I had to share this link: Racial slur on sofa label

I could never keep that sofa after that!

Speaking of racial slurs - did you hear what old dried up former coke head Imus said about Rutgers women's basketball team?
http://www.essence.com/essence/lifestyle/voices/0,16109,1607672,00.html

Although the "niger brown" explanation sounds plausible at first, I can't find any proof of the existence of that color. If you google "niger brown" all you get are responses to this article (or mirrors of it on other sites) where the comments give this explanation to dismiss the idea that there was racist intent. I can't find any reference to the color in any other context, or in my dictionary. I've also done some painting in the past, and can't recall ever seeing a paint with this color in watercolor, acrylic or oil paint.

Until I see some kind of evidence that "niger brown" is actually the name of a color, I'm inclined to disbelieve it. If there were, I'm sure that some art supply store would be selling or discussing it somewhere on the internet.

or my theory is some white dude was ordering things in china and decided to tell them what the color should be called. after that the none english speaking chinese manufacturers decided to use that name for that color.

So this "nigger" word, or variations of it... I understand that it's widely regarded as offensive in US English.

Growing up speaking English, I'd heard it, but only though reading Mark Twain. Otherwise it wasn't part of the vocabulary -- it had no connotations, positive or negative. As a young adult, when US rap culture arrived, it seemed to be a popular term of affection between rappers. Later, in Europe, I met a US diplomat, who used a very offensive word in my ears for an indigenous person, and we talked about it, and we figured out together that the rough equivalent in the US would be "nigger". So when I started meeting Americans and ultimately moved here, I find out it's on the short-list of offensibles, along with the usual four-lettered suspects. I can grasp that intellectually, but to me it will ultimately remain just a neutral sound outside my native English vocabulary, and without baggage.

Meanwhile, in the language I speak at home, to call a dark-skinned person "black" raises eyebrows, as that suggests nastiness, danger, association with the devil. The polite word is "neger".

So we have this word that is only offensive the US, is derived from the Latin "niger" meaning black or dark-colored (in general) and with small variations in sound and spelling is found in a host of Indoeuropean languages in a variety of contexts.

Then we have some people in China making labels on items to be shipped somewhere else in the world, not necessarily just to the US. A country geographically and historically very far removed from the slave trade in Africans and subsequent history in this country. Their English is definitely better than my Chinese. This is globalization at work, and we're all learners.

Finally, do you really think that Americans are a paragon of virtue when it comes to taking the time to understand and respect local language and cultural sensitivities? Immune from unintended humorous gaffes to egregious insults, including casually using the worst local racial ephithets? In fact, I'd hazard to say no nation has a worse reputation in this regard than the US.

thirtythreesixty wrote: or maybe its more proof that the chinese are racists - let's strike back by advertising "gook yellow" curtains...

Not to belabor this, but I think you have the wrong epithet. :?

Margaret Cho wrote: "I was walking down the street the other day and this man actually called me a Chink. I was so mad! Chinks are Chinese. I'm Korean. I'm a Gook. If you're going to be racist at least get the terminology correct. Okay, Bubba?"

From the rules of a British school in the 60s:

School Uniform. Girls. Winter

1. Nigger brown coat and/or nigger brown gaberdine mackintosh.
2. Nigger brown velour felt hat with school hat band and badge OR nigger brown beret.
3. Fawn or white socks.
4. Brown shoes with low heels.
5. Nigger brown tunic - pinafore slip, similar to Butterick pattern 9011. A standard tunic is provided by the outfitters.
6. Blouse of tussore coloured material, with collar and long sleeves.
7. Brown leather belt with purse attached, OR shoulder purse.
8. School blazer and/or nigger brown cardigan.
9. School tie.

I wonder if "nigger brown" is a relic of the neutral British English term, preserved in China since early last century? Either that, or the color and the race have the same name in a Chinese language, and a pair of characters are simply being directly transliterated with the help of a simple dictionary. Here's an example from a scientific journal that's printed in both Chinese and English:


World J Gastroenterol 2006 June 28;12(24): 3810-3813
Effects of recombinant human growth hormone on growth of human gastric carcinoma xenograft model in nude mice
Dao-Ming Liang, Jia-Yong Chen, Yi Zhang, Ping Gan, Jie Lin, An-Bao Chen

...

Immunohistochemistry

The mice were killed on the 7 d of drug administration and inhibitory rate of xenograft tumor growth was estimated by measuring tumor volume and expressions of PCNA, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were detected by using immunohistochemical technique. Definition of positive PCNA cells was that cytoblast was nigger-brown stained and that for positive Bax and Bcl-2 cells was brown yellow stained in cytoplasm and cell membrane.

...

getonmylevel718 wrote: Hey SevenOneEighty why are you confused? The word is offensive regardless of who uses it. And those who continue to use it are truly ignorant.

Because the word is used regularly by black people everyday in entertainment to make music, jokes and money.

Why no outrage then?
Why the double standard?
Very confusing.....

People even hate words that sound close to it if uttered by 'others':

D.C. aide in 'niggardly' flap will return to City Hall

"I think ultimately the good that can come out of this is that through this discussion, we can all understand each other better" - David Howard


CNN's Steve Randall takes a closer look at the word in question

Mayor now says he acted 'too hastily'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A white aide to Washington Mayor Anthony Williams who resigned after using the word "niggardly" in a conversation will be returning to city government, ending a flap over what critics derided as political correctness run amok.

On Thursday, saying he acted "too hastily" in accepting David Howard's resignation, Williams offered Howard his job back as director of the Office of the Public Advocate. Howard agreed to come back to city government, but he has asked the mayor to find him a different job.

