They dont hurt me anymore, well it could have something to do with the fact that Ive been quite cold and heartless for most of my life. I am a pretty mean person in reality, I do what I want, when I want and if I TRULY dont want to do it, then I dont. If I dont use words to defend myself I have no other method, what? you want me to be sued for battery or assault? Atleast with words I can deny them or counter-sue.

Of course, I don't want you to become involved in physical violence. It might be a good idea to work on that "cold and heartless" problem immediately though because your baby, even if you don't treat he or she that way, will observe you behaving that way with others and believe me, they do not do as we say, they do as we do...and they don't miss a thing! Also, you realize you won't be able to do what you want when you want to once the baby comes along and you will be doing lots and lots of stuff involving the child that you don't want to do for the rest of your life!!

[j_war06 0]

I do know what it feels like to be called that word in a derogatory manner! Do you think that word is secluded to one race only? Mostly it is, but not always.

So then according to your statement its no better than a skinny person who has never been overweight and never dieted in her life to call someone heavier than her fat? Its the same thing?

Im not going to just ignore a word because someone doesnt like it...if that person is my friend or my superior or someone else important to me and it bothers them, then I wont use it around them in any manner...but if I dont know you, I dont care about you. Ive had my experiences with judgement, and all is fair in love and war. Why should I care to not hurt someone's feelings that I dont even know? Why would they let someone they dont know hurt their feelings? Thats just ridiculous.

[j_war06 0]

Of course, I don't want you to become involved in physical violence. It might be a good idea to work on that "cold and heartless" problem immediately though because your baby, even if you don't treat he or she that way, will observe you behaving that way with others and believe me, they do not do as we say, they do as we do...and they don't miss a thing! Also, you realize you won't be able to do what you want when you want to once the baby comes along and you will be doing lots and lots of stuff involving the child that you don't want to do for the rest of your life!!

I WANT to do everything for this baby from changing poopy diapers to soccer and piano eventually. If I didnt want to do this things, I wouldnt keep it. I am cold and heartless, its what society has taught me, if I went around worrying about other people ALL the time and if what I was saying was offensive, then I would be a nervous wreck! I dont worry about other people, I worry about me and my baby...thats it.

[uniqueone 0]

That is simply hypothetical and extreme, but that was the point. So if that doesnt represent racism, why is its bad for my friends and I to refer to one another as that word in a friendly tone. And there are written accounts in history where slaves were not beaten down to work. And I guess that by your definition an internship or and apprenticeship is a slavery of sort, your overworked and not paid for what you do...believe what you want but an in-depth look at history reveals many things and the government has more than paid for those who want compensation for the slavery of their culture (some of which may not have been slaves). I want to know when Im going to get a break from the government?

Now, Jodi, I think you know why asking someone to pick up a pencil that you dropped is not the same as calling he or she the n word. I think you've got enough on the ball to figure that one out yourself. Yes, I know there are written accounts that all slaves were not beaten. Either way, they were OWNED by another human being(s). There are many differences in doing an internship and working as a slave in the Old South. I would think the differences are so obvious I wouldn't even have to tell you them. First of all, when one does an internship in this day and age, they have FREE CHOICE to come and go as they please. They don't HAVE to do it. Secondly, there is a means to an end when you do the internship. Give me specifics, please, where families of slaves were compensated by the U.S. government. I'm unaware of funds appropriated for that one reason ever. I'm not saying they didn't. Just enlighten me, because it's been a long, long time since I've taken a history class.

[j_war06 0]

Now, Jodi, I think you know why asking someone to pick up a pencil that you dropped is not the same as calling he or she the n word. I think you've got enough on the ball to figure that one out yourself. Yes, I know there are written accounts that all slaves were not beaten. Either way, they were OWNED by another human being(s). There are many differences in doing an internship and working as a slave in the Old South. I would think the differences are so obvious I wouldn't even have to tell you them. First of all, when one does an internship in this day and age, they have FREE CHOICE to come and go as they please. They don't HAVE to do it. Secondly, there is a means to an end when you do the internship. Give me specifics, please, where families of slaves were compensated by the U.S. government. I'm unaware of funds appropriated for that one reason ever. I'm not saying they didn't. Just enlighten me, because it's been a long, long time since I've taken a history class.

For His sake, look beyond what is in front of you. Think of things in a different way than how they are usually presented. Many people in my town stay on government assistance all their lives and throughout generations JUST because they believe the government owes them something.

Technically if one wants to become whatever they want in life they DO have to do an interniship for specific careers. So therefore they are forced into it, so your argument doesnt hold up on technicalities.

And I didnt ask if the pencil incident was the same thing as calling someone the "n" word, I asked if it could be considered racism based upon the facts presented in the previous argument.

[uniqueone 0]

I WANT to do everything for this baby from changing poopy diapers to soccer and piano eventually. If I didnt want to do this things, I wouldnt keep it. I am cold and heartless, its what society has taught me, if I went around worrying about other people ALL the time and if what I was saying was offensive, then I would be a nervous wreck! I dont worry about other people, I worry about me and my baby...thats it.

Well, let me tell you, if you don't care about people it's going to be a real, real long and unfulfilling life for you. It's really irrelevant why you are cold and heartless. You owe it to your baby and yourself to make an effort not to be. You might try counselling..whatever it takes to turn you around because thinking like a victim is completely self destructive plus it will negatively affect your child emotionally.

[j_war06 0]

Go beyond obvious, expand your mind, think of other possibilities. There are so many ways to consider things, that simply seeing what is right in front of you is boring. I used extreme comparisons so show how ridiculous it is for one person to decide that no one can use a word because someone's feelings MIGHT get hurt.

I think its ridiculous that in America there are certain and specific things secluded ONLY to black america. If we tried to have a college that ONLY accepted white applicants then it would be nothing but trouble. Do you honestly think that if I was just an average student applying for college (exclude top 10%, SAT, and ACT scores) and I applied to a black college...do you think I would get in? Is that racism? No because the tables are turned. So...if no other word compares to the "n" word, what is its synonym? Does it have one? What about an acronym? What is its If no other racially unjust word is comparable to the "n" word how can one decide how bad other racial slurs are?