It is absolutely NOT OK to offend and insult those of another culture, no matter white people are or are not insulting or offending Chinese people. However, if any ethnical Chinese people had said anything offensive to other ethnical group, it does NOT make insulting Chinese people as a whole OK, either. Speaking of curiousity, that should be encouraged, and that's how the world gets improved. I don't see a question like why the "C" word or "N" word is offensive was dismissed. Different posters in different threads went in length to explain why it is so, and the history behind those words etc. Take Steve Kerr as an example, most ethnical Chinese people believe his mistake was unintentional. He got informed and came out and apologize in the open, and moved on. People asked the same question were not labeled as racist or bad intention, and they were responded with explanation. However, if someone, despite all the explanation and full knowledge of the background of the offensive term, still insists that certain people should just move on and shouldn't be offended by that term, nothing really wrong with that term, when that happens, the intent of that person is NOT considered curious, it's rather determination to offend others no matter how others feel about it. The issue is not dismissing the question, but rather certain people dismissing the answer when others replied their questions over and over again. They still insist that others shouldn't be offended. Normally I don't want to discuss others' intentions, coz it's not verifible. But I would like to hear about the rationale behind the obsession of using those offensive terms.
Are you referring to me? I never insisted that I keep using that word and in fact stated that I would not. Just to clear that up in case there is some misunderstanding. on all points, I agree. Cheers, Brock
Forget about race entirely. What exactly is so hard to understand about the fact that an curse or epithet coming from a more powerful person being much more potent than that coming from a person in a weaker position??? It doesn't mean it is "right" for either person to use it. It does however make one "worse" than another. An big 18 year old calling his little 8 year old sister names is not equivalent to the reverse even though it is wrong for both to be calling each other names. In both cases calling people names is wrong but the power differential makes one more "egregious" than another. Why is this is so hard for people to understand???
I think it comes from the fact that when the argument of why cracker is okay to say but n---er is not, the answer is usually because the white man is in a position of power and thus laughs off racials epithets. This answer is pretty racist to me.
The point is not that it is "okay". The point is the the potency and egregiousness of the epithet is not equivalent and to claim that they are is stupid. Are you really trying to argue that "cracker" has the same potency as "n--ger"? I mean this is a pretty ridiculous thing to be arguing? It is not "okay" for a 18 year old skinny, nerdy, weak kid calling a big strong, built 18 year old linebacker names. OTOH, it would be completely idiotic to claim that one situation is completely equivalent to the other and both have the same effect.
I don't believe anyone said that at all in that thread. Many posters were pointing out that the "C" word to Chinese was as bad as the "N" word to blacks and that there is a double standard that people accept the "N" word as bad and not the "C" word.
I think reverse racism is possible and don't fully buy the unequal power argument because part of building a civil society is showing civility to all. As for terms like 'cracker' and 'honkey' this has more to do that whites aren't as offended by it. Some of this could have to do with historical inequality where the oppressor is less threatened by the oppressed but for whatever reason reverse racial epithets haven't stuck as being strongly offensive. That said if a white person said they were offended by being called "honkey" I wouldn't call them that and I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time trying to show them why it should be acceptable to use the term and that the term isn't offensive as long as it isn't used with intent or just in ignorance. I would try to be respectful enough to accept that that's an offensive term and hope they are respectful to accept that some terms are offensive to me. This isn't about banning language telling people to shut up or pooh poohing people for being too sensitive its about being civil in a pluralistic society. Is that so hard to understand?
r35352 meet Sishir Chang Aaaand.... go! Anyway, my point is that the 'egregiousness' of a racial slur is all up to perception. r35352 is saying that n--ger is worse than the other slurs out there. Maybe because he's black. Maybe because that's what society has been telling him. Maybe he's right? Maybe it's reverse racism? But if I take more offense to ch-nk or cr---er, does that make me wrong?
The double standard only exists because it is not widely known that the "C" word is offensive. It is widely known that the "N" word is offensive. That was one of the basic thoughts I was trying to express in the other thread before I became labelled as someone who would like to defend the use of racial slurs. As far as the parts of these posts that state "is that so hard for you to understand?" - people have different opinions about things and don't always view things the same way that you do. There are always different ways to view things and that view will not always align with yours. Is that so hard to understand?
exactly. The argument that it is less evil to call a white man a racial slur than it is to call a black man a racial slur does not hold water with me. the argument that the white man is an adult and the black man is a child and so the adult should know better also doesn't sit well with me. It sounds like reverse discrimination at best or the belittling of a race at worst. As far as my ability to understand; I think I work hard at it, but don't always get it.
So you're telling me that if you're at a Rockets game and some little skinny drunk calls you names that it is exactly equivalent as if you're alone in some rough neighborhood and some big strong guy comes up to you and calls you these same names and he's packing heat? The skinny drunk calling you names at Toyota Center is no more "right" to call you a name that the big strong guy with a gun by his side calling you a name while you're alone in a rough neighborhood. But I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people would rather be in the first situation than the second. So in that sense, the second situation is "worse". Unless of course you're going to argue that both are the same to you which would make you different from the vast majority of people.
They would be the same to me. I've always been stupid that way. I was once drunk in East Campus in Austin when I heard a bunch of shouting. I run a couple of blocks over and there is around twelve Asian Americans shouting at each other and about to get into it. I ran in the middle of the confrontation and managed to talk everyone into going their seperate ways. On my way back to the porch the biggest guy of them all yells at me and calls me a few names. I run across the street and tell the guy that I just saved all of them from a world of trouble that they hadn't considered in their anger and that when the next guy comes up to him and talks to him about peace and love he should show a little more respect. He agreed. It ain't always that easy, but sometimes it is... especially after a modicrum of whisky. I view injustice as injustice and I'm not real flexible on the subject. I will say that I don't take things too seriously so either one would probably be disarmed by my reaction (as was this group of youngsters). I think if I had time to think about the absurdity of the situation I may have just sat on the porch and wished them all good luck spending the night in the drunk tank. Now where's that guy that wants to shout out "ahhh, you are now trying to say you aren't a racist because you once broke up an Asian gang fight!"
What is reverse racism exactly? If a black man calls a white man cracker because he's rankled by the color of his skin, is he not a racist? Has racism become so ideologically intertwined with Caucasians that we need a second term to distinguished prejudice wielded by minorities? What about me? I hate Chinese People, am I a reverse racist or just a plain old racist? *****NOTE: STONE COLD HAKEEM loves Chinese people, he was just making a point. His best friend is Chinese***