"While it is important for a mayor, or any leader, to act decisively, make bold decisions and create a sense of urgency, it is not always necessary to act hastily," said Williams, who was elected mayor in November.

On January 15, Howard used the word "niggardly" -- a synonym for "stingy" -- in a conversation with two aides. Eleven days later, he resigned as rumors were spreading that he had used a racial epithet.

Howard now says he was too quick to resign.
Factoid:

niggardly - adj. 1. stingy; miserly; 2. small, few, or scanty; - adv. 1. stingily.

-- Webster's New World College Dictionary, Third Edition

"At the time, I thought it was the best thing for the city and the administration," he said.

But columnists and commentators pounced on the incident as yet another example of the ludicrous state of politics and race relations in Washington.

Williams, who is black, had promised to bring a new era of respectability after decades of excess under his controversial predecessor, Marion Barry. But Howard's resignation led to accusations that the new mayor was kowtowing to remnants of the Barry regime.

Both aides who heard Howard use the word "niggardly" were holdovers from the Barry administration, and one was a candidate for the job Howard was given.

"The recently completed review of the incident confirmed for me that Mr. Howard did use the word 'niggardly' but did not use a racial epithet," Williams said, adding that the employee who complained misunderstood Howard to have use a racial slur.

As for Howard, he says that in the future, he'll use the word "parsimonious" instead.

Dear, SevenOneEighty how predictable you are. I knew that was coming. I guess you missed it when I typed REGARDLESS OF WHO USES IT. Are you blind? I am outraged when Jay-Z uses it, I was outraged when doctorj used it in his/her post, I am outraged when I see old footage of Richard Pryor using it, and I was outraged when Michael Richards used it. It doesn't matter who uses it. It should not be used. You see some other Black folks using it and you assume that we all condone it? Or the better question is, do you assume that we are all the same? Have you heard of the ban the N-word movement? How can you say there is no outrage from fellow African-American? Do you know who Stanley Crouch is, try reading some of his work. Obviously you are ignorant to that, or else you would not have typed there is no outrage. I bet you think the "nappy-headed ho's" thing is okay. Damn fool. lol

You say its a language and culture barrier, I say it's a disregard for respect and dignity. It's more than just a symbol, its more than just a word. People have died because of that word. It's about the smug attitude that makes people like you think that it's okay to join the ignorance by uttering it. So what many Black people condone it. That doesn't make it right. For someone to use that word 10 times in total is excessive, especially when you can edit it out. I shouldn't be subjected to that when I decide to come on here. Nor should there be any racial slurs here for any reason. John McWhorter? Are you kidding me? He's a joke. Don't get me started on him. Read this link.

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=1426

Dave Chappelle is not threatening ... while Star is.

Even more true now than when the author's words were laid down...
From Wiki

Among some of the on-air remarks included "I will come for your kids" and I want to "do an R. Kelly...on your seed," a reference to the 2002 videotapes allegedly showing R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl and then urinating on her. Star also offered $500 to any listener who could provide information about the rival DJ's daughter's school and used racial slurs when talking about Casey's wife.

hrm. I'm going to try to get a friend to read this thread - she has, in the past, worked in the fashion industry and done a lot of business in hong kong. if nothing else, I can imagine that she's heard this before. I think I'm with doctorj on this one - the n-bomb is an offensive word in US english. I think it's made some jumps to other countries because of US media exports but probably without adequate explanation that it is, in fact, a derogatory term.

does anyone know how the n-bomb (I honestly can't even bring myself to type the word) is considered, if anything, in canada?

much more offensive, frankly, is imus' comment re: the rutgers women's basketball team. he's got no cultural excuse. at all. dipshit.

DoctorJ, All I said was "this fish was fit for Jehovah."

Actually I have read McWhorter. Well for one, he admits that his FACTS are simply opinions from what he has seen personally, not a real study. McWhorter acknowledges that he is probably the "wrong person" to be making his arguments as he is neither a social scientist, an anthropologist or a trained education researcher. Educators are well aware of the problem, and I agree there is a problem. However, researchers have found that even though blacks complete less homework than whites, they spend as much time doing it. And while much is made of black kids who ostracize high achievers, researchers have found blacks no more likely than whites to lose social status among their peers because they do well in school.
"The more we look at the data, the more we move away from a simple cultural explanation," Ronald F. Ferguson, a Harvard University researcher. "There are behavioral differences that you can observe between racial groups, but they tend not to be behaviors that help you predict achievement."The issues McWhorter raises are important. But his argument is flawed. Ward Connerly, the leader of a national anti-affirmative action movement, has called him to offer assistance. The Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, has named him a contributing editor to its journal. Others have offered ballet and opera tickets, not to mention large public speaking fees. And McWhorter even credits Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, the conservative activists who wrote "America in Black and White: One Nation, Indivisible," a book that argues against affirmative action and brims with racial statistics, for providing much of the raw data underlying his conclusions. What happened to independent research? Let's just say, to blanket a race or group of people the way he does is ill-advised and it makes me feel he had the conclusion before the research. You can say what you want but you seem intelligent enough to know that is not balance. Plus as a child he was picked on by his black peers, kind of feels likes sour grapes to me. Thats why i disagree with him. I do my homework.

P.S. It wasn't a sweeping accusation, it was directed to only you.

getonmylevel718 wrote: And sorry for taking a while to respond. I have been busy doing important things like working, studying for the GMAT, sleeping, and spending time with my girlfriend.

[-X [-X [-X
Letting priorities get in the way of a black-and-white discussion about murky language. Work, study, sleep and girlfriend will still be there tomorrow; internet diatribe is 24-hour immediate gratification.