Why i'm good with the "N" word

[pecan]

Y boy ,like the man hoe say ,is all in context and endearment ...that is serious talk ,we younger generation done pass 300 hundred year ole predujuices,we's homies homes 

here is my dilemma -- all in context is accurate .. de problem is dat the idiots out dere mite tink it is acceptable for them to use anywhere without understanding the context and usage ... and here is where i flip flop ... den dat is dere problem and i doh care as long as dey leave me alone

[Organic]

Doe worry hoe ,U's my nigga fer real ..hold it dong   

no scene man..hoep dat dirnk is shandy i and alcohol do get along well we break up years ago

[Organic]

i does meet meh padnas in de middle of arima..or use to  and greet people like" ah smelling hoe"
or but wah de ass coolie wey u come out from yuh nwo escape etc.."
dut dais poeple i knwo who cool and ent cater..
i am coolie ot alot of meh frens
and i have some indian frens who i call negro
nigger creole
all kinda madness

[Quags]

Y boy ,like the man hoe say ,is all in context and endearment ...that is serious talk ,we younger generation done pass 300 hundred year ole predujuices,we's homies homes 

here is my dilemma -- all in context is accurate .. de problem is dat the idiots out dere mite tink it is acceptable for them to use anywhere without understanding the context and usage ... and here is where i flip flop ... den dat is dere problem and i doh care as long as dey leave me alone

Interesting question ,but daiz ah seminar ah go have to hold ,on the proper usage of the word ...word! lol ......basically u have to use it with somebody who's down or they go f**k u up with ah lecture like TT lol ,once mans them cool they go use it first e.g Nigga lets get the f**k outta here !

[Quags]

Doe worry hoe ,U's my nigga fer real ..hold it dong   

no scene man..hoep dat dirnk is shandy i and alcohol do get along well we break up years ago

actually ah wanted to put this but ppl might tink is ah diss lol

[truetrini]

the main reason people ascribe names to persons is so it come easy tuh abuse.

Is not ah human is ah nigger.

Is not ah man is ah coolie

Is not ah person is ah buller.

Is not ah child is ah spick

Is not ah woman is ah bull dyke

It becoems easy to abuse, humiliate and kill all of the bove as dem eh human.

[Quags]

Yeah true that but atleast them american take back the word ,and they going to make sumting that was ugly beautifull again ..and u know what good for them .I don't tink anyting beautifull in coolie yet ,cause they will just keep coming .

[WestCoast]

one way to look at this

[pecan]

Here is the essence of the issue by way of example

My daughter tell me today, she gets upset when she hear ppl use the N word.  A few days ago, two of her white CDN firends (well more like two ppl she know from school) had the N word in their MSN screen name.  For these two girsl who have no real clue about the origins, it was OK to use that word cause it was cool.  So when black ppl use the word, they are appear to legitimize its use by anyone ... that is the risk you run when the N word is used.  We cannot discreminate on the use of the work .. either it is OK to use by everyone, or it is not OK.  No in between for me.

My problem is dat I still eh know which extreme I agree with.

[Organic]

Here is the essence of the issue by way of example

My daughter tell me today, she gets upset when she hear ppl use the N word.  A few days ago, two of her white CDN firends (well more like two ppl she know from school) had the N word in their MSN screen name.  For these two girsl who have no real clue about the origins, it was OK to use that word cause it was cool.  So when black ppl use the word, they are appear to legitimize its use by anyone ... that is the risk you run when the N word is used.  We cannot discreminate on the use of the work .. either it is OK to use by everyone, or it is not OK.  No in between for me.

My problem is dat I still eh know which extreme I agree with.

exaclty pecan
it have no shouldnt have no inbetween
but its like that in socity
how many thign especially when a child growing up....u can do somethign but they cant.??
for alot of things it depends on the situation/ circumstance.
once kids understand that racisim is worng...that words can beused to hurt. then thats an important beginning.
contatry to what poepl might then alot of prejudcies are learnt in the house. not in school..
also importnat is what is NOT taught in the home.
you might never teach ah kid to hate others  for what ever reason, but failure to teach them, that hatred is wrong caould be just as dangerous..then they lack the guidance when its time to make a decision which could lead them to be a bully or bystander to bullying which is alomost as bad.
and i use bullying to cover a large amout of acts

[truetrini]

ah visit de queen maco website....dis was interesting.

http://www.abolishthenword.com/

[Quags]

While they at it let them abolish the word coolie o one time  ,it's all bad .

