Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
I'd take full advantage of my White privilege.
arent they, though?
I'll clarify. I would take advantage of the benefits of access to White culture, as opposed to mimicking the oppressed. It seems insulting. Black folks that get ahead, ironically, assimilate to some extent into the White mainstream. Hell, I can't go to the business school acting like I just came off the corner. Right? So, what gain is there for White girls acting "street"? It sure doesn't work for Black folks.
When these kids get to business school (if that's where they end up) they lose the schtick. They switch back to their proper upbringing, maybe referencing their "time in the streets" for theatrical or political effect. That's what they meant in terms of white priviledge.
Most of these kids aren't even interested in "getting ahead" because they are living off their parents' trust funds. There are a million kids in my neighborhood like that, straight perping a fraud like they're tough and have some hustle to them when they are basically mommy's boy/girl.
Again, white priviledge.
Good points, Jonny. The irony is I'm one of those cats that had advantages, and still had a tough way to go due to "the skin I'm in". So, if there aren't any constraints in place (due to being White and maybe having advantages), why compromise them by acting like one is from "the hood"? Reap the benefits of the advantages (as I did myself), and prosper. Sure, I came up in the hip-hop culture, but I was NOT trying to undermine the benefits of a good compulsory education, middle-class parents, and resources by frontin' like a hoodlum. Those things are paying off until this very day.
Thats my fam Eli**s about to endulge in Reefer and Beer with Devin> He is that dude and doesn't deserve to be associated with the whack content of this thread!.
Dominant white culture has had a documentable fetishized fascination with 'exoticism' since at least 1493. Here is a brief list of some pereptrations as cited from Coco Fusco's essay The Other History of Intercultural Performance:
1493: An Arawak brought back from the Caribbean by Columbus is left on display in the Spanish court for two years until he dies of sadness. 1501: 'Eskimos' are exhibited in Bristol, England. 1617: Pocahontas, the indian wife of John Rolfe, arrives in London to advertise Virginia tobacco. She dies of an English disease shortly thereafter. 1810-15: 'The Hottentot Venus' (Saartje Benjamin) is exhibited throughout Europe. After her death her genitals are dissected by French scientists and remain preserved in Paris's Museum of Man to this day. 1853: 'Pygmies' dressed in European garb are displayed playing the piano in a British drawing room as proof of their potential for 'civilization'. (this one was in the Times recently)1906: Ota Benga, the first pygmy to visit the United States after the slave trade, is put on display in the primate cage at the Bronx zoo. A group of black ministers protest the zoo's display, but local press argue that Ota Benga was probably enjoying himself. 1992: A black woman midget is exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, billed as 'Tiny Teesha, the Island Princess'.
This is a very brief segment of the list, but i think it addresses the kind of history you're dealing with when you talk about a normatized culture that is presented with any kind of 'other' culture. Basically people freak out, but have to find socially acceptable ways of dealing with it. Obviously this kind of behavior is unacceptable these days, but people are still freaking out, they're just dealing with it differently. It seems assumptive to write it off as ignorance, as the word ignorance is quite broad, and doesn't really serve to address the structures that (a) cause this behavior, and (b) perpetuate it.
All words change with the time. you can't do anything to prevent that. You can rally and petition all you want but the word nigga won't go away. For example, go check the definition of the word ghetto in 2006, and compare with what it meant in 1945. Personnaly I don't use the word ghetto liberally, ut most people do, and I'm not mad at people who don't care about the ethymology of each word they use. This word is historically as charged as the word nigga/nigger, but a lot of words are used differently from their original meaning.
Another thing, while I totally understand your position, I'm glad that the word doesn't mean anything anymore, so my 3 years old black son won't cry because someone called him nigga in school.
What I mean is you'd better focus your anger towards racist people who called you sir and really think of you as a nigger, than stupid girls who calls each other nigga and mean, well nothing really.
I heard white women and men saying the same things at that Diplo show last night: fixies, straight brim hats, tight jeans...nigga please.
