Time Wise- The N word
"I am from the South, and frankly, have never much appreciated the word "redneck," which is so often used against white Southerners, largely because I know it as a slur against working class whites, especially rural folks, whose labor in the sun would cause their necks to become "red." "
I believe this quote shows that society, no matter where someone is from, does not enjoy words pinpointed at their cultures, race, or upbringing. But the word redneck does not even compare to the N word, or does it? I actually know a lot of people from the south that take pride in people calling them rednecks or hicks. They explain to me that it's their heritage so why should they be ashamed of it. I agree, but is the word red neck really as hateful as the N word? The white southerners have something to proud of when it comes to their upbringing, but the N word does not come from black people, nor is it something to be proud of because the word comes from a situation they were made to deal with, they didnt have freedom, like the white southerners. The N word was given to them in pure hate and that is much worse than making a slur out of comedy.
Time Wise- The N word
"As Biddle put it, while Cochell's choice of words to describe one of his players (ostensibly in a light-hearted manner), was clearly unacceptable and deserving of censure, it was no more offensive than the casual use of the same term by blacks themselves, on the playground or from a stage, as with the comedy of Chris Rock or Richard Pryor (the latter of which has actually stopped using the n-word for more than two decades, unbeknownst, apparently, to Biddle)."
When a white person uses the n-word in their vocabulary, it is always considered hateful, but what is it when people of the same race use the hateful words? I believe society today has gotten real strict with racism because the past history. There are plenty of racist terms for white people today, but when a person of a different race calls me one I really do not react. This makes an interesting conversation because I react the same way as a black person would to the N word being said by another black person. Why is this? First, I think the black community is trying to take the N word back and turn it into something positive. They are proving that the past is the past and look where our race is at now, so it is as if they are throwing the word around as a joke. I also believe that white america does not have the traumatic past like the black community, so when a white person says it, even if its a joke, it will always be frowned upon because of the history. I think a black person calling a white person a racist name does not affect the white person because there is no history behind the words. The names they are saying are just words trying to diffuse the past and in some cases to expsose some hatred that may be built up in their race.
Tim Wise- Blinded by the White: Race, Crime, and Columbine High
"Imagine a quiet, suburban community; the kind commonly referred to as a "nice place to live and raise kids." It's a community known for civic pride, affluent families, and schools where the students score well above average on aptitude tests. It's also 93 percent white."
I took a liking to this quote because it lays out the "perfect" scenario or place for people. It makes me laugh to think that people actually think there are communities like this. Yes, there are great places to live and raise kids, but this quote describes a fantasy world. The last line really caught my eye. 93% white? Everything has to come back to race, and I do not understand why. I live in a town that might fall under the category of this quote, but i will be the first one to tell, my town is not perfect. Yes affluent home and families, but having money can lead to different things, like highly expensive drugs. So just because my town looks good, people are going to ignore the drug problem? There is not one place or person that is perfect. Granted being a great town to live in, every place has its flaws. So when you think of it, nothing has to do with race. It does not matter if it is 93% white or black, there will always be problems and I think society today can ignore this just because of the nice landmarks and small community with a great high school. I will tell you this though, people stuck in these type of towns lack knowledge of diversity and can be blind to what is going on around them.
Tim Wise- Blinded by the White: Race, Crime, and Columbine High
"We moved from the city to get away from things like this."
Yes, people move just to get away from crime, but what are they really getting away from? Cities do have higher murder rates, but they can still be great places to live. People are so scared about something bad happening to them, they are oblivious to some other crimes that can occur in different areas. Moving from an area of murder to an area of drugs and bullying may not be considered a better move. Hear me out when I say this, drugs and bullying can and will lead to murder and I know this for a fact. So I go back to my original question, what are people really getting away from? Well hear is a thought for you, statistics show that more ethnicities live in the cities, so people may be getting away from the other races, therefore these people are racists and what a fresh start in a more white community. I think people living in the city see it as a pool of crime, but remember there is crime everywhere and if its not murder, other things can influence it to be.
