localgirlwithdreads

I have this vision of Cameron and his toff chum Boz riding around laughing at all the 'peasants':))

I'd have thougght that an individual willing to rape and murder children may be too "far gone" to even think about what punishment he'll get when he's caught. Surely if child rape and murder is what you do for kicks, you're not that rational, balanced etc in the first place?

I've heard men greet each other with, "oi, you c-u-n-t." As a term of near-endearment. Were they to approach a stranger and say "oi, you c-u-n-t" it would clearly have a very different tinge

Personally I think Chris Rock is a brilliant comedian. Obviously he is regarded as pretty controversial by many though. Also, Chris Rock, as a black man, using the N-word in a routine is one thing. A white person using the term about a black man is an entirely different thing. I have a white, male cousin who grew up on a council estate (still lives on one) and he sometimes makes fun of what he calls 'poor white trash' who live on his estate. His comments are also self-deprecating and I don't find it racist. However, if a black person began sniggering at white council estate dwellers and calling them 'poor white trash' it would definitely be racist and taboo.

What are your thoughts on Cam? He utterly terrifies me.

Thanks but I feel sad at how many talented writers I know who don't even bother to try to get their writing published because they're so convinced (before they've even tried to) that it's simply not a possibility. Hard as it may be, a hell of a lot of books are published each year and someone has got to write them.... SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Localgirl - congrats on the success of your first > book, but I don't think your experience proves any > theory wrong, it just says how lucky you have been > so far? > > (in addition to your talent and work obviously - > not instead of!)

I heard a group of Chinese youths calling each other the N-word the other day.

silverfox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > localgirlwithdreads, your argument seems to be the > word is racist but not if black people use it. > > You haven't addressed some of the other points > I've raised. Which points?

I agree with Mockney that it does not necessarily deter. It does seem very extreme and I'm not so thrilled about the idea of them being so savage about it. However, it seems like quite a nice change from the typical UK system where paedophiles don't necessarily even get jailed at all and they invariably get relatively lenient sentences. If a serial shoplifter goes to jail, gets released and shoplifts his little heart out again and again and again, it's not a great result but it is most certainly not the end of the world. But paedophiles raping little kids - we simply can't play around when it comes to that. It has to be prevented. At any cost, I guess.

Silverfox - do you, by any chance, smoke quite a lot of weed? Your questions just have that wavy, out-of-touch-with-reality-and-common-sense feel to them....

Read this (see link) and do try to keep up. (td) for those who claim not to understand The following paragraph, in particular, explains precisely what is going on with the N-word in The Wire. But then you already knew this and you're just trying to stir up sh*t "Some African-Americans express considerable offense when referred to as a nigga by Caucasian people, but not if they are called the same by other African-Americans, or by some other minority, as a term of endearment.[5] In this case, the term may be seen either as a symbol of brotherhood,[9] similar to the usage of the words dude and bro, and its use outside a defined social group an unwelcome cultural appropriation. Critics have derided this as a double standard.[3] Arhotic English-speakers such as British pronounce "nigger" and "nigga" identically routinely." silverfox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I understand some people have been offended by the > title of this thread but the intention was to > provoke discussion as to what is or isn't racism > in the light of the accusions being banded about > on the TLS/BBW thread. > > Hands up all those who watched 'The Wire' for > example. Great series. In each episode the word > 'nigger' must have been used at least two or three > times. Let's say 50 million people have viewed a > least one episode and heard the word used. Should > the series have been banned because people find > the word offensive? > > Should great literature which uses the word > because the word was in common parlance at the > time the book was written be censored and the word > now removed because a modern audience finds it > offensive. Or should the book be read with the > original text and the reader sensible enough the > acknowledge the conceptual and cultural mores of > the time? > > Is the word non-offensive if used by a black > person? Surely it can be used by black people to > offend but how many white people would take them > to task for it? What if there's a history of > ethnic rivalry between black people and one uses > it against another eg, a black flemish speaker > against a black walloon speaker in Belgium; > someone from the Cameroon against say a West > Indian? > > I think Sean summed it up for me when he said it > depends who says it and why. > > Leaving the word aside, how about inverted racism? > What do you make of the following situation I > witnessed outside the edt this summer? > > A young white woman and her white boyfriend were > sitting on the benches outside the edt. A white > middle aged man came out of the pub and stood by > her and lit and started to smoke a cigarette. She > made shoo-ing away gestures to waft away the smoke > and told him to move (no please, just move). When > he pointed out he was standing there becuase the > cigarette extinguisher was on the wall and she was > sitting right under it she gave him a mouthful of > abuse. Okay, nothing wrong with that you might > say, disgusting habit and she shouldn't be made to > breathe his smoke (even though she was sitting > under the extinguisher on the wall). About two > minutes after he went back into the pub a black > man came out, stood in the same place by the > extinguisher, lit a fag and started smoking it. > Yes, you've guessed it, she said nothing to him. > > What do we make of that story? She realised she > was sitting in the wrong place or didn't want to > challenge a black person?

I see that the majority (though not all) of the posters are not really supporting the OP's actions and words. Thank God for that! SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I agree it's a stupid thread title , phrased > offensively and with suspect intent > > But since then, every poster has told the original > poster pretty much that, I would say the thread as > a whole is an example of inclusivetey rather than > being racist? I understand why you might be upset > localgirlwithdreads but do you not draw any > comfort from pretty much every reply you have > seen? Or do you think they are racist as well?

To add to the disgusting, racist tone of this thread the OP has written "nigger" when he could easily have just used "the N-word." To be honest, my immediate take on this is that we have a white racist getting off on being able to use the N-word and claiming it is all in the interests of intellectual debate. As I am sure we all know, when black Americans use the word in an informal way it is always "nigga" and not "nigger." I know plenty of women who are friends, who might say to one another, in a playful, irreverant way: "how are you you old slag" or "bitch, what are you up to?" That does not mean it would be OK for some male to go up to a woman and randomly say, "What's up, bitch?" The sentiment is the same with the N-word and you know this very well. As I've already said, this thread is absolutely disgusting.

An extreme but entirely necessary punishment.

legalbeagle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > (there are more sophisticated ways of > starting the racism debate and to many people > (myself included) it's offensive to even read/hear > that word. Agreed. This thread is offensive as hell,overtly racist and a total disgrace.