[Organic]

While they at it let them abolish the word coolie o one time  ,it's all bad .

excuse u eh
dais part ha my culture and i eh find it bad
leave it right dey
though dat site ..interesting
for true
i eh finish watch
it dutty africam
have meh engraoosed
i see some zebra ah wanna se some elephants though i doubt they so scarce in africa
ah trying to figure out if dais ah strickly remote cam or poeple in a hive
alhtough i think is a remote

[Quags]

sorry we go leave it then  ,u see ah zebra u lie

[Organic]

sorry we go leave it then  ,u see ah zebra u lie

no i eh see a zebra i saw ah whole herd
u eh see i record time 2...lol
this thign good to teach upatience

[Quags]

oh shit my thing pause like 2 hours now and ar ein't even realize 

[pecan]

While they at it let them abolish the word coolie o one time  ,it's all bad .

excuse u eh
dais part ha my culture and i eh find it bad
leave it right dey
though dat site ..interesting
for true
i eh finish watch
it dutty africam
have meh engraoosed
i see some zebra ah wanna se some elephants though i doubt they so scarce in africa
ah trying to figure out if dais ah strickly remote cam or poeple in a hive
alhtough i think is a remote

[/b]

ah see some head lights yesterday .. and heard voices .. it mite be reomote but still readily accesible

[pecan]

ah visit DE queen Macao website....dis was interesting.

http://www.abolishthenword.com/

ah go have to go through dis site before i comment further. .the intro was disturbing .. but the inference is that there is a  cause and effect between the "word" and the atrocities committed against blacks .. that is my initial reaction to reading the text in conjunctions with the images displayed

[Queen Macoomeh]

I haven't read all the responses so bear with me if I am simply echoing the sentiments of others on this topic.

Words have weight, they have bearing, they can hurt and leave invisible scars. Few can argue that point. It is why we can appreciate that verbal abuse is a real phenomenon. It is an abuse, simple. You can't put a bandage on it and it takes longer to heal than a physical wound.

This word has lost all definition and taken on negative connotation over the past decades. It carries weight which is why people like 'Kramer' can still get our attention just by using it. HAd he not said the word, we'd have simply thought he was high and laughed him off. Instead, we ran around like chickens without heads and the Jacksons and Sharptons went into 5th gear.

I work with words. I know you can say the same things 10 different ways to illicit ten different responses from ten different people. The word is bandied about, some call it a good natured means of greeting between Black men, some say it ain't about nothing, some say it's just a word. But it isn't otherwise this threads and thousand others like it on the net would not exist. I don't see similar threads about other ethnic terms. I believe there IS no other ethnic slur quite like this one. Rappers are blamed but if we had told them "STOP" they would not use it, would they? They aren't leading the way, they are reflecting it.

I took a personal stance. I do not use it, never have, never will. Not in my speech, not in my writing. I consider myself an educated person and believe I can express myself in a way to stay on the high road. I see no reason to give others the weapons by which to hang me still in the 21 century. If others want to embrace it and try to remove the venom it comes with, good for them. But it's not in my home and my close circle of friends know they cannot step to me with it.

[TriniCana]

I haven't read all the responses so bear with me if I am simply echoing the sentiments of others on this topic.

Words have weight, they have bearing, they can hurt and leave invisible scars. Few can argue that point. It is why we can appreciate that verbal abuse is a real phenomenon. It is an abuse, simple. You can't put a bandage on it and it takes longer to heal than a physical wound.

This word has lost all definition and taken on negative connotation over the past decades. It carries weight which is why people like 'Kramer' can still get our attention just by using it. HAd he not said the word, we'd have simply thought he was high and laughed him off. Instead, we ran around like chickens without heads and the Jacksons and Sharptons went into 5th gear.

I work with words. I know you can say the same things 10 different ways to illicit ten different responses from ten different people. The word is bandied about, some call it a good natured means of greeting between Black men, some say it ain't about nothing, some say it's just a word. But it isn't otherwise this threads and thousand others like it on the net would not exist. I don't see similar threads about other ethnic terms. I believe there IS no other ethnic slur quite like this one. Rappers are blamed but if we had told them "STOP" they would not use it, would they? They aren't leading the way, they are reflecting it.