Tim Wise- Blinded by the White: Race, Crime, and Columbine High
"Once again, the racialization of deviance has allowed us to let down our guard to the greatest threats to our safety: not people of color (if we're white), but our own white children, white parents, white neighbors, white husbands, white lovers and white friends."
I chose this specific quote because people can be blind to their surroundings. It does not matter if the community is rural with white picket fences and everyone knows everyone. People have secrets and just because you have coffee with a person that morning, does not mean that person is not hiding anything. We tend to let our guard down to people that mirror us, but the main problems can stem from our white society. It just proves that racism is still a problem in our society today, because it has fooled the white society to think that crime only comes from different races. No one would ever think that two white kids from columbine high would go on a killing spree at their school on their own community. Eventhough those two kids gave everyone warning signs, people were blinded by their skin color and to the fact that the community was so tight knit. They did not think anybody who grew up in that community could commit such a devasting crime. Thats when the question of race comes into play, if the two kids were black would have the authorities gotten involved earlier and prevented a shooting? All I know is that town will never be the same, not because of two black kids, but the two white kids who grew up in that beautiful town.
Tim Wise- Blinded by the White: Race, Crime, and Columbine High
"Maybe that's why all those shows like Leave it To Beaver, Father Knows Best, and the Brady Bunch were so popular: not because many people actually lived like that, but because they didn't, and could escape into this unreal fantasy life via the television. After all, why watch a program that looks just like your daily routine? That would be boring."
This is an interesting quote because it brings up a point that not many people would think of. I believe that people watched these shows not to escape into a fantasy world, but white people actually believed they could live like them. Everyone wanted that perfect family, perfect jobs, perfect house, and watching these shows actually boosted the confidence of the white societies in thinking they can actually have that perfect life. Once again I believe this quote signifies the blindess of the white society, they were blind to the real world. Everyone wanted to be that affluent family with a great name in the town, but lacked the realization of the likelihood of it happening. I believe it does not matter how you are brought up and where you live, but it truly lies in who brought you up. This quote has a lot to do with image and materialistic things, but I believe it all comes down to family. It does not matter how you live, as long as you have the family to live it with. Family, the backbone to life.
Quote One:
ReplyDeleteThe N word does have a lot of negativity surrounding it, more than I would think Redneck and Hick would. It seems to me many people would take pride in calling themselves rednecks and hicks because it is their heritage but it seems to me many black people take pride in using the N word. Although maybe it is not necessarily pride of the word that makes them use it freely but the fact that they believe they "own" the word and have "earned" it because of its long and difficult history. Perhaps the words redneck and hick are something to be proud of while the N word is simply a word that can be claimed instead of paraded around because they enjoy the true meaning and background of the word.
Steph I definitely agree that the N word is something that black people are trying to take back, but at the same time why havent they just thrown the word out of their vocabulary. History shows they suffered for a long time and the N word comes from that era of sufferance. At the same time I also think they use it as a joke, trying to throw it back in white peoples face, kind of saying freedom is over and we will say this word all we want but we know you(whites) cant. It kind of confuses me though because the N word is really nothing to be proud, not as a white american or black american, so why is it still said?
ReplyDeleteYou pose a very interesting question, Danny. I do not understand the use of the word by either race based off of its long and terrible history. However in some ways I think the N word needs to be used to take some of the hate out of it. If all of society were to say this was a completely forbidden word, to me, it would make it a much worse word. I believe there are ways to referr to this word negatively and ways to not. In allowing all of society to use this work in more positive contexts we completely take the power out of the word as black people have while making it their own again and creating a joke with it instead of fearing it.
ReplyDeleteHere is my take on the whole N word situation. There are two versions of the word and one is cruel and the other respected. But here is where the problem comes in, if whites were to say either of the two words, mouths would drop. But a black person will only use one version of the word and it means respect. I have been told never to use one version, but my closest black friends have said i can use the other because Im their "white boy." So i feel as if black people still think one version of the word is degrading and disrepectful but the other is somewhat a pride and fun word. So what it basically comes down to is that white people dont have the right to say the good version. It is not our word to say.
ReplyDelete