re: children being called "crackers"

[ulysses]

I had the amusing experience today of being called a "n*gga" by an African-American child. Note that I am as white as the day is long.

Of course, "n*gga" to our kids at school is an all-purpose epithet, term of endearment and meaningless muttering, completely divorced from the associations it carries for most folks. Still, an odd experience. Part of me is almost flattered, although the student certainly didn't mean it in a flattering way.

We live in strange racial times in America, friends.

[CindyDale]

1. It's a compliment

I believe. I've heard that usage, too.

Language changes that way. Negative terms can become positive, and positive euphemisms can become perjorative.

[ulysses]

2. well, like I say,

the kid was pissed off at me for not letting him loiter in the hallway, so I don't think he meant it as a compliment that time. :D

[Warpy]

5. HAHA!

It's funny and sad, at the same time.

Can you imagine what this kid's family must talk like?

[ulysses]

8. I *know* what they talk like.

Speech is rough in the neighborhood, along with most other things.

I worry about these kids.

[CindyDale]

6. OK, then i have not heard it used that way

That's a new one.

[rowire]

3. No Sympathy

You have to admit that being called that name did not cause a fraction of the pain that white men have caused for African Americans through the centuries. It is about time that we, as white men, felt a little bit of the sting of racism. It might make us more senstitive to the plight of African Americans.

[ulysses]

4. slow down.

I'm not asking for sympathy, friend.

[rowire]

7. Sorry

I reread your post and you are correct. You seem to have taken the "insult/compliment" with grace.

I just get spun up when I hear white guys complain about having hurt feelings about being called "cracker" and I jumped to the conclusion that you were doing the same sort of thing. You are correct, these are strange times. The pendulem is swinging back at white folks and most of them are uncomfortable in that foreign position.

[ulysses]

10. no problem.

It's a fair assumption, given how many folks who look like me do like to complain about all this. No harm, no foul.

I teach in an all-black inner city middle school in Atlanta, and it's been an interesting ride.

[DaCheat]

9. So,

People SHOULD be racist to even non-racist white people. Jeez, now I have heard it all.

[rowire]

12. We Are All Racists

to some extent. We (white males) are certainly the benefactors of white racism and slavery. In the same vein, I have no qualms with taxing the children of wealthy white men through estate taxes even though the children had nothing to do with their parent's pillaging.

[ultraist]

19. I agree

I by no means can say that I am perfect and do not contribute to racism. And, I have adopted a black son, sponsor his biological family as much as I can by subsidizing their rent and bills, volunteer with black underprivileged children and read quite a lot on racism to keep myself informed. I vote Democrat even though our taxes and capital gains would be higher in large part to support social programs including Affirmative Action.

We do what we can while some refuse to even admit that racism exists and perpetuate the problem to a large degree. Denying a problem exists does not make it so nor does it make it go away.

I really don't understand why people are so threatened to discuss white privilege. The road is smoother for those of us who are white.

I was sent a nasty PM for being outspoken about racism and accused of "exploiting black people in my business" and living a "bourgeious" lifestyle! Outfuckingrageous! I do not exploit blacks in my business. My top paid employee is a black man. We have a small business, so we do not have a lot of employees, but the lowest paid happens to be a white male. We provide 12-15 jobs in our community.

No, I am not perfect, I do not donate all of my profit to charity, but find it really odd that someone is attacking me and attempting to intimate and silence me, via PM, calling me a "holier than thou liberal" because I'm not afraid to discuss racism in depth. WTF?

Someone pointed out on the other cracker thread that Nelson (D-Fl) refers to himself as a cracker. It is not a racial slur in the same way that "nigger" is.

Unfuckingbelievable!

[DaCheat]

23. I am not denying that racism exists

To do that would truly divorce myself from reality. It becomes extreme that people propose a cure to racism by saying that white people MUST experience it. I haven't ever been accused of being racist, and I don't think that I am, as that is how I was raised. As well, I haven't ever been attacked because of my race. Why should I be told that I should have to undergo racism for the experience. Its not healthy, and encouraging racism, on any race, is sickening. I am very glad that some posters here understand that in order to cure racism, one does not revese racism to the other people involved. I, personally, don't believe in reverse racism as it is touted by the Right, but I certainly don't think that allowing one race to hurt another because of their race is right. After all, I didn't enslave anyone, and I don't ever plan on it. I look past people's skin color and don't worry about whats right for white people or black people, because we are all PEOPLE, and in the end, I could get a flipping fuck about what color you are.

[ulysses]

13. ?

Never said that. Actually, I think that by calling me a "n*gga", that student was being non-racist - he wasn't taking my race into account.

[DrWeird]

14. A black kid calling a white guy "nigga" is racist?

Now I have heard everything.

[DaCheat]

15. No

My reply messed up, I was trying to reply to the message:


"It is about time that we, as white men, felt a little bit of the sting of racism. It might make us more senstitive to the plight of African Americans."

I thought that was extreme, that white people should experience racism just to teach us a lesson.

[DrWeird]

16. I think that comment is dead on.

If white people are going to be purposely ignorant of racism, let them go to Japan or some place and let them feel the other side of it.

[ulysses]

18. "should" is even beside the point.

We reap what we've sown, even if we, specifically, didn't do the sowing. *Should* I, as a relatively introspective and open-minded white man, experience racism on the receiving end? It's moot - it will likely happen regardless, and has. I have a hard time blaming anyone except 14 or 15 generations of white racists for that.

We get to make that up as individuals. I have a student in my class who, speaking to no one in particular one day, blurted out "I hate white people!" Then she paused, and continued "Except Mr. Uly - he's nice."

[ultraist]

20. Yes, it's called social responsibility

If we act irresponsibly, we are no better.

BTW, that child may have good reason to feel that way. I have worked with black kids who were afraid to even speak to white people, for good reason.

[Tomee450]

24. Unfortunately

many white people do not understand the horrible effects of racism. My mother left the south as a young person. She was very scared of white people. She said that she was terrified the first time she saw her mother sitting next to a white person on the bus. Her knees started shaking. She thought her mother would be arrested and sent to jail. She never forgot how she felt at that moment.

[CatBoreal]

11. Check out...

Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kenedy...

It's an interesting read.

http://tinyurl.com/4hydq

From the Publisher:

It’s “the nuclear bomb of racial epithets,” a word that whites have employed to wound and degrade African Americans for three centuries. Paradoxically, among many black people it has become a term of affection and even empowerment. The word, of course, is nigger, and in this candid, lucidly argued book the distinguished legal scholar Randall Kennedy traces its origins, maps its multifarious connotations, and explores the controversies that rage around it.

[htuttle]

17. I've had the same experience, and know exactly what you are talking about

I don't think it really bothered me at the time either. Then again, it was back when I drove a taxi, and was commonly called many colorful and interesting names, in many languages.

Actually, I think I took it more as a statement about economic class than race (since I'm personally a very light beige), and I'm pretty sure that's how it was meant.

[Beacho]

21. Had it happen to me too

After long association. I got the feeling that the person was getting 'comfortable' around me. I never said it back, always said 'cousin' instead.

[ClassicDem]

22. I am white and was called nigger once before

by another white guy and it was not in a praising way.