I took a personal stance. I do not use it, never have, never will. Not in my speech, not in my writing. I consider myself an educated person and believe I can express myself in a way to stay on the high road. I see no reason to give others the weapons by which to hang me still in the 21 century. If others want to embrace it and try to remove the venom it comes with, good for them. But it's not in my home and my close circle of friends know they cannot step to me with it.

I read what you wrote....and I imagine myself in a situation where the word was being used loosely ie in a conversation between different races.
Firstly I tried not to let peoples' words offend me in such a way to course emotional damage - then all that was taught to me about self confidence, pride and "doh take shit from nobody" (meh grandmudda) by parents and peers were in vain.

For someone to call me ah niggs, don't care what colour dey man above give dem, I would smile....seriously. To me its just a word with no meanin or bearing in my life and how i live it...dis is me. 

Now again ah said in another post that ting like dis never happen to me, cause i haven't put myself in no position to get ah name call. Dat being said, i'm sure dem at the office does call me all kinda name behind meh back and den come skinning dey teeth at me.  Like everything else, I does jus give dem ah 5 cent smile and move on.

words do have weight - only if we let it.
 

[pecan]

I haven't read all the responses so bear with me if I am simply echoing the sentiments of others on this topic.

Words have weight, they have bearing, they can hurt and leave invisible scars. Few can argue that point. It is why we can appreciate that verbal abuse is a real phenomenon. It is an abuse, simple. You can't put a bandage on it and it takes longer to heal than a physical wound.

This word has lost all definition and taken on negative connotation over the past decades. It carries weight which is why people like 'Kramer' can still get our attention just by using it. HAd he not said the word, we'd have simply thought he was high and laughed him off. Instead, we ran around like chickens without heads and the Jacksons and Sharptons went into 5th gear.

I work with words. I know you can say the same things 10 different ways to illicit ten different responses from ten different people. The word is bandied about, some call it a good natured means of greeting between Black men, some say it ain't about nothing, some say it's just a word. But it isn't otherwise this threads and thousand others like it on the net would not exist. I don't see similar threads about other ethnic terms. I believe there IS no other ethnic slur quite like this one. Rappers are blamed but if we had told them "STOP" they would not use it, would they? They aren't leading the way, they are reflecting it.

I took a personal stance. I do not use it, never have, never will. Not in my speech, not in my writing. I consider myself an educated person and believe I can express myself in a way to stay on the high road. I see no reason to give others the weapons by which to hang me still in the 21 century. If others want to embrace it and try to remove the venom it comes with, good for them. But it's not in my home and my close circle of friends know they cannot step to me with it.

I read what you wrote....and I imagine myself in a situation where the word was being used loosely ie in a conversation between different races.
Firstly I tried not to let peoples' words offend me in such a way to course emotional damage - then all that was taught to me about self confidence, pride and "doh take shit from nobody" (meh grandmudda) by parents and peers were in vain.

For someone to call me ah niggs, don't care what colour dey man above give dem, I would smile....seriously. To me its just a word with no meanin or bearing in my life and how i live it...dis is me. 

Now again ah said in another post that ting like dis never happen to me, cause i haven't put myself in no position to get ah name call. Dat being said, i'm sure dem at the office does call me all kinda name behind meh back and den come skinning dey teeth at me.  Like everything else, I does jus give dem ah 5 cent smile and move on.

words do have weight - only if we let it.
 

dais de point ... well said even though ah doh tink we fully agree.

i choose not to use the 'N' word because I doh like it - I have never used it to de best of my memory nor, more importantly, have ever though of anyone as a 'N'.  (I is a 50/50 mixup - chinee and indian)

I have been called names (primarily Paki and Immigrant) and I know dat these words doh have the same history as the 'N' word.  But as de Sista say, it becomes a problem when we let it affect us.  Was Richards right to use the word in de way he did?  NO .... but he has now displayed to de world some deeper sentiments dat we were not aware of.

So how society treats Richards will eventually censor him (we hope) without formal measure.  Banning de 'N' word will only drive racism further underground.  De best way to deal with it is up front.

As we become more self aware, society will eventually regulate itself.