I am quite sure they will not slip up in the presence of you-know-who. I agree with some of the previous statments on this matter; taking advantage of privaledges is absolutely critical for anyone. Slightly off topic, but ghetto sensibilities and lifestyle (be it black, white, latin, asian, et al) is not cool; it is a way of life and survival. If it wasn't, perhaps my apt would not have been stripped bare (and roommate raped) on Tuesday. 'Niggas' are hustling, stealing, cheating, robbing, and killing each other just to keep up with the commodities of our American bourgeois class. So, of course, this goes deeper than the word.
Shit's really real out here; this ain't no mafuckin' wanna-be-down trendy lifestyle. It is sometimes wise not to associate with something one knows absolutely nothing about... Oops, just stepped on the soapbox a little bit. But does that make any sense guys?
-e
PS: Hmmm. Does anyone else have the lyrics of "Mr. Nigga" ringing loud in their skull? haha.
I agree but am I wrong to think that we're verging on conflating 'contemporay black culture' with 'contemporary black crime culture' as if they're one and the same? I may be off base here but thats the impression i'm sort've getting.
I agree but am I wrong to think that we're verging on conflating 'contemporay black culture' with 'contemporary black crime culture' as if they're one and the same? I may be off base here but thats the impression i'm sort've getting.
Deej, this thread is not the place to try and talk sense. That stopped being appropriate right about the time that the one dude introduced himself as a "b-man".
I feel you and what you say does make sense. I was just angry because when those three chicks used the word as a term of love towards each other it bothered me something terrible! It put me in a bad mood all day...cause I'm like these chicks think that is a real cool way to refer to themselves. I am sure they don't know the history of the word like that, but I just think people need to be knowledged about their mistakes. Maybe there isn't nothing you can do about stopping people from using the word...who knows? All I know is that I am not going to stop chin checkin' cats on that! amir
All words change with the time. you can't do anything to prevent that. You can rally and petition all you want but the word nigga won't go away. For example, go check the definition of the word ghetto in 2006, and compare with what it meant in 1945. Personnaly I don't use the word ghetto liberally, ut most people do, and I'm not mad at people who don't care about the ethymology of each word they use. This word is historically as charged as the word nigga/nigger, but a lot of words are used differently from their original meaning.
Another thing, while I totally understand your position, I'm glad that the word doesn't mean anything anymore, so my 3 years old black son won't cry because someone called him nigga in school.
What I mean is you'd better focus your anger towards racist people who called you sir and really think of you as a nigger, than stupid girls who calls each other nigga and mean, well nothing really.
Well, like I said earlier I asked "You think that's funny don't you?!" I asked a few more questions, but they looked at me as if I was coming at them wrong...and to be honest, I had some important shit to do so I did't stay around chattin' it up with them. Also I don't feel it's solely my duty to educate all these fools when others decide it's ok for people like those chicks to use those terms. Again, brothers out there (not YOU) allow and sometimes cosign the usage of this word by chicks or guys for that matter; people like myself have to deal with the consequences of their ignorance. So is it fair that only I have to educate these people or should brothers like the ones I've just mentioned share in the responsbility too?! amir
i dont think its an issue of "co-signing" ...its more about not giving a fuck
The 'Nigga' issue is the most touchy issue in the black community ...its been debated within our race for decades...Its a complicated issue that has taken up way too much of our time ..
white girls calling each other "nigga" further distances the word from black folks
as long as they aren't calling me or you nigga,or saying "Sadat X is a Nigga", i encourage them to call each other nigga all day ....i encourage them to adopt the negative self image we've carried for too many years ....Let them be "niggas" ...allow them to move backwards while we stay focused on the things we really need to be concerned with
Well, like I said earlier I asked "You think that's funny don't you?!" I asked a few more questions, but they looked at me as if I was coming at them wrong...and to be honest, I had some important shit to do so I did't stay around chattin' it up with them. Also I don't feel it's solely my duty to educate all these fools when others decide it's ok for people like those chicks to use those terms. Again, brothers out there (not YOU) allow and sometimes cosign the usage of this word by chicks or guys for that matter; people like myself have to deal with the consequences of their ignorance. So is it fair that only I have to educate these people or should brothers like the ones I've just mentioned share in the responsbility too?! amir
i once saw two latin kids (probably aged 10-12) joking with each other and calling each other "nigga"...but when their father saw me (a black man) coming down the road, he told them to shut up QUICK
Also I don't feel it's solely my duty to educate all these fools when others decide it's ok for people like those chicks to use those terms.
