King Sunny Ade! I’d forgotten all about him! I know what I’m putting on the CD player when I get home. 
Alot of us don’t hail from the US and, thus, don’t have the same black/white/race issues that Americans might. [/quote]
I don’t know where you’re from, Toasty, but don’t dark-skinned peoples suffer from racism and prejudice in most of Europe, Australia and NZ as well as the US?
Alot of us don’t hail from the US and, thus, don’t have the same black/white/race issues that Americans might. [/quote]
I don’t know where you’re from, Toasty, but don’t dark-skinned peoples suffer from racism and prejudice in most of Europe, Australia and NZ as well as the US?[/quote]
My argument is that race relations are not the same in other countries as they are in the US. It’s a bit of a red herring to ask if people suffer racism in other countries; they do–that’s a truism. People also eat in other countries, but may eat different foods and in different ways.
My point–in the section you quote-- is that the liberal American approach to the issue of race may not be applicable to other nationalities. Being white and middle-class likely means different things to people from different countries. Being white and middle class where I come from does not carry the same connotations of power and priviledge as the same condition might in the US. Now what this subject position might mean to someone from Australia, Britain, Denmark… I don’t know. I suspect it may be different from what you assume, though.
[quote=“Toasty”][quote=“Mother Theresa”][quote=“Toasty”]
Alot of us don’t hail from the US and, thus, don’t have the same black/white/race issues that Americans might. [/quote]
I don’t know where you’re from, Toasty, but don’t dark-skinned peoples suffer from racism and prejudice in most of Europe, Australia and NZ as well as the US?[/quote]
My argument is that race relations are not the same in other countries as they are in the US. It’s a bit of a red herring to ask if people suffer racism in other countries; they do–that’s a truism. People also eat in other countries, but may eat different foods and in different ways.
My point–in the section you quote-- is that the liberal American approach to the issue of race may not be applicable to other nationalities. Being white and middle-class likely means different things to people from different countries. Being white and middle class where I come from does not carry the same connotations of power and priviledge as the same condition might in the US. Now what this subject position might mean to someone from Australia, Britain, Denmark… I don’t know. I suspect it may be different from what you assume, though.[/quote]
Very true, Toasty.
Often, when speaking to Americans, or even just reading about their
HEY!
Where do I get to choose Jamaican???
I remember walking down the street one day and seeing a bus with a big sign that said “Stop Racism!” WTF. That day I had probably spoken to people of fifteen different races, ethnicities, nationalities or whatever and race as far as I could tell hadn’t had a thing to do with anything. Perhaps I had spoken to someone like Lupi for example who may well be racially Chinese but who is about as culturally Chinese as John Wayne. Racism this, racism that, I think half of it is the product of people with too much education and too little common sense.
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]
[quote=“Satellite TV”] Well thank god for me I don’t watch Oprah…
Only in America can you get to have such ghastly shows with this type of thing. Next we can trade places with murderers rapists pedophiles priests nuns and terrorists. Or perhaps handicapped the mentally ill would come in handy too. Better to be psychotic and schitzo too…
Trading races would be rarely fatal I guess…
What insight and experiences would you expect me to to gain? 
[/quote][/quote]
Oprah’s idea isn’t a new one. I remember seeing this book on my father’s bookshelf when I was a kid:
amazon.com/gp/product/045119 … e&n=283155
This brought to mind a SNL(Saturday Night Live)Skit where Eddie Murphey changed into a ‘white’ man to see what it would be like.
Yes, I think your right Bob. I certainly don’t have time to worry about racism. I’m too busy working with my chalkies and coolies.
Too much education leads to too much thinking. This is a bad thing. People then contemplate all sorts of hypothetical unrealistic situations.
The worlds a crazy place, why make it any crazier??
Yeah, done to death. It was already old 23 years ago. Oprah must think her audience are really, really stupid or have incredibly short memories or something.
She has time slots to fill. So why not use this subject. What isn’t recycled in this day and age for entertainment purposes?
Personally I think the comedian Dave Chappel is on the cutting edge of illustrating the shift in race relationships in the USA.