[truetrini]

I beg to differ, words are symbols, powerful symbols.  Words are used tuh perpetuate stereotypes of members of different groups, dese groups are based on race, ethnicity, age, gender types, sexual orientation, disbaility and yuh job/occupation.  Now while  dese stereotypes are often cultural expectations, racist peeps use dese stereotypes in ah abusive manner.  Dey used to use nigger in dey ads, and movies and songs and meetings and clubs as ways tuh describe black people as indolent, lazy, doh care about family, chirren etc.

Budda said:   "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill."  and Mark Twain said dat yuh have tuh be careful when yuh reading ah health book, because yuh could dead from ah misprint.

So words have much power, is it through the power of words dat racism, prejudice and hatred is passed on.  Is through words dat forgiveness is given, is through words dat wars are fought, and men die.

The words we use create impressions, images an expectations.  Words construct psychological connections, and if dey do dat den by extension, words influence how we does think. Now if words influence how we think, and our thoughts determine actions, then there is ah obvious and powerful connection between the words we does use and the results we does get.

Check dis website out and see how powerful words are and the "N" word in particular and how it evolved, and what it means and what it implies.

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/caricature/

den tell me dat it doh affect people unless dey decide tuh let it offend dem.

steups.


There is a direct and strong link between the word nigger and anti-black caricatures. Although nigger has been used to refer to any person of known African ancestry,2 it is usually directed against blacks who supposedly have certain negative characteristics. The Coon caricature, for example, portrays black men as lazy, ignorant, and obsessively self-indulgent; these are also traits historically represented by the word nigger. The Brute caricature depicts black men as angry, physically strong, animalistic, and prone to wanton violence. This depiction is also implied in the word nigger. The Tom and Mammy caricatures are often portrayed as kind, loving "friends" of whites. They are also presented as intellectually childlike, physically unattractive, and neglectful of their biological families. These later traits have been associated with blacks, generally, and are implied in the word nigger. The word nigger was a shorthand way of saying that blacks possessed the moral, intellectual, social, and physical characteristics of the Coon, Brute, Tom, Mammy, and other racial caricatures.

[truetrini]

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/caricature/


Social scientists refer to words like nigger, kike, spic, and wetback as ethnophaulisms. Such terms are the language of prejudice – verbal pictures of negative stereotypes. Howard J. Ehrlich, a social scientist, argued that ethnophaulisms are of three types: disparaging nicknames (chink, dago, nigger, and so forth); explicit group devaluations ("Jew him down," or "niggering the land"); and irrelevant ethnic names used as a mild disparagement ("jewbird" for cuckoos having prominent beaks or "Irish confetti" for bricks thrown in a fight).3 All racial and ethnic groups have been victimized by racial slurs; however, no American group has suffered as many racial epithets as have blacks: coon, tom, savage, picanniny, mammy, buck, sambo, jigaboo, and buckwheat are typical.4 Many of these slurs became fully developed pseudo-scientific, literary, cinematic, and everyday caricatures of African Americans. These caricatures, whether spoken, written, or reproduced in material objects, reflect the extent, the vast network, of anti-black prejudice.

The word nigger carries with it much of the hatred and repulsion directed toward Africans and African Americans. Historically, nigger defined, limited, and mocked African Americans. It was a term of exclusion, a verbal justification for discrimination. Whether used as a noun, verb, or adjective, it reinforced the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless parasite. No other American ethnophaulism carried so much purposeful venom, as the following representative list suggests:

Nigger, v. To wear out, spoil or destroy.
Niggerish, adj. Acting in an indolent and irresponsible manner.
Niggerlipping, v. Wetting the end of a cigarette while smoking it.
Niggerlover, n. Derogatory term aimed at whites lacking in the necessary loathing of blacks.
Nigger luck, n. Exceptionally good luck, emphasis on undeserved.
Nigger-flicker, n. A small knife or razor with one side heavily taped to preserve the user's fingers.
Nigger heaven, n. a designated place, usually the balcony, where blacks were forced to sit, for example, in an integrated movie theater or church.
Nigger knocker, n. axe handle or weapon made from an axe handle.
Nigger rich, adj, Deeply in debt but ostentatious.
Nigger shooter, n. A slingshot.
Nigger steak, n. a slice of liver or a cheap piece of meat.
Nigger stick, n. police officer's baton.
Nigger tip, n. leaving a small tip or no tip in a restaurant.
Nigger in the woodpile, n. a concealed motive or unknown factor affecting a situation in an adverse way.
Nigger work, n. Demeaning, menial tasks.5
Nigger has been used to describe a dark shade of color (nigger-brown, nigger-black), the status of whites who interacted with blacks (nigger-breaker, -dealer, -driver, -killer, -stealer, -worshipper, and -looking), and anything belonging to or associated with African Americans (nigger-baby, -boy, -girl, -mouth, -feet, -preacher, -job, -love, -culture, -college, -music, and so forth).6 Nigger is the ultimate American insult; it is used to offend other ethnic groups, as when Jews are called white-niggers; Arabs, sandniggers; or Japanese, yellow-niggers.

