Thu Jul 18, 2013, 11:18 AM

As a white guy, I'm perfectly fine with the fact I can't say N______. Even if black people can.

I'm perfectly fine that there's no White Entertainment Television. I'm perfectly fine that there's no White History Month. I'm perfectly fine that colleges don't have White Student Organizations and that there's no National Association for the Advancement of White People.

All this ridiculous whining and consternation from some white people that they don't "get" the same cultural markers as black people or they don't get to say certain terms about African Americans even though blacks use that same term. It's ridiculous. It's insane. You're forcing the issue and you ought to give up, because you look like fools.

Let me tell you something. If for the first century of this country's history white people were considered property and not full human beings, and for the second century of this country's history white people were subjected to institutionalized segregation laws, and for the third century white people had to deal with the lingering after-effects of the first and second centuries, then all of those things would be perfectly okay for white people.

Most African Americans in this country have had a shared cultural experience, one marked with both great trauma and overcoming such trauma, that allows them to identify with each other as a race.

White people in this country have never had that. Not as a race. Many of us have a cultural identity with the country in which your family has its origins (Italian, Irish, Polish, etc.) and that's terrific. Because when the Italians and Irish and Polish crossed the ocean to this country, they too had a shared cultural experience in that aspect, and that's something you can pass on to future generations.

But there is no White American culture to speak of in this country. It's a myth. And that's perfectly fine with me.