Dogs, its so damn simple. If u feel its inappropriate, step to them like a SOLDIER,and let them know the deal. Even if they fail to see your point, you at least stepped to the plate. U cant wait for other Brothers to back you.
Like I said before, I have and will continue to "step' to these fools. However, it ain't solely my job to do that. It gets mad frustrating to have to always step to these fools...by the way, this ain't about being a "soldier"...it's about all of us taking responsbility of our actions and realizing how these actions can affect others! Many of ya'll seem to be missing the point..everybody seems to want me to soley take responsbility by "stepping" to these fools, but everybody doesn't seem to want to stop contributing to the problem by not cosigning these fools using the word. Too many people on here have expressed that the word cannot be vanished and believe that I should not pay it any attention. Some feel that I should let those fools use the word as long as they don't say to me or anybody else. BULLSHIT!! Again, the history and the context of the word will not me allow to do that...I don't give a shit that it's 2006. So what!!! In many areas of this country people still refer to blacks as niggas. Also it was only 35-40 years ago that people used the word nigga everywhere in this country. Maybe some of ya'll are too young to remember that shit, but I ain't! amir
Some feel that I should let those fools use the word as long as they don't say to me or anybody else. BULLSHIT!!
NO NO NO NO NO
Thats not at all what i'm saying.....
What i'm saying is... if it offends YOU i have no problem with that ....and you should handle it however YOU choose .....i'd just rather focus on the big picture...our biggest problem is we are distracted by too many things....we are dying a slow death and i really don't have the energy,time or interest to educate Julie ....i'm working on more important things while you just spent 3 days being pissed at a bunch of dumb white bitches
if they want to be niggas, let them be niggas...then maybe we can get away from being niggas
I don't have time to deal with Julie either, but the point is that they just won't stop at calling each other niggas they will get sooo comfortable with that word that they will start black people that shit too. Trust me, I seen it happened. There is no way this shit..we have to deal with it by confronting those who use the word and those who (black or white) allow them to use it too!!
Puerto Ricans have been using the word nigga for a looooong time and they've always been given a free pass ...why do we allow Puerto Ricans and Mexicans to use the word ? Hector calling me nigga stings just as much as Julie calling me nigga ....it probably stings more
Puerto Ricans have been using the word nigga for a looooong time and they've always been given a free pass ...why do we allow Puerto Ricans and Mexicans to use the word ? Hector calling me nigga stings just as much as Julie calling me nigga ....it probably stings more
My ex used to use it. I had to get in her ass about that shit. A asked her if i can use Spic. Of course she couldnt see it. I give the constant icegrill to the kids who use it. They think it simply means person. There's many PR cats who acknowledge their African heritage and see themeslves as part of the diaspora.
on a RR tip, this got me thinking about the progression from "ok" to "non pc" to somehow accepted all over again.
1974(?) wow.
1976... continued wow.
then things seemed to fade for a while. 'PC' and all that... (note that on this 1983 album "faggot" was apparently no problem still, note the track: "faggots")
1988: in yer face provocation at this point, the mass public was "omg do you know what that stands for?"
1991: flavor flav "i dont wanna be called yo nigga"
1997(?): by this point, Chris was ranting about the difference between 'black people' and 'niggas'. at this point, so far as i recall, a white person wouldnt dare use the term in the presence of a black person. (while 'ironic' usage between white fool to white fool was perhaps just starting??)