Americans created a racial hierarchy with whites at the top and blacks at the bottom. The hierarchy was undergirded by an ideology which justified the use of deceit, manipulation, and coercion to keep blacks "in their place." Every major societal institution offered legitimacy to the racial hierarchy. Ministers preached that God had condemned blacks to be servants. Scientists measured black heads, brains, faces, and genitalia, seeking to prove that whites were genetically superior to blacks. White teachers, teaching only white students, taught that blacks were less evolved cognitively, psychologically, and socially. The entertainment media, from vaudeville to television, portrayed blacks as docile servants, happy-go-lucky idiots, and dangerous thugs. The criminal justice system sanctioned a double standard of justice, including its tacit approval of mob violence against blacks.[/color]

allyuh good with dat word?

[TriniCana]

I beg to differ, words are symbols, powerful symbols.  Words are used tuh perpetuate stereotypes of members of different groups, dese groups are based on race, ethnicity, age, gender types, sexual orientation, disbaility and yuh job/occupation.  Now while  dese stereotypes are often cultural expectations, racist peeps use dese stereotypes in ah abusive manner.  Dey used to use nigger in dey ads, and movies and songs and meetings and clubs as ways tuh describe black people as indolent, lazy, doh care about family, chirren etc.

Budda said:   "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill."  and Mark Twain said dat yuh have tuh be careful when yuh reading ah health book, because yuh could dead from ah misprint.

So words have much power, is it through the power of words dat racism, prejudice and hatred is passed on.  Is through words dat forgiveness is given, is through words dat wars are fought, and men die.

The words we use create impressions, images an expectations.  Words construct psychological connections, and if dey do dat den by extension, words influence how we does think. Now if words influence how we think, and our thoughts determine actions, then there is ah obvious and powerful connection between the words we does use and the results we does get.

Check dis website out and see how powerful words are and the "N" word in particular and how it evolved, and what it means and what it implies.

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/caricature/

den tell me dat it doh affect people unless dey decide tuh let it offend dem.

steups.


There is a direct and strong link between the word nigger and anti-black caricatures. Although nigger has been used to refer to any person of known African ancestry,2 it is usually directed against blacks who supposedly have certain negative characteristics. The Coon caricature, for example, portrays black men as lazy, ignorant, and obsessively self-indulgent; these are also traits historically represented by the word nigger. The Brute caricature depicts black men as angry, physically strong, animalistic, and prone to wanton violence. This depiction is also implied in the word nigger. The Tom and Mammy caricatures are often portrayed as kind, loving "friends" of whites. They are also presented as intellectually childlike, physically unattractive, and neglectful of their biological families. These later traits have been associated with blacks, generally, and are implied in the word nigger. The word nigger was a shorthand way of saying that blacks possessed the moral, intellectual, social, and physical characteristics of the Coon, Brute, Tom, Mammy, and other racial caricatures.

"Dey used to use nigger in dey ads, and movies and songs and meetings and clubs as ways tuh describe black people as indolent, lazy, doh care about family, chirren etc"

TT me ain't disagreeing with you or nobody in here, because everybody have dey way of dealing with this issue....and yes it is ah hot issue. Same way some 'gay' person/s in here does get offended when the words bullerman or bun dem gay fags etc does be use frequently and freely in here....dem have rights too...right

anywhoo

since that discription ain't me, why should I get offended if someone calls me dat - especially now that i know the real meaning of the word.
so dat make me now believe that people who get offended when dey get call dat, dey cap fitting.

