Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!novavax!twwells!bill From: bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Xerox sues Apple! Message-ID: <1989Dec31.131753.3373@twwells.com> Date: 31 Dec 89 13:17:53 GMT References: <172@comcon.UUCP> <7326@ficc.uu.net> <9320@hoptoad.uucp> <7408@ficc.uu.net> Followup-To: alt.dev.null Organization: None, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Lines: 41 In article jeffd@ficc.uu.net (jeff daiell) writes: : In article <7408@ficc.uu.net>, peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: : : > It's ok for one black guy to call another "nigger". : : No, no, no, it's NOT! Peter, I know you only used this to illustrate : a point, but, it is not "OK" for *anyone* to use racial/national/ : ethnic slurs and epithets (yes, one has the right to -- but that : doesn't make it "OK"). Excuse me, Jeff, but *your* prejudices are showing. You seem to have this silly notion that words are somehow possessed of intrinsic meaning, that an ethnic slur is an ethnic slur, regardless of who says it, or to whom it is said. This is utter nonsense, as any linguist will tell you. Among some blacks, calling one another "nigger" is (or was, 20 years ago) a sign of affection and approval. It was *not* an ethnic slur. It was one of the many ways of reinforcing a sense of community. The fact that *you* would use "nigger" as an ethnic slur does *not* make it one when a black uses it. Whether a given word or phrase is an ethnic slur or not depends on *who* is saying it and to *whom* he's saying it to. What you think of the word is quite irrelevant. Or, let me put it this way: were I black and disposed to using "nigger" with my friends, and you told me not to, I'd tell you something like: "who the hell do you think you are telling me what I mean when I say `nigger'? Get lost, honky". (For the record: I find the word "nigger" revolting. I don't use it.) Followups have been directed to alt.dev.null. --- Bill { uunet | novavax | ankh | sunvice } !twwells!bill bill@twwells.com