gatty

OK, so whats peoples views on this? Black people call each other ****** and that's OK? yes? when a white person calls a black person a ****** its racist? yes?

i, personally find the word very disrespectful because of all the history of the word so would not use it, but i find it hard to understand the "who's right about it"

Would be interesting to hear the views from all ethnic backgrounds.

Sti_Prodrive

defo.. A good topic 2 bring out, i would like 2 know 2 !!

nik52wrx

Interesting one that as music and film use the word.
Samuel L Jackson for one in Pulp Fiction if my memory serves me correctly.
Also one of the tv channels recently screened Blazing Saddles, how do they get away with that these days?
Can i point out that i also refrain from using the word.
Nik.

Dazza's-STi

Richard Pryor was famous for caling himself ******, and was accepted as being ok, He joked about it and used it all the time, no one took it as offencive. I think people nowsee it as an iffy thing to say but i think most black guys don't have a problem with it...
"I think that ******* are the best of people who were slaves, and that's how they got to be ******* 'cause they stole the cream-of-the-crop from Africa and brought them over here. And God, as they say, works in mysterious ways, so he made everybody a ******…he brought us all over here — the best — the kings and queens, the princesses, the princes, put us all together and called us one tribe: *******." — Richard Pryor, Wattstax (1973)

The voices that Pryor heard in his head -- the "*******" in his head -- were the same "*******" that both the Civil Rights guard and the Black Power elite had a vested interest in killing-off (think about the Last Poets' "******* Are Scared of Revolution"). Pryor knew better; he had long known better. Those "*******" were the salt of the earth and he suggested as much during the 1973 concert documentary Wattstax, where he describes "*******" as the "best of people who were slaves." In a collection of ground-breaking and award winning albums throughout the '70s, including That ******'s Crazy (1974) and Bicentennial ****** (1976), Pryor brought his "*******" to life -- and these were "*******" unreconstructed with no allegiance to looking good for the race or for the cause.

there's much meaning beind the word so its good to understand this before making assumptions for wrong and write...
Richard Pryor BTW was one of my all time fav comics, probably one of the funniest ever.
Daz

DEEDEE

When used in context to offend its vulgar, it depends on the use of the word whether offensive or not. But if its okay for one to use its okay for all.

PaulC72

I think in reality it should depend on the situation and how it is meant {what context} as like many words these day, depending on how they are said would depend on the interpretation of what the word means. I for one do not have a problem with the word & think there are alot of stronger more offensive words out there.

It is most definately a 'grey' area.

paulr

The only people that ask such daft questions are people looking for an argument.

stara

im from wales and have heard to term sheep-******* i don't know how many times, if a fellow welshman calls me this then i cannot be offended as he cannot be intending to offend, if an englishman called me this then i would be offended as it then becomes a racist remark intended to offend my nationality, if a black person calls another black person ****** (god i hate that word), then it cannot be intended to offend as the word has a totally different intention, if a white person says it then it cannot be anything other than offensive.

marmski

A word is only as offensive as the individual listening to it allows.

I personally dont see the big deal, making a massive thing out of a single word indicates racism from the people making the big deal in my opinion. Its just a word... its about as useless as the others if you allow it to be.

Some people are fat, some are thin... some are tall, some are short... some are light skinned, others are darker skinned... some have blonde hair, others have brown... at the end of the day its just a variation on a species (much like dogs, cats, horses etc etc..) and if your weakest feature is anyone of the above then you dont really have it that bad.

I feel sorry for the people that are racist, because they clearly are very disturbed individuals who need to take a real good look inside themselves before picking on minor uncontrollable variations of the human race.

BarryK

******, I believe was the name of Guy Gibson's black labrador and the code word for the success of the dambusters. From a bygone age of public schooldom where they learnt latin Niger=black so anything black got that soubriquet.

Oddly the more you read this and the more the word ****** gets written down, it puts the "issue" in perspective.

I'm a scouser....

bring on the stealing things comments, believe me, I'll take as much offence as the next ******...

Spoon

I just remember that years ago chasing one was usually the domain of the KKK, now it's the domain of F1.

KiwiGTI

What if a Kiwi called you a sheepshagger?

Spoon

He'd think you had a speech impediment.

stara

(you don't even realise you are doing it do you, or is it poetic licence because of your username) i assume that you think kiwi's are 'sheeshaggers'? hmmmmm...anyway, using your desription of kiwi's, (which i wouldn't use) if the statement was 'hey, nice to meet a fellow sheepshagger', then there is no offense intended, if the statement was f'rom wales are you, home of the sheepshaggers', then i would be offended.

and that is my point, black people using the term N****rs, cannot possibly be offensive, any other person saying it cannot be anything but offensive.

so enough of this "if it's ok for one to use, it is ok for all" bollox, which is such an ignorant thing to say. you have to remember that the word N****r is often used as a derogatory precursor to racial abuse or attacks, so how cannot it not be offensive?

gatty

cheers guys for your thoughts, are there any black people here to comment?

i like the sheepshagger thing but its roots are not linked with slavery which is why i hate the word (******).

sheepshagging in wales is the norm

Spoon

Where does the black sheep of the family come in to this?