TT where ever you got that tag from, why not email that link to some BET or NAACP, why not take a stand...who knows others will follow.
http://www.naacp.org/legal/

anyway i still stand by what i said "words have weight - only if we let it".

hopefully it still free tur have an opinion in here....steups
Hail America

allyuh alrigh yes, ah going and take ah ah slip ah meh last carib beer.

oh lloyd ah want tur dead

[Quags]

I beg to differ, words are symbols, powerful symbols.  Words are used tuh perpetuate stereotypes of members of different groups, dese groups are based on race, ethnicity, age, gender types, sexual orientation, disbaility and yuh job/occupation.  Now while  dese stereotypes are often cultural expectations, racist peeps use dese stereotypes in ah abusive manner.  Dey used to use nigger in dey ads, and movies and songs and meetings and clubs as ways tuh describe black people as indolent, lazy, doh care about family, chirren etc.

Budda said:   "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill."  and Mark Twain said dat yuh have tuh be careful when yuh reading ah health book, because yuh could dead from ah misprint.

So words have much power, is it through the power of words dat racism, prejudice and hatred is passed on.  Is through words dat forgiveness is given, is through words dat wars are fought, and men die.

The words we use create impressions, images an expectations.  Words construct psychological connections, and if dey do dat den by extension, words influence how we does think. Now if words influence how we think, and our thoughts determine actions, then there is ah obvious and powerful connection between the words we does use and the results we does get.

Check dis website out and see how powerful words are and the "N" word in particular and how it evolved, and what it means and what it implies.

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/caricature/

den tell me dat it doh affect people unless dey decide tuh let it offend dem.

steups.


There is a direct and strong link between the word nigger and anti-black caricatures. Although nigger has been used to refer to any person of known African ancestry,2 it is usually directed against blacks who supposedly have certain negative characteristics. The Coon caricature, for example, portrays black men as lazy, ignorant, and obsessively self-indulgent; these are also traits historically represented by the word nigger. The Brute caricature depicts black men as angry, physically strong, animalistic, and prone to wanton violence. This depiction is also implied in the word nigger. The Tom and Mammy caricatures are often portrayed as kind, loving "friends" of whites. They are also presented as intellectually childlike, physically unattractive, and neglectful of their biological families. These later traits have been associated with blacks, generally, and are implied in the word nigger. The word nigger was a shorthand way of saying that blacks possessed the moral, intellectual, social, and physical characteristics of the Coon, Brute, Tom, Mammy, and other racial caricatures.

Where u find that license ,steupppss daiz not real ,lol come on .....but it is very powerfull and sad  ....but it can't real

[truetrini]

equating buller man to nigger is like equating common sense to TI.

Listen yuh will never hear me calling for gays to be discriminated against.

Becasue i feel dat dem fellas have as much choice in being gay as I have in being black!

I feel dat is all genetic. Why would any man jes decide to take ah man jes so?  Yuh feel ah man go wake up one morning and woder tuh heself:  "mmmm, methinks I will take ah big hard toti up my shitter today!"

Nah ah cyar beleive dat.  Genetics, gay sheep, gay animals and studies with identical twins separated at birth show dat there is a strong genetic link for homosexuality.

aND cv WHILE THE LIENSE IS NOT REAL AND JES SATIRE, the fact that it is used as a "joke" shows hpw some view blacks.

So I doh condone de anti gay bashing etc.

But yuh missing my point, the word NIGGER itself is  a nasty stain on humanity and it should not be used.

[truetrini]

Racist words linger, take on life of their own 

This is ah old story, but it shows how there are those in positions of extreme power, and how the WORDS they use ca have great influence on our lives.

http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0212/13/leric.html

By Eric Stringfellow
estringfellow@clarionledger.com

It was one of those infrequent occasions when a junior high football team executed a play the way it was drawn on the blackboard.

Quarterback Frankie Peacock hit tight end Jerry Crisler with a perfect pass over the middle. Crisler sprinted about 60 yards untouched.

A thing of beauty. Six points.

A penalty erased it all. Exhilaration to dejection in less that 10 seconds for us players. One coach took it even harder.

He paced up and down the sidelines, kicking everything in sight. Then he directed something unforgettable toward the referee: "That crazy n-----. I'll get his a--."

Then there was Mildew pumping iron at the "Y" the other day, reminiscing about integration and being forced from Washington Addition into a hostile south Jackson neighborhood for school. And the dogs that people sent to chase them before and after class.

