[Hey, wait. Why am I only hearing crickets chirping out there?]
Some blacks, please.
Thank you, SpunkySenior.
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Which jobs have those three lost or are in the process of losing?
Thank you; I will have to look into it, I’m not familiar with his name.
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Was he portrayed by Chappelle himself? (I never saw the show.)
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That’s not a universally accepted “rule”. Some black people defend the use of the word as (in their words, not mine) “our property” or “our right”. I could not disagree more, and it’s absolutely senseless to me. If I want to be respected by someone who is not of my ethnicity, how or why would I allow someone who is of my ethnicity to disrespect me, especially in an open and public way? I can’t allow it coming from one camp and expect it to be ignored if coming from a second camp.
If a weapon in the hands of one person is used to murder someone, then transferred to a second person to murder someone else, the act of murder doesn’t become cleaner or more justified based on possession. This topic is practically split down the middle among black people; there are some who adamantly defend its use, and some who are adamantly against it. I belong to the latter group.
Just like all other aspects of life, I think it’s important to note that not all black people are exactly alike in their thoughts, actions or words, and this issue is a prime example of that. This hasn’t happened with me in over twenty years, but I had to let a white guy know that it wasn’t “ok” with me to hear him refer to black people that way. He appeared genuinely surprised, stating that because some other black men in our unit used it in conversation with each other, he thought it was acceptable. I had to explain to him that just because one or many people do something doesn’t make it right. Look at how many murders happen every day worldwide. Anyone could justify himself committing a murder based merely on the fact that others commit it also, if that were valid. I never heard that man use the epitaph again; maybe he merely stopped using it in my presence, I don’t know. I do know that it was a small step, a small victory either way.
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You're welcome. I’m just as offended if or when a black person addresses me or refers to me that way as I am when anyone else does it, and I let them know what to. Yes, it is extremely divisive in the larger black community, specifically because each camp is so staunch on their positions. There are some black people who use it and absolutely cannot be convinced otherwise, no matter how stringently it’s presented to them BY OTHER BLACK PEOPLE. Strangely, some of those same people will viscously attack non-black people for using it.
You may be familiar with my stance of profanity and/or vulgar language in general, I am not a proponent of it. When it comes to certain words or phrases, however, I am even more vehemently opposed to their use than average vulgarisms.
You are not alone in being unaware that some black people embrace that word and others are steadfast against it. Hopefully anyone who reads this part of the thread will be similarly enlightened. Its harmfulness is expanded when people outside of the black community are duped into thinking that it must be acceptable because some black people use it.
I wish I could find it in print, but there was a very eloquent way the late poet and author Maya Angelou put it to Tupac Shakur about his use of it; shockingly enough, it was based on his having done it while addressing her!
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Of course I know what it stands for.
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