10 years later, the 'new generation' seems to be pushing even that boundary, acting like its all good or something.
speaking of nagl, Quentin is a tool for that scene. im sure in his head he was thinking 'yeah, i can do this, because its like a homage to the 70s...yeah thats it! and im so cool.' butthead. (kill bill still rules though, pastiche of stolen styles that it is)
Puerto Ricans have been using the word nigga for a looooong time and they've always been given a free pass ...why do we allow Puerto Ricans and Mexicans to use the word ? Hector calling me nigga stings just as much as Julie calling me nigga ....it probably stings more
please define what exactly a puerto rican is...go to loiza, puerto rico ...you will not be able to tell who you might think is "black" when infact they are puerto rican.
african+ taino indian + spainard= puerto rican
other than that, i do not use this word...and have grown up around it my whole life, have been called it my whole life by my boys...i just do not like or condone the history behind it, period.
the worst instance i have ever heard it being used was by a black dude describing a white dude
"yo.....you know you know that white nigga " while walking in l.e.s ?!!?? this was about 9 years ago
Comments
Good points, Jonny. The irony is I'm one of those cats that had advantages, and still had a tough way to go due to "the skin I'm in". So, if there aren't any constraints in place (due to being White and maybe having advantages), why compromise them by acting like one is from "the hood"? Reap the benefits of the advantages (as I did myself), and prosper. Sure, I came up in the hip-hop culture, but I was NOT trying to undermine the benefits of a good compulsory education, middle-class parents, and resources by frontin' like a hoodlum. Those things are paying off until this very day.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Thats my fam Eli**s about to endulge in Reefer and Beer with Devin> He is that dude and doesn't deserve to be associated with the whack content of this thread!.
1493: An Arawak brought back from the Caribbean by Columbus is left on display in the Spanish court for two years until he dies of sadness.
1501: 'Eskimos' are exhibited in Bristol, England.
1617: Pocahontas, the indian wife of John Rolfe, arrives in London to advertise Virginia tobacco. She dies of an English disease shortly thereafter.
1810-15: 'The Hottentot Venus' (Saartje Benjamin) is exhibited throughout Europe. After her death her genitals are dissected by French scientists and remain preserved in Paris's Museum of Man to this day.
1853: 'Pygmies' dressed in European garb are displayed playing the piano in a British drawing room as proof of their potential for 'civilization'.
(this one was in the Times recently)1906: Ota Benga, the first pygmy to visit the United States after the slave trade, is put on display in the primate cage at the Bronx zoo. A group of black ministers protest the zoo's display, but local press argue that Ota Benga was probably enjoying himself.
1992: A black woman midget is exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, billed as 'Tiny Teesha, the Island Princess'.
This is a very brief segment of the list, but i think it addresses the kind of history you're dealing with when you talk about a normatized culture that is presented with any kind of 'other' culture. Basically people freak out, but have to find socially acceptable ways of dealing with it. Obviously this kind of behavior is unacceptable these days, but people are still freaking out, they're just dealing with it differently. It seems assumptive to write it off as ignorance, as the word ignorance is quite broad, and doesn't really serve to address the structures that (a) cause this behavior, and (b) perpetuate it.
All words change with the time. you can't do anything to prevent that. You can rally and petition all you want but the word nigga won't go away.
For example, go check the definition of the word ghetto in 2006, and compare with what it meant in 1945. Personnaly I don't use the word ghetto liberally, ut most people do, and I'm not mad at people who don't care about the ethymology of each word they use. This word is historically as charged as the word nigga/nigger, but a lot of words are used differently from their original meaning.
Another thing, while I totally understand your position, I'm glad that the word doesn't mean anything anymore, so my 3 years old black son won't cry because someone called him nigga in school.
What I mean is you'd better focus your anger towards racist people who called you sir and really think of you as a nigger, than stupid girls who calls each other nigga and mean, well nothing really.
fixies, straight brim hats, tight jeans...nigga please.
I am quite sure they will not slip up in the presence of you-know-who. I agree with some of the previous statments on this matter; taking advantage of privaledges is absolutely critical for anyone. Slightly off topic, but ghetto sensibilities and lifestyle (be it black, white, latin, asian, et al) is not cool; it is a way of life and survival. If it wasn't, perhaps my apt would not have been stripped bare (and roommate raped) on Tuesday. 'Niggas' are hustling, stealing, cheating, robbing, and killing each other just to keep up with the commodities of our American bourgeois class. So, of course, this goes deeper than the word.