These two chapters are nearly three decades old but the seeds of hurt and suspicion they sowed remain fresh, always looking for confirmation as reality or imagination.

Unfortunately, U.S. Sen. Trent Lott and all those who make excuses for his insensitivity don't have a clue.

Not time to 'move on'


Lott has now apologized twice for saying that America would be better off if Strom Thurmond, a pro-segregation presidential candidate in 1948, had won the Oval Office. The Senate majority leader's supporters insist he should be forgiven and that it's time to move on.

That would be a mistake.

Lott's apologies were far from authentic. He didn't sound anything like someone who was truly sorry with real remorse, or even with an understanding of his transgression.

That's the scary part, given Lott's past. Mississippi's junior senator made nearly identical remarks about Thurmond 22 years ago, voted against the Martin Luther King holiday and once wrote that racial discrimination doesn't always violate public policy.

What's even scarier is how Lott and his supporters, including former Alabama coach Gene Stallings and Hinds County Supervisor Charles Barbour, and even the Democrats, want to marginalize the issue of racial hatred.

Racism is not just a political issue that can be categorized like tax cuts, school vouchers, the budget deficit or the privatization of Social Security.

We have options and make choices about these issues. For some of us, racial sensitivity also is an option that can be engaged or ignored. But others don't have that luxury. Race has been and always will be a part of our sphere.

Much larger than politics


Race always will be a problem as long as we place it on a par with politics and political correctness. It's several levels above most issues, which is why Lott's comments have struck such a raw nerve with so many.

When U.S. Sens. Robert Byrd and Ernest ''Fritz'' Hollings made racist remarks about African Americans and Hispanics, it was wrong and should have been strongly denounced. Ditto for the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his remarks about Jews.

But that doesn't and shouldn't excuse what Lott said or his efforts to trivial race as an issue.

This is much larger than that. It's about basic human decency, about whether we've learned any lessons about the past, about whether we all can be treated as equals. It's about trust.

In Lott's case, he alone must answer this, which goes to the heart of whether he can be trusted to do the right things on the critical issue of race. Sadly, his performance to date reminds Mildew and some of my old teammates of too many episodes from another time.

[Quags]

equating buller man to nigger is like equating common sense to TI.

Listen yuh will never hear me calling for gays to be discriminated against.

Becasue i feel dat dem fellas have as much choice in being gay as I have in being black!

I feel dat is all genetic. Why would any man jes decide to take ah man jes so?  Yuh feel ah man go wake up one morning and woder tuh heself:  "mmmm, methinks I will take ah big hard toti up my shitter today!"

Nah ah cyar beleive dat.  Genetics, gay sheep, gay animals and studies with identical twins separated at birth show dat there is a strong genetic link for homosexuality.

aND cv WHILE THE LIENSE IS NOT REAL AND JES SATIRE, the fact that it is used as a "joke" shows hpw some view blacks.

So I doh condone de anti gay bashing etc.

But yuh missing my point, the word NIGGER itself is  a nasty stain on humanity and it should not be used.

I tink "anti " was an error ......I assume i.e

[truetrini]

yes it is I doh condone gay bashing..I made a typo.

[Quags]

equating buller man to nigger is like equating common sense to TI.

Listen yuh will never hear me calling for gays to be discriminated against.

Becasue i feel dat dem fellas have as much choice in being gay as I have in being black!

I feel dat is all genetic. Why would any man jes decide to take ah man jes so?  Yuh feel ah man go wake up one morning and woder tuh heself:  "mmmm, methinks I will take ah big hard toti up my shitter today!"

Nah ah cyar beleive dat.  Genetics, gay sheep, gay animals and studies with identical twins separated at birth show dat there is a strong genetic link for homosexuality.

aND cv WHILE THE LIENSE IS NOT REAL AND JES SATIRE, the fact that it is used as a "joke" shows hpw some view blacks.

So I doh condone de anti gay bashing etc.

But yuh missing my point, the word NIGGER itself is  a nasty stain on humanity and it should not be used.

I tink "anti " was an error ......I assume i.e

yes it is I doh condone gay bashing..I made a typo.

Oh ok......               LOl ,nah nah ppl ppl doh jest wake and want ah hard toti  ,  .But say wha everybody is human being eh . But than ,I doh even like to swash ah bug , me ein't give it life so who is me to take it away . cept flys I hate flys lol.