Aylee
Posts: 24103
Joined: 10/14/2007 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: slvemike4u quote:
ORIGINAL: HunterCA Mike's being very reasonable the last couple of days. But to revisit this without the joke. Why is it considered "reasonable" that I object to such a notion. I don't see this as a left or right issue,it's a word that originates in India used to describe a professional class of robbers and murderers(thugge) It has always signified a criminal in my lifetime,a criminal irrespective of color Rappers sort of co-opted it to signify a certain type of urban lifestyle they labeled this the "thug life",but that didn't change the meaning of the word or grant any one race ownership of the word.....so how can it now be the new N word(which by the way has itself a dictionary definition,but due to it's historical connotation's one can not,understandably use it ) I guess the question is do we all sit back and say "okay you own this word you get to re-classify it and due to that I'm now afraid to use it".....the you being anyone who would claim it's the new N word. In my opinion,no....you don't just get to decide what a word means and than based on that decision attack anyone who uses that word. I saw this last night and wanted to comment on it, but I was tired. There IS something called "reclaiming language," and in many ways it can be positive. Although, to be honest it often goes. . . awry. Queer is one term that this has been done with. Taking an adjective with a negative connotation and using it so that it ends up with a positive or neutral connotation. Bitch is another term. The N-word COULD be one, except it has been decided that only certain people can use it with a positive connotation. Slut. . . well. . . they have been working on that one, but they are doing it all wrong. Now the adjective Thug. Ya see. . . it is a negative description. Glorifying thug behavior in culture does NOT reclaim the word in a positive light. Certain activities are outside of the social contract and no matter how many times you rap/sing about it, they are just not going to fall within it. The other part to reclaiming language is that you cannot get all upset when someone else uses the term. If you call me a bitch, I am not going to get all upset because I refuse to see the definition of bitch as a bad thing. Even if the person calling me that sees a female being that way to be negative.
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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam I don’t always wgah’nagl fhtagn. But when I do, I ph’nglui mglw’nafh R’lyeh.
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