It’s no wonder I’ve sworn off the NBA.

Offended more by the double standards of who’s allowed to say it.

Of course the time I was walking through the apartment complex near my house that’s full of Section 8 folks and heard a bunch of black teens say “let’s jump the nigga” it did give me pause.

rokemronnie on June 24, 2008 at 10:33 PM

The phrase “double standard” implies that other people’s perception of you plays a role in how you act. Why do you care what someone who would mistake you for a bigot or racist thinks?

There is no double standard if you have balls. I fear that many of the people who stand up to me here when I overstate my case are afraid to do so in their own lives, on the job, in public or elsewhere. So many people have so many words for me here. But I have never experienced this level of candor on a consistent basis offline. All you brave HotAirians need to step up to the plate…home plate.

At some point, you get what you accept.

My response is the same on some topics regardless of the audience. Just last week during NBA finals, I pretty much told a roomful of people that their remarks about David Stern were bigoted. I knew some people there and there were some knuckleheads in the crowd. The truth is still the truth and they all heard it from me.

I know it’s not easy. As a young upstart, I swallowed my words more than once usually to avoid being perceived as “angry” but sometimes out of straight-up fear. Also, I get that some white people are more afraid of blacks. Shoot, I used to be more afraid of blacks.

Now I say: Fuck that noise. Fear is death.

When you keep that stuff bottled up inside, it blackens and metastisizes. Blog comment threads are not cathartic enough. Until more people speak more openly there will be mighty chasms yet uncrossed.

Incidentally the primary negative result of bottled racial intensity is that one gets all clusterf***ed and thinks everything can be boiled down to liberal double standards. It’s hard to think straight when you have to pee. Republicans hold their pee way too long.

Pee freely. Just don’t p*ss on my fire.

If it wasn’t so sensationalized by everyone it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. The ‘N-word’ became popular because it wasn’t that big of a deal. In the south when I was growing up, it was just another word that you heard and it didn’t mean anything. I don’t like name calling anyway. But if someone wants to call me something, I don’t really care.

Look, slavery was a bad idea. Segregation was also a not so good idea. But America is the land of opportunity. I just hate it when the greatness of America is belittled by the minutiae of someone taking offense at something that is basically meaningless.

If everyone ignored it, it wouldn’t matter. But if it’s mentioned by someone on TV or radio or even in a private conversation these days (dog the bounty hunter), it’s news for at least a week.

If you’re offended by being called a nigga, then you should speak up.

Offended more by the double standards of who’s allowed to say it.

Of course the time I was walking through the apartment complex near my house that’s full of Section 8 folks and heard a bunch of black teens say “let’s jump the nigga” it did give me pause.

rokemronnie on June 24, 2008 at 8:19 PM

I responded to you but my potty mouth probably gummed up the language filters.

i just posted some pseudo-profundities to answer your question rokemronnie.

Ill wait to see if my wisdom cracks through the cache-jacking and the post shows up.

***
If you’re offended by being called a nigga, then you should speak up. If you don’t I’ll assume it’s out of fear or consideration. Neither reason is strong enough to stand by idly.

If you’re not offended, then take it how your friend means it.

When I hit any local sporting or athletic events I’m surrounded by Latinos, whites and black boys all calling one another “nigga” and “bitch.”

***
Ultimately everybody wants to be black, right?

Here’s a joke my Mexican-Samoan-American friend told me in 8th grade:
Q: What do you get when you cross a Samoan with a nigga?
A: Samoa niggas

We’re all in the same gang homie.

***
I’ve heard the word ‘nigga’ more from whites and latinos in the past few years than from blacks. I’ve heard the word “nigger” more time from liberals than conservatives in my lifetime.

rokemronnie on June 24, 2008 at 8:19 PM

I feel you on that. It’s getting confusing.

I personally would appreciate it if more whites people spoke up in the face of racially charged language regardless of whom the offender. If someone black says something you find offensive, speak up. If you are unoffended by the term, take it as the user meant it.

What do I do when a Latino guy calls a white guy “nigga” and their black friend barely notices? What about men calling each other “bitch?” What about being called “nigger” by a black person. What about being black but called “white boy?”