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135 replies	Author	Time	Post
As a white guy, I'm perfectly fine with the fact I can't say N______. Even if black people can. (Original post)	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	OP
This old white guy agrees. Great post Tommy, thanks.	Scuba	Jul 2013	#1
Beautiful Post Tommy!	JustAnotherGen	Jul 2013	#2
Hey, there's a large and vibrant White American culture in this country!	rrneck	Jul 2013	#3
Also, I am not offended by the words "cracker" and "cracka" (nt)	Nye Bevan	Jul 2013	#4
No black guy ever shouted "cracker" while whipping a white guy.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#6
I've had my ass kicked by black guys calling me a cracker	cbdo2007	Jul 2013	#28
Cracker: (n) one who cracks a whip.	ieoeja	Jul 2013	#75
Actually the word is very old, derives from Craic (pronounced crack) which is a word	Bluenorthwest	Jul 2013	#91
Was that ass kicking ...	1StrongBlackMan	Jul 2013	#102
Early 90's. I was one of about 10 white kids in an all black school....	cbdo2007	Jul 2013	#135
I grew up in Central Florida	tavalon	Jul 2013	#116
I'm glad your not, but it is a racial slur, actually	tavalon	Jul 2013	#115
The word "Nigga" is not the same	AgingAmerican	Jul 2013	#5
Even so, I still don't like using that term myself.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#7
I hope that you would also never use c--n, c--t, or f-g (nt)	Nye Bevan	Jul 2013	#11
No, I don't use those words either.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#18
Interesting side story	tavalon	Jul 2013	#118
clit?	snooper2	Jul 2013	#81
No, the clit is a good thing	tavalon	Jul 2013	#120
Wow, that was almost like a game	tavalon	Jul 2013	#117
I don't use that N-thing in any fashion	Plucketeer	Jul 2013	#66
'I can use this word, but you cant' does not advance relations	markiv	Jul 2013	#8
That's pretty silly, imo.	noamnety	Jul 2013	#16
who's 'we'?	markiv	Jul 2013	#21
It's a fallacy to believe discrimination ended with slavery.	noamnety	Jul 2013	#50
talk about missing the point	markiv	Jul 2013	#53
Perhaps I'm being polite in assuming that's not your point.	noamnety	Jul 2013	#59
unreasonable interpretation/twisting	markiv	Jul 2013	#62
It's really not twisting anything. If you're an outsider to an oppressed group, you don't get a say.	noamnety	Jul 2013	#64
That's a good comparison	tavalon	Jul 2013	#123
So, did Nelson Mandela have a specific position on that word's usage?	tavalon	Jul 2013	#121
They jokingly referred to each other as 'jarheads.'	LanternWaste	Jul 2013	#38
but even in your example, it's a choice of separation vs inclusion	markiv	Jul 2013	#41
It isn't black or white, the relationship is a grey one.	Half-Century Man	Jul 2013	#82
Very interesting	tavalon	Jul 2013	#124
How many dumb sentences start with, "I took a class once"?	Half-Century Man	Jul 2013	#129
So what I intuitively thought has actually been looked at	tavalon	Jul 2013	#134
I think the blacks are reclaiming the n word in much	deafskeptic	Jul 2013	#100
Of course that is the converse of what the OP said. n/t	whopis01	Jul 2013	#94
And of course it is the duty of all black people to advance relations with whites.	Chemisse	Jul 2013	#97
Other way around actually,	tavalon	Jul 2013	#125
Lots of things don't advance relations. Like acquitting Zimmerman. Or	Squinch	Jul 2013	#103
k&r! nt	alsame	Jul 2013	#9
I don't understand what you mean by white people not having a culture.	Neoma	Jul 2013	#10
I think I get it. There is an Irish culture,	Nye Bevan	Jul 2013	#12
You have to be white to be considered Irish or Polish as far as I can tell.	Neoma	Jul 2013	#58
There's no shared common experience for White Americans.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#15
That's like saying being heterosexual isn't a sexual origination.	Neoma	Jul 2013	#19
correct	azureblue	Jul 2013	#25
As a white	pipi_k	Jul 2013	#13
Yes! Ignorance and stupidity are the cause-- what we often call "racism"...	TreasonousBastard	Jul 2013	#51
I grew up in a very ethnic neighborhood.	femmocrat	Jul 2013	#14
+1, this white guy fully agrees with you. eom	tarheelsunc	Jul 2013	#17
Great post Tommy	skeewee08	Jul 2013	#20
Well said (nt)	matt819	Jul 2013	#22
This idea that some people "can't use" these words is also silly: anyone CAN use them	alcibiades_mystery	Jul 2013	#23
Excellent examples	TNNurse	Jul 2013	#30
It really is that simple, isn't it?	eissa	Jul 2013	#56
Here's another example:	moose65	Jul 2013	#69
I'm glad you made the point	Mariana	Jul 2013	#78
In short, the linguistic term is "in-group solidarity."	Behind the Aegis	Jul 2013	#110
Excellent post.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#122
It speaks volumes when clowns like limpballs say...	RedCappedBandit	Jul 2013	#24
Limbaugh is a dumbass drug abusing pedophile	tavalon	Jul 2013	#126
On the one hand...	RevStPatrick	Jul 2013	#26
