murky, are you testing my patience? I'm not saying no words are offensive. Just that words can lose their power to offend if people forget why they're offensive. (Hasn't happend with the "n" word.)
I was just trying to be clever in the way of a pun. Almost no point intended whatsoever. Bad habit. I guess why I thought it was germane and what I was cryptically alluding to is the episodic public discussions about whether "niggah" actually is bad (as opposed to ye olde "bad"). Clearly in many black-to-black transactions it's de rigeur.
That's the other aspect of communication--context--that's missing from the picture, especially online.
Personal story: back when I was a little kid, four or five, I'd say the "eenie-meenie-miney-moe, catch a tiger by the toe" (with a distasteful substitute for "tiger") rhyme without even knowing what it meant. Obviously, I grew up in a profoundly Caucasian environment.
Related, one time I got in trouble for shouting "Easter is #$%&!" (substitute a strong profanity, the wrong one) because a neighbor kid told me to. Soap treatment for that.
Have you perused Karen Gordan's Disheveled Dictionary? It's delightfully amusing.
ReplyDeleteIf no one knows a word is vulgar, is it still vulgar?
ReplyDeleteIs you crazy niggah?
mark, I had the library put it on hold for me.
ReplyDeletemurky, are you testing my patience? I'm not saying no words are offensive. Just that words can lose their power to offend if people forget why they're offensive. (Hasn't happend with the "n" word.)
I was just trying to be clever in the way of a pun. Almost no point intended whatsoever. Bad habit. I guess why I thought it was germane and what I was cryptically alluding to is the episodic public discussions about whether "niggah" actually is bad (as opposed to ye olde "bad"). Clearly in many black-to-black transactions it's de rigeur.
ReplyDeleteThat's the other aspect of communication--context--that's missing from the picture, especially online.
ReplyDeletePersonal story: back when I was a little kid, four or five, I'd say the "eenie-meenie-miney-moe, catch a tiger by the toe" (with a distasteful substitute for "tiger") rhyme without even knowing what it meant. Obviously, I grew up in a profoundly Caucasian environment.
Related, one time I got in trouble for shouting "Easter is #$%&!" (substitute a strong profanity, the wrong one) because a neighbor kid told me to. Soap treatment for that.
Context is for sissies.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Glad we're still friends.
scum scam and scheme give the clue
ReplyDelete