Let me tell you a joke I learned in 8th grade:

What do you get when cross a Samoan with a nigga?
Samoa niggas.

***
I have heard the term “nigga” more from non-blacks in the past few years. I have heard the word “nigger” used by liberals more often than conservatives.

If a black person calls themselves “nigga” that is not license for whites to do so.

How ’bout if a black person calls a white person “nigga”? I’ve been called a “nigga” a bunch of times. My young black friends use the word as a synonym for “man” or “guy”.

Shaq’s only talent is his size. Sure, Chamberlain had miserable free throw percentages but he tried his entire career to improve his free throws, even trying underhanded for a while. Shaq clearly doesn’t care to work on his free throws. Shaq is useless outside of the paint, unlike Jabbar and Russel who could hook from 8-12 feet.

And can anyone imagine a crippled Shaq trying to play like Willis Reed in 1972?

Yea, but he’s not white so, he shouldn’t be able to use that word.. i’m not allowed to use the “N-Word”

Chakra Hammer on June 24, 2008 at 6:34 PM

Do you really want to use the so-called Nword? If it will make you feel better, go ahead call me one. Let rip, I can take it.

Referring to someone as “white” or “white boy” is nowhere near calling someone a “n*gger.” But I am not a fan of racial descriptions, so I also take beef with Shaq but for a different reason than you.

Secondly, in this case Shaq’s use gets the comic pass. Basically, you can use any word you want with me if you make me laugh. My favorite jokes are often the bawdiest and most offensive.

The rap goes something like “a white boy tryin to be more nigga than me…” It’s a hyperbolic comparison meant to highlight the differences between Shaq and Kobe. So it’s apropos despite its less-than-savory wording.

But if one must deconstruct it, I shall. The comparison is faulty in that it compares being a regular white guy to being a nigga. I’m sure Shaq D thinks most blacks lack his nigganess too. He should not be singling out “white boys.”

***

And while I’m on a roll let me kill some other noise:

If a black person calls themselves “nigga” that is not license for whites to do so. It might condone or suggest that whites refer to themselves in some oddly endearing term.

This enduring bit of Republican logic still survives despite its flaws. If one person hurts or insults themselves, they are not inviting similar behavior from others. Moreover they cannot condone similar treatment of other people who may look like them.

whose only championships came courtesy of Kobe and D-Wade.

Kind of a weird perspective. How many championships did those guys have without Shaq? Shaq has championships without each of them.

Having said that, Shaq didn’t ONLY say something nasty about Kobe but he called out Patrick Ewing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Calling out these players was disrespectful and I don’t find that remotely funny at all. Now, if you ran Lionel Richie’s “Hello” over Patrick O’Brien talking dirty in a few voice mail messages, then you might have me rolling in the aisles. But not this, sir!

lorien1973 on June 24, 2008 at 3:04 PM

You are sadly mistaken. Shaq’s gone no where without a Tanto. In Orlando it was Penny Hardaway, and even with Penny he got smacked down in a SWEEP by his future teammate Robert Horry, along with Mario Ellie, Kenny Smith, and currently NBA Champ Sam Cassell. It was Hakeem Olajuwon that everyone agreed won a sweep of Orlando on HIS BACK without another superstar! Clyde Drexler got traded that mid way through that year. Know what you’re talking about before putting thoughts on paper.

Sheriff Joe to Shaq:

Shaq Diesel, tell me how my ass tastes!

The Race Card on June 24, 2008 at 6:14 PM

Arpaio, known as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” is best known for forcing inmates to wear pink undies and work on a chain gang.

Maybe he will dress Shaq up in pink panties..? >:D

Can’t stand to listen again, but didn’t he drop a “n****” somewhere in that stupid-fresh jammy?

The Race Card on June 24, 2008 at 5:52 PM

Yea, but he’s not white so, he shouldn’t be able to use that word.. i’m not allowed to use the “N-Word”

Shaq Diesel, tell me how my ass tastes!

Update: Arpaio strips Shaq of badges.

HA! HA! Couldn’t stand to watch the whole thing, but I suspected the end result would be something like this.