If black people want to take away the power of that word, they can.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#33
Who is the black comic who tried that on stage and admitted it didn't work...	TreasonousBastard	Jul 2013	#44
You haven't taken away the power if you still get mad depending on who uses it.	dkf	Jul 2013	#46
Don't all ethnic groups have terms	caseymoz	Jul 2013	#27
I don't think it's even just 'ethnic' groups	anomiep	Jul 2013	#37
'The other' team/group/person/nation/religion/creed/etc is always easy to 'classify' and	AtheistCrusader	Jul 2013	#39
Great post	ismnotwasm	Jul 2013	#29
What a wonderful post	TNNurse	Jul 2013	#31
I know,	EC	Jul 2013	#32
As am I. It's one of the few words that makes me cringe. nt	AllINeedIsCoffee	Jul 2013	#34
Check out these ass hats.	trusty elf	Jul 2013	#35
typical	heaven05	Jul 2013	#55
I get 12 months a year of 'white history month'.	AtheistCrusader	Jul 2013	#36
I really hope that some day...	davidthegnome	Jul 2013	#40
Me too, but it may be another few thousand years of evolution before we get there...	TreasonousBastard	Jul 2013	#47
Wow, that's optimistic	tavalon	Jul 2013	#127
I officially give up my right to call anyone derogatory names based on their ethnicity	coldmountain	Jul 2013	#42
+1,000,000!	backscatter712	Jul 2013	#43
Exactly what I believe, the cringe worthy, racist term has been 'reappropriated'	nenagh	Jul 2013	#61
I'm using this the next time one of my older +60 friends uses the "N" word....	Historic NY	Jul 2013	#45
I'm	heaven05	Jul 2013	#48
This middle-aged white RURAL SOUTHERN female	tosh	Jul 2013	#49
There actually is/was a National Association for the Advancement of White People	KamaAina	Jul 2013	#52
When my sister was about 8 yrs. old she called a friend of my dad's a "bastard"	loyalsister	Jul 2013	#54
Where I grew up, "bastard" essentially means jerk or asshole.	Myrina	Jul 2013	#60
For some bizarre reason it is almost an affectionate term	loyalsister	Jul 2013	#84
Fine until your last sentence...	TreasonousBastard	Jul 2013	#57
Read through this thread and recognize how divisive the word is...	dkf	Jul 2013	#63
All of the derogatory terms to describe any group of people should be unacceptable	AndyA	Jul 2013	#65
Rush Limbaugh Seizes a Chance to Violate the N-Word Taboo	AsahinaKimi	Jul 2013	#67
Fools Rush In	Blue Owl	Jul 2013	#74
Rush has been practically begging to use the N WORD on his radio show..	AsahinaKimi	Jul 2013	#76
In another few years, Whites will be a minority anyway..	HipChick	Jul 2013	#68
And when whites' status changes from majority to plurality white privilege will	totodeinhere	Jul 2013	#73
They will die out soon enough..	HipChick	Jul 2013	#83
Bookmarked to bring out the next time somebody whines	Warpy	Jul 2013	#70
K&R. I feel exactly the same way about it.	forestpath	Jul 2013	#71
Meh you can say whatever you want	LittleBlue	Jul 2013	#72
Do you have a point? nt	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#77
Even within the family, this is true-- my black relatives may use it but I never would	carolinayellowdog	Jul 2013	#79
For a hundred years after the Civil War blacks in the South were denied jobs off the plantations...	Spitfire of ATJ	Jul 2013	#80
White people still use it the same way they have for centuries.	nomorenomore08	Jul 2013	#85
If someone wakes up in the morning	JoeyT	Jul 2013	#86
As an older blackman i was encourage not to	BrainMann1	Jul 2013	#87
Not me	Kelselsius	Jul 2013	#88
I'm not fine with it. Hip hoppers tried to take the power from that word.	valerief	Jul 2013	#89
I'm white. And that word never enters my mind...	ReRe	Jul 2013	#90
I remember hearing it once.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#132
Dayam... Oh well, you can get her twice the next time. Otherwise, be nice. ;-)	ReRe	Jul 2013	#133
Another old white dude here. Great post. Thanks.	cliffordu	Jul 2013	#92
I'm Not White. White is a Color, not a Person	Wolf Frankula	Jul 2013	#93
Bravo !	treestar	Jul 2013	#95
Well said, Tommy.	99Forever	Jul 2013	#96
Great thread, Tommy.	Major Hogwash	Jul 2013	#98
What you say is true.	BlueJazz	Jul 2013	#99
K&R and THANK YOU.	MotherPetrie	Jul 2013	#101
Brilliant	Old and In the Way	Jul 2013	#104
Tommy: publish this.	Bertha Venation	Jul 2013	#105
Low class word	Redford	Jul 2013	#106
i'll end the discussion. no one should use it ever, ever, ever. period, end of report!	Nanjing to Seoul	Jul 2013	#107
I take a bit of issue with "you look like fools."	BobTheSubgenius	Jul 2013	#108
Well, naturally.	Tommy_Carcetti	Jul 2013	#131
I forgot to mention....	BobTheSubgenius	Jul 2013	#109
EXACTLY!	blackspade	Jul 2013	#111
Fuckin' A.	Zoeisright	Jul 2013	#112
Whitey here agrees. Except	roody	Jul 2013	#113
Well spoken	tavalon	Jul 2013	#114
K&R. Excellent post.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#119
Actually there certainly IS a "white American culture"	Scootaloo	Jul 2013	#128
As a white mom, I'm NOT fine with that word -	lynne	Jul 2013	#130