Shit's really real out here; this ain't no mafuckin' wanna-be-down trendy lifestyle. It is sometimes wise not to associate with something one knows absolutely nothing about...
Oops, just stepped on the soapbox a little bit. But does that make any sense guys?
-e
PS: Hmmm. Does anyone else have the lyrics of "Mr. Nigga" ringing loud in their skull? haha.
Deej, this thread is not the place to try and talk sense. That stopped being appropriate right about the time that the one dude introduced himself as a "b-man".
Homophobe.
amir
why didn't you question them ?
amir
The 'Nigga' issue is the most touchy issue in the black community ...its been debated within our race for decades...Its a complicated issue that has taken up way too much of our time ..
white girls calling each other "nigga" further distances the word from black folks
as long as they aren't calling me or you nigga,or saying "Sadat X is a Nigga", i encourage them to call each other nigga all day ....i encourage them to adopt the negative self image we've carried for too many years ....Let them be "niggas" ...allow them to move backwards while we stay focused on the things we really need to be concerned with
Trading Places
i once saw two latin kids (probably aged 10-12) joking with each other and calling each other "nigga"...but when their father saw me (a black man) coming down the road, he told them to shut up QUICK
Dogs, its so damn simple. If u feel its inappropriate, step to them like a SOLDIER,and let them know the deal. Even if they fail to see your point, you at least stepped to the plate. U cant wait for other Brothers to back you.
amir
This is why shit persists.
NO NO NO NO NO
Thats not at all what i'm saying.....
What i'm saying is... if it offends YOU i have no problem with that ....and you should handle it however YOU choose .....i'd just rather focus on the big picture...our biggest problem is we are distracted by too many things....we are dying a slow death and i really don't have the energy,time or interest to educate Julie ....i'm working on more important things while you just spent 3 days being pissed at a bunch of dumb white bitches
if they want to be niggas, let them be niggas...then maybe we can get away from being niggas
yeah,Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans have been using the word nigga for a looooong time and they've always been given a free pass ...why do we allow Puerto Ricans and Mexicans to use the word ? Hector calling me nigga stings just as much as Julie calling me nigga ....it probably stings more
My ex used to use it. I had to get in her ass about that shit. A asked her if i can use Spic. Of course she couldnt see it. I give the constant icegrill to the kids who use it. They think it simply means person.
There's many PR cats who acknowledge their African heritage and see themeslves as part of the diaspora.
1974(?)
wow.
1976...
continued wow.
then things seemed to fade for a while. 'PC' and all that...
(note that on this 1983 album "faggot" was apparently no problem still, note the track: "faggots")
1988: in yer face provocation
at this point, the mass public was "omg do you know what that stands for?"
1991: flavor flav "i dont wanna be called yo nigga"
1997(?):
by this point, Chris was ranting about the difference between 'black people' and 'niggas'. at this point, so far as i recall, a white person wouldnt dare use the term in the presence of a black person. (while 'ironic' usage between white fool to white fool was perhaps just starting??)
10 years later, the 'new generation' seems to be pushing even that boundary, acting like its all good or something.
speaking of nagl, Quentin is a tool for that scene. im sure in his head he was thinking 'yeah, i can do this, because its like a homage to the 70s...yeah thats it! and im so cool.' butthead. (kill bill still rules though, pastiche of stolen styles that it is)
please define what exactly a puerto rican is...go to loiza, puerto rico ...you will not be able to tell who you might think is "black" when infact they are puerto rican.
african+ taino indian + spainard= puerto rican
other than that, i do not use this word...and have grown up around it my whole life, have been called it my whole life by my boys...i just do not like or condone the history behind it, period.
the worst instance i have ever heard it being used was by a black dude describing a white dude
"yo.....you know you know that white nigga " while walking in l.e.s ?!!?? this was about 9 years ago
uh oh.
African American?