IMU wrote:
Nas wrote:
So it's not that you or other groups don't use the slurs, it's the frequency in which you believe blacks use the n-word? I never made an argument about frequency. I simply stated that all groups use slurs in similar ways.
You're taking an anecdote where you acknowledge that black kids were a part of the same social groups and were your friends and projecting that onto blacks throughout America. Do you think that's fair or even reliable? I shared with you countless ways that we attempt to join your communities, schools and social clubs. That clearly goes against a desire to isolate ours.
Elvis is a really popular guy and there are MANY white hip hop artists who are popular and were/are stars. There are Asian rappers, Hispanic rappers and white rappers. Hip hop and R&B has made it to nearly every continent in the world. I can assure you that all of the "stars" aren't only black. That speaks to the inclusiveness of the genre of music. Do genres of music that represent other cultures have a bunch of people outside that culture as stars? Like Eminem, is there a person outside those cultures who is considered the greatest or one of the greatest? Besides, blacks don't buy most of the music or even own the rights to most of it. Also, do you think other groups of people celebrate when they see someone wearing attire that's supposed to be "unique" to their culture? I would also be remiss if I didn't point out that hip hop is a subculture of Black America. They don't represent the overwhelming majority of Black America.
I can't think of a predominantly black neighborhood in Chicago where the majority of the businesses are black owned. Are there many ethnic neighborhoods in America where the overwhelming majority of businesses are owned by people outside of their "community"? That may be why you don't hear it.
Hip hop is a subculture of Black America and it is shared by the world. I'm not saying sneakers aren't a big part of a subculture of Black America, but I probably have met more white "Sneakerheads" and similar to hip hop, all groups of people seem to collect sneakers.
Yes, you provided your personal experience. That personal experience appears to be shaped by subcultures of Black America that are shared with the world. You don't objectively look at how inclusive other groups of people are when it comes to their culture, you exclude the overwhelming majority of Black America who aren't influenced by hip-hop and you're not exactly providing evidence that disputes anything that I posted. The fact is that historically the overwhelming of Black America has done just about everything possible to be accepted by White America and that hasn't changed.
I'm going to go ahead and say that my one or two uses of the word kraut over the years are exempt from this discussion. I wouldn't consider using the word a few times, in that context, but sarcastically, regular use of the term. It isn't part of my normal vocabulary. And Nazi has never been a term used by me with any ethnic or nationality angle whatsoever. So no, this is not an argument about frequency. You will not find any appreciable number of Irish, Indian, Italian, German or Chinese using their own ethnicity's slurs to reference each other, or casually in their music or other cultural aspects. I don't need to argue the frequency in which black Americans use the n word. It is immediately evident to anyone with ears or eyes how black Americans use the word among themselves. I guess I've never understood why it gets continued use. We've now decided as a society that aunt and uncle are awful, but the n word gets a pass. "We can say it, but you can't." I cannot fathom how that argument would be considered anything other than separatist.
At some point, everyone's experiences are simply anecdotes. My anecdotes are just as real as your own. Everyone wants to do something when it is convenient for them. You completely disagree with me idea that there are a portion of black Americans that would like "some of America" but not "all of America"? C'mon dude...the old heads don't want a bunch of Starbucks on every corner...they don't want all that gentrification up and down their blocks. I'm not trying to assign a view or opinion on everyone. White or black. I'm just saying it seems a bit dishonest to claim that all of black America is ready to put on a pair of loafers, a LL Bean fleece pullover and sit down at a boring 8-5. There will always be a sliver of 'we are different and want to be different.'
To the point of another ethnicity embracing outsiders within their culture, you only need to look to the Japanese. They have an entire 'otaku' tourism industry aimed at young white people that have always romanced Japanese culture. I don't know the culture...I don't know what is popular and what isn't popular within it...but I know it has spawned a ton of American made anime shows and Japanese 'J-Rock' bands sell out arenas like Madison Square Garden. Japanese people embrace white America diving into their culture...kimonos and all.
Again, no desire to offend, but you're referring to neighborhoods as black neighborhoods and trying to identify black owned businesses. I want to go through neighborhoods and not associate them by color. I want to go to businesses and not care about what color person owns it. Why do I need to know who the fuck owns it? Do they have a good or service I want? That's good knowledge to have. I've seen a lot of stuff on social media about people passing around lists of all the black owned businesses in their area. To me, that type of stuff keeps us playing on different teams. I'm not saying anything like "#AllBusinessesMatter" ... I'm just trying to convey the point that if we're still identifying businesses by the color of their owner, we're still segregating.
A big issue here might simply be that white America wants black America to fully and completely assimilate (whatever that means) and black America will always want to retain some portion of 'our hardships and our history will always influence us and we will never trust white America fully enough to abandon that level of caution'
edit: Trying to fix some typos and grammatical errors.
How nice of you to decide what's exempt from consideration. Your justification for your use of the words, the context in which you use them or the frequency does NOT matter. I simply said that people use slurs unique to the heritage "occasionally" to "degrade one another, as a term of endearment or even as a joke" and nothing you've posted changes that. Did we decide as a society that Aunt and Uncle were awful or did 1 historically racist brand FINALLY get rebranded? Were you also bothered by the removal of the slave block from Virginia? If so, why? You can say N*gger or N*gga as much as you want. It is absolutely your choice to use whatever words that you want. Do you genuinely believe that your use of the n-word being frowned upon is a sign of separatism? REALLY? I'll ask you the same question that I asked JORR, is there any other group of people that you're bothered by the use of their unique slurs being frowned upon? You've used the German slurs above, why can't I say them too? Respect. Is being respectful too great of a burden?
Were not having a discussion about our personal experiences. What is unique to me or you isn't representative of Black America or White America. You can't make statements of fact about Black America based solely on your experience. That's insane. There is documented facts that go against the experience of a man who has spent nearly all of his life in a western suburb of Chicago.
You're comparing another country looking for American tourist dollars to support their economy to some black industry in America? What black industry is there in America? You own them all. There is no greater way to "dive in" than having ownership of all industries dominated by blacks.
You're continuing to shift the debate to areas we weren't discussing. I want a unicorn, but unfortunately they don't exist. You're also arguing from a position of ignorance that speaks to your basic knowledge of these things. ALL communities suffer when the dollars spent in those communities are taken to other communities. Communities thrive when those dollars are recycled. When the overwhelming majority of businesses in a community is owned by someone who doesn't live there then that community will suffer. Recycling dollars is what matters. Recycling dollars increase property values and helps communities to grow and thrive.
Sigh! In what way(s) haven't blacks assimilated to this country? We've fought and shed blood in every American war (even fighting the Germans) even though we KNEW we were still going to be slaves or 3rd class citizens. We then gave our lives begging for the opportunity to be treated as equally as you. Only to have the goal posts moved nearly every time. There is no group of people more American or who actually want America to live up to her ideals more than blacks. Now you're saying that we should forget our "hardships"? That we don't fully trust White America? What planet are you on? How often do you leave the western suburbs? We don't call a realtor when a couple of white families buy homes on our block. Your presence doesn't scare us. A mirror may be needed, my friend.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