Response to Tommy_Carcetti (Original post)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 11:23 AM

Scuba (53,475 posts)

As a white guy, I'm perfectly fine with the fact I can't say N______. Even if black people can.

1. This old white guy agrees. Great post Tommy, thanks.

2. Beautiful Post Tommy!

3. Hey, there's a large and vibrant White American culture in this country!

4. Also, I am not offended by the words "cracker" and "cracka" (nt)

6. No black guy ever shouted "cracker" while whipping a white guy.

28. I've had my ass kicked by black guys calling me a cracker

75. Cracker: (n) one who cracks a whip.

91. Actually the word is very old, derives from Craic (pronounced crack) which is a word

102. Was that ass kicking ...

135. Early 90's. I was one of about 10 white kids in an all black school....

116. I grew up in Central Florida

115. I'm glad your not, but it is a racial slur, actually

5. The word "Nigga" is not the same

7. Even so, I still don't like using that term myself.

11. I hope that you would also never use c--n, c--t, or f-g (nt)

18. No, I don't use those words either.

118. Interesting side story

81. clit?

120. No, the clit is a good thing

117. Wow, that was almost like a game

66. I don't use that N-thing in any fashion

8. 'I can use this word, but you cant' does not advance relations

16. That's pretty silly, imo.

21. who's 'we'?

50. It's a fallacy to believe discrimination ended with slavery.

53. talk about missing the point

59. Perhaps I'm being polite in assuming that's not your point.

62. unreasonable interpretation/twisting

64. It's really not twisting anything. If you're an outsider to an oppressed group, you don't get a say.

123. That's a good comparison

121. So, did Nelson Mandela have a specific position on that word's usage?

38. They jokingly referred to each other as 'jarheads.'

41. but even in your example, it's a choice of separation vs inclusion

82. It isn't black or white, the relationship is a grey one.

124. Very interesting

129. How many dumb sentences start with, "I took a class once"?

134. So what I intuitively thought has actually been looked at

100. I think the blacks are reclaiming the n word in much

94. Of course that is the converse of what the OP said. n/t

97. And of course it is the duty of all black people to advance relations with whites.

125. Other way around actually,

103. Lots of things don't advance relations. Like acquitting Zimmerman. Or

9. k&r! nt

10. I don't understand what you mean by white people not having a culture.

12. I think I get it. There is an Irish culture,

58. You have to be white to be considered Irish or Polish as far as I can tell.

15. There's no shared common experience for White Americans.

19. That's like saying being heterosexual isn't a sexual origination.

25. correct

13. As a white

51. Yes! Ignorance and stupidity are the cause-- what we often call "racism"...

14. I grew up in a very ethnic neighborhood.

17. +1, this white guy fully agrees with you. eom

20. Great post Tommy

22. Well said (nt)

23. This idea that some people "can't use" these words is also silly: anyone CAN use them

30. Excellent examples

56. It really is that simple, isn't it?

69. Here's another example:

78. I'm glad you made the point

110. In short, the linguistic term is "in-group solidarity."

122. Excellent post.

24. It speaks volumes when clowns like limpballs say...

126. Limbaugh is a dumbass drug abusing pedophile

26. On the one hand...

33. If black people want to take away the power of that word, they can.

44. Who is the black comic who tried that on stage and admitted it didn't work...

46. You haven't taken away the power if you still get mad depending on who uses it.

27. Don't all ethnic groups have terms

37. I don't think it's even just 'ethnic' groups

39. 'The other' team/group/person/nation/religion/creed/etc is always easy to 'classify' and

29. Great post

31. What a wonderful post

32. I know,

34. As am I. It's one of the few words that makes me cringe. nt

35. Check out these ass hats.

55. typical

36. I get 12 months a year of 'white history month'.

40. I really hope that some day...