More often then not, I have seen a handful of players report other players for what they deem to be "Racist". This is usually people who report another player simply because they used the word "Nigga", and more often than not it isn't even in a demeaning way. The question I have to ask is "Are people throwing around the word "Racist" too much".
First, I'd like to ask this. Can a word be inherently racist?
Secondly, I'd like to ask if black privilege is starting to actually become a theme. To make this not seem so broad I am specifically referring to members of the black community threatening others simply because they used a word in a way that was in no way demeaning towards them or their culture.
I happened to stumble across this article: http://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/0...el-eric-dyson/
This article makes a great point by stating that racism is entirely subjective to the person. Simply put, you can only be offended if you choose to be offended. But this does not mean that things can not be offensive, but it's evident that some people are simply too sensitive towards the topic, or as I originally stated, are simply manipulating it.

I also found this absolutely fucking ridiculous article while I was looking around: http://whatculture.com/history/12-ev...y-racist.php/2
And what this article is basically saying is that a word that used to have racist connotations attached to it will still have those negative connotations attached to it decades later. They are essentially stating that the meanings of words can not change over time regardless whether or not the ethnicity that had decided to "take back" the word.
Discuss. Do not deliberately try to offend people. This is a discussion, not an argument.

How is it simply always demeaning?
Simply because I am white I am inherently racist?
Simply because I am white means I am unable to use speech that the black community has made absolutely okay to say?
Isn't this racism in itself?

lmfaoooo if you had a word that referred to your race being enslaved used by that same race would you not find that offensive? and before one of you discussioneers comes in with their almighty knowledge of society, I am aware that black people have use the word to be defined as endearing, and a sign of friendship when used between one another. and yes it's so hypocritical that as a group some black people would use this word amongst each other and then get agitated when another race (mainly white people) use it. everyone is a part of the problem, if the word was just somehow squashed from the modern vocabulary it would be fine but that wont happen any time soon.

do I personally think the root word or the modernized word are offensive? na, because I choose not to get offended and move on. is it a meme? yeah. is it funny sometimes? yeah (you should hear the #no mumble). but like all things some people take it too far and those that are offended by the use of the word have a right to be offended.

racism is also a meme but it's still a reality that people of all different races deal with. but this mentality of: "they say it why can't I" is so idiotic to a race the general thinks of themselves as superior (this is just from experience I don't hate white ppl lolz).

The n word is just insulting right off the bat because of society. If I head white people say it, I honestly think its dumb. If a black person says it, I don't think much of it. (Im white, just fyi)

This is all because of how I grew up. I was taught not to say "Nigga", "Nigger" etc.

And I stick to it. I'm sure black people stick to the reason of why it is so bad from past slavery, and I respect that.

But people throwing "nigga" around non hostile like is fine by me.

Just curious, what do you think of white people being offended by the word? Does that right extend to them? I think that's what a lot of this is about. I think a lot of people are getting fed up of the kind of 'gotcha' mentality and culture of outrage that we've seen in the last decade. Perhaps a lot of it has to do with the rise of the internet and people white knighting.

That is actually a good rule of thumb. Keep the consequences of your words in mind. Even if you don't offend anybody you might come across as rude.

I find it kind of funny how big of a fuss racism is overseas. Everybody's racist, it's human nature. When somebody is different from you, you take a mental note. It's all about being and not being a dick about it that makes a difference.
Then there's the other side of things, blacks and their own racism. They abuse racism to their benefit while being racists themselves.

I'm perfectly fine with people saying "nigga" in a non-offensive way, the word is so omnipresent in today's culture (music, tv shows, movies, internet slang...) that its original meaning just vanished, people pretty much use it like "dude" or "mate".

For me, it's actually positive because it became a "group inclusion" word instead of "hate exclusion" one.

Language evolves, it never stops evolving. Words lose their meaning, find new ones, new uses, or disappear, and new words appear.

I don't understand your point Pidgenere.

On one side you say the word is offensive and shouldn't be used by white people.
On the other side you say it's a privilege that only black people deserve.

Is it a bad word or is it a privileged word ? Or is it a privilege to be offensive amongst people that have the same skin color ? Or is it just not offensive anymore ?
Is it wise to keep using the word amongst black people if what black people want is everyone to forget about that offensive word ? Or is it not wiser to keep using it to the point it loses its original offensive meaning ?

Also, "black race" is an utterly stupid expression. There's no race, 2 black people living in the same area of the world can be genetically "more different" than one of those 2 black people compared to someone with another color from another part of the world. The concept of "race" doesn't apply for humans, what people call "human races" are biologically unexistent, we're all just homo sapiens.

sure, white people can be offended. I don't see how they wouldn't have that right it really goes both ways. and if a white person can get offended by the word you have to assume that a black person would. so why say it?
also I don't know what you mean by the gotcha mentality, elaborate?


I get that words change meaning over time to different people, but their roots stay do they not? not everyone takes a words meaning the same way as everyone. and I know there's a dictionary definition for everything, but I mean for example the word love. to me, it might mean I really like hanging out with this person so I say I love them. to them it might mean a deep connection.
so don't be surprised if you call a melanin-enhanced fellow a nigger or nigga and they get offended. It also has to do with who they are coming from, even in modern days racism is prominent, as a black person you generally assume that a white person saying nigga to you is saying it without good intentions.

again, think of it this way: you're my acquaintance even. I've met you a couple times but we aren't good friends, and you decide it's okay to say 'what's up my nigga'. me personally, I'm not going to take offense to that regardless of how you mean it, but I'm not ever going to just assume that you're using it in a friendly

I'd just like to point out that slavery was never exclusive to a single race. The Chinese were slaved, even white people were slaved, but do they remind the whole world of it years after it happened? I feel that using slavery as justification for not using the word "nigga" is rather silly. The word is derogatory, yes, but "oh you owned my ancestors" is not a reason to be offended.

Nigga is a word I use hardly ever, and it's only when I was addressed as nigga first. I mostly frown upon its usage because it's literal meaning, even without derogatory notions, is "an undesirable person".

As for black privilege, I'll just point to my first paragraph. Everyone is entitled to being offended, but I think it's silly to be offended by something that doesn't affect you. The sentence "Black people used to be slaves." is not racist, but interpreting that as "You think I'm a slave." is definitely racist. It definitely isn't my fault you thought that, but now I'm racist because you decided on your own behalf that I must be.

(I understand my words may appear hostile, but they are not meant to be. This was based on personal experience, any members of the black community that may read this are not having shots fired at them.)