Only if you are mentally challenged, you can justify a difference between the two words. This teacher had no right whatsoever to tell his student such a word. What was he thinking IF he was thinking at all? In his position as a teacher his choice of words are shameful. Too bad he does not realize that.
This is tantamount to occupational seppuku, plain and simple. The classroom is the representation of an egalitarian society and the acceptance of this paradigm invites all of the disgusting and demeaning designations for peoples as commonplace and normal discourse.
It speaks to the bigger question, why is that African-Americans choose to refer to each other utilizing this moniker in a variety of social settings as a common course of dialogue, description and affection? However, when a person of another race in comparable context utilizes this word, only then it becomes offensive and thus incendiary.
You can't have it both ways. Either it is or it isn't? Perhaps this debate can move to the nuance and circumstance of the word, something akin to the utilization of the word clever that denotes the framework of its usage. To that effect, you will have pleadings before the jam-packed courts that seek to clear up the unfortunate misunderstandings of situational semantics.
We all have some humorous insight as to our own cultural and national identities and they are often pointed out by comedians of the same because we don't laugh if comes from elsewhere. We stand on a soapbox and scream racism.
I don't refer to others by their racial signatures and as a consequence expect that others will do the same. I think there might be a commandment or two somewhere in there?
Edited: Charles R on 6th Jan, 2007 - 6:20pm
Ummm...having grown up in a black neighborhood, there is no difference and if you are light on the melatonin you had better not embrace either word in your vocabulary! I have the distinct impression that this "teacher" has few black amongst his students.
QUOTE (Charles R @ 6-Jan 07, 2:18 PM) |
It speaks to the bigger question, why is that African-Americans choose to refer to each other utilizing this moniker in a variety of social settings as a common course of dialogue, description and affection? However, when a person of another race in comparable contextutilizes this word, only then it becomes offensive and thus incendiary. |
You are right the utilization of the word is not blanketed throughout the community however, it has been widely exported/globalized through rap music.
It sounds like a Kramer type situation regarding the context of its usage. Cells phones have been the instrument used to remove several teachers from the classroom and no doubt will continue to chronicle classroom interaction. Time to look for a new career?
Edited: Charles R on 6th Jan, 2007 - 7:18pm
If I am not mistaken, it was Richard Pryor who helped bring this into popular culture. This is not to say the word wasn't thrown around before him, but he did get up and put it on vinyl for all to hear. And if he was the original, Eddie Murphy (when he was up and coming) brought the use to a whole new generation that loved it. Murphy was followed by the Chris Rock's of the world.
I laughed at a lot of Richard Pryor material, but I do believe he and later Eddie Murphy that made it common among the black race.
It's much more common than you might think, that African-Americans call each other the "N" word, but particularly among the youth. As Vincenzo pointed out, it was made more popular through icons like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, et al, but the fact remains that it's a solid part of the culture now. Listen to rap music, some time, it's all through there.
White people (and people of other races) have no business using the "N" word in any situation, no matter how common it is among African-Americans. It's well known how insulting that is; why do it intentionally, unless your intent is to do harm?
This teacher tries to play it off that he was just using a word that is similar to white kids saying "dude," but he's way off base. Just using an obvious "duh" routine, trying to save his own neck, in my opinion.