Gutmann pug

I had the same thoughts about this when it happened the other week on BB.

The word is either acceptable or not ........ It's a bit like saying C4 can use the 'C' word in Ballamory if it's being used in a different context.

I think it's a complete double standard that tanned people can call eachother it without offence but if a honky says it there is uproar.

By the way I used the words 'tanned people' as I have no clue what word I am actually allowed to use to describe correctly........and that is the truth.

stara

i'm actually astonished at your ignorance!....tanned people ffs!.....where are you from, i'm surprised your hamlet has electricity let alone the internet. the term black people is fine if it is indeed black people you are referring to, or do you mean asians, or do you mean people who have been on holiday and have a suntan

CrisPDuk

Blazing Saddles 'get's away with it' as you put it because it is quite obvious that black people are not the targets of the humour (or humor since it's an American film), the Klukkers and Crackers with their blinkered and prejudiced attitudes are the targets


I personally tend towards Chris Rock's stance on the issue

Abdabz

Me and my mates call each other ****** sometimes in a jokey term of endearment and we are all white... A common greeting in the pub is "what's up ******". I think as we see it, it's a case of what's good for the goose is good for the gander. You can't sit through hours of Spike Lee films or listen to Dr Dre's music stable where the word is more rife than at a KKK AGM and then try and say it is a "bad word"...

As Ronan Keating would say, it'sh only wordsh and wordsh are all I have...

Geezer

What utter tosh!

I am Welsh, and have been called sheep ******* by all and sundry, mostly English and Scottish people. Am I offended? Not in the least.

I just ignore it, or laugh at it. Simply calling someone a ****** if you are white is not necessarily going to offend or be racist. It's just a word, the intent is what makes it unpleasant, and I can honestly say that I can not recall anyone being offensive to me when calling me sheep *******.

I could go up to a black person and say "you are a piece of black trash, go back to Afirca". I have not used a single "bad" word, but there would be no doubt to my intent and it would be an extrememly unpleasant thing for me to say, and for them to hear.

Geezer

The Snug Rhino

dont understand this "they say it on TV nonsense".....sam jackson may say it when he's playing a nutcase killer but watch him play something else (coach carter for example) and he's telling balck kids not to use the word because of its history.

is it ok to kill people because they do it in Pulp Fiction???

I cant understand why white poeple cant just leave it as a word used by lower class black people - in my day to day life the few black people i meet would NEVER use that word......i dont chat to scum in McDonalds much so i dont care what they say to each other - and i have as much desire to say it (or be allowed to say it) as i have to wearing a giant gold chain around my neck and sucking my teeth.

davegtt

Is it more offensive than calling someone a golly wog?

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

you're actually taking what is being said incorrectly. The context you speak of the person will be saying ***** and not ******. it's the context that the word is used as well which dictates if it's offensive or not. If somebody was to speak of a black person and call them ****** then that is highly racist and offensive for the reasons you are aware off. If you had a group of friends of mixed races etc then in context it's not offensive and means something totally different. Language evolves all the time and as such you need to look at the context of what is being said.

50 years back Gay meant something very different to what people perceive the word to mean today.

wrx-kris

one of my black friends calls his cat "****** max"
he's black... and quite a few of my friends are too, they all call each other ****** from time to time...........

dont see the problem unless its used in an offensive way (i'm white!)

Paddi70

Hell, I'm Irish and Ginger. How many times a day do I get Mick, Paddy, Irish, Bog trotter, GWA, Ginge, Foxes ****.
How are all these names going to be viewed in twenty years???
But for me, and more emportantly the enviroment that I work, those names are a form of banter, but if anyone was to be called or hear anone else use "******" they would be dealth with quickly and firmly.
It is not acceptable here.

Chris Rock may have got it right, but that is a Black persons coment on Black issues.

SJ_Skyline

I think there should be no confusion whatsoever. It's a word that you don't use in polite company.

JimmyBFC

I think you'll argue about this until the cows come home, everyone will have their own individual opinion on this issue, I do agree if I were to use it, it would be used in an offensive context so in reality its proberly something that shouldn't be said/used likely.

Yes it might be offensive but I think a bigger deal is made of it than if a black person was to call me a white trash *******.

Graz

Exactly, if it's offensive to whoever you're saying it to and anyone in earshot then don't do it. Otherwise who cares. Personally I think we should have our own slant on this and start calling each other honky or whatever else applies e.g. sheep *******, jock, mick, paddy, taffy, etc.