His skits about a Blind Black man in the KKK or the Black Milkman that calls White people “N*gg**,” not only shows Americans the humor of a taboo subject.
Well hopefully he will be part of the healing process to remove the racial “baggage” in the USA.
Oprah is way out of my demographics to be appealing to me, but I hear she’s part of a conspiracy to take over the world.
[quote=“ac_dropout”]Personally I think the comedian Dave Chappel is on the cutting edge of illustrating the shift in race relationships in the USA.
His skits about a Blind Black man in the KKK or the Black Milkman that calls White people “N*gg**,” not only shows Americans the humor of a taboo subject.
Well hopefully he will be part of the healing process to remove the racial “baggage” in the USA.[/quote] I destest Dave Chappelle and his humor when it comes to use of the word 'n$gg#r". I doesn’t dispel or heal the situation. He’s being pandering to that part that thinks it’s okay to degrade ourselves for a laugh. I’ve seen someother stuff of his, when he just rips on stupid stereotypes, but it boils my skin when I see his stupid skits like that the milkman one. :fume:
The word has a great deal of history behind it. It was/is used to disempower someone’s character. How is laughing about disempowerment funny.
[quote]
Oprah is way out of my demographics to be appealing to me, but I hear she’s part of a conspiracy to take over the world.[/quote] That should be in the Bush Conspiracy theory thread.
Then you should be equally angry at the many many black yutes that use this very expression, huh?
Face it, “Nigga” has evolved.
It is now the white equivelent of “Home boy.”
[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“ac_dropout”]Personally I think the comedian Dave Chappel is on the cutting edge of illustrating the shift in race relationships in the USA.
His skits about a Blind Black man in the KKK or the Black Milkman that calls White people “N*gg**,” not only shows Americans the humor of a taboo subject.
Well hopefully he will be part of the healing process to remove the racial “baggage” in the USA.[/quote] I destest Dave Chappelle and his humor when it comes to use of the word 'n$gg#r". I doesn’t dispel or heal the situation. He’s being pandering to that part that thinks it’s okay to degrade ourselves for a laugh. I’ve seen someother stuff of his, when he just rips on stupid stereotypes, but it boils my skin when I see his stupid skits like that the milkman one. :fume:
[/quote]
Generally, I agree. He’s getting laughs off what white folks can’t say, in public anyway, without raising VAST issues, ALL with TOO much emotional BAGGAGE.
Some of his stuff is not only weak, but questionable. However, I must say I enjoyed the end of that KKK Blind Man Skit, when it was announced that He was divorcing his wife of umpteen years because she had married “one of them”. And by that time he knew what he was. Showing racism to be crazy?
In any event, Namahottie: My belief is that use of the N-word, except of course in it’s in your face-pejorative fashion, is mainly mellow (in it’s contemporary usage, past history notwithstanding) compared to the FAR, FAR, WORSE comments I heard from distant cousins and long dead-greatgrandparents.
But I’d have to Agree that Today’s Folk are not faring much better…
Does anyone think that there will be a day when race/ethnicity is NOT an issue to SOME people? Only when we Get ALL Buck Rodgers And Kick Some Serious Alien Butt! For the sake of this planet, we must Conquer New Worlds.
'Fraid we got another coupla hundred years of fucking up the planet and laying waste to one another before those scientists get their shit together. They would get on to it sooner, but they are already commited to killing life on Earth for the next few Generations…
May we live in interesting times… Yes, Indeed…
Then you should be equally angry at the many many black yutes that use this very expression, huh?
Face it, “Nigga” has evolved.
It is now the white equivelent of “Home boy.”[/quote]
Ironicly, I"ve used that word among friends/family in conversation. But within the past 6 months, i had a ‘okay I get it’ moment, where I could see that nothing good comes out of it even when using it to ‘show love’.
The word was meant to harm and still IMO continues to do it. Even if it’s used as a joke, which is just a slick underhanded way of still attacking someone’s character, even if you say, you are saying it with love.
If there is one lesson I’ve learned to be true, is that words have intent. They do have power and an essence of their own. Either you are going plant something that produces something good or just add to the mess out there.