Do words that "just slip out" reflect true feelings? (page 3)

Frannie Banannie

For so long, so many minorities were made to feel inferior, and now I think some of them (blacks, latinos come to mind the fastest) are trying to shape their own descriptions. I understand the why, just not the path.

Anyway, nice to see that two such "different" looking people can be on the same basic page, huh? Happyout

You betcha, Hap!!! I agree with everything you said, and I find it sad that in my hometown, groups such as the NAACP are successfully fostering a militant take over attitude among quite a few black Americans against their fellow Americans here......and I hope in my next life, I get to see all the racist crapitudes over and done with....for everyone....

High 5's, my sister...

Frannie B (of the "in transition to Senior Citizen" class)

SixofNine

Six,
I spoke with my mom (who is a teacher) about this, and asked her what she thought. She said it is very common in many school discussions she has been part of for people to imply that minority students are somehow less intelligent than whites. She works in what is now a largely latino area, and she said many of her white counterparts say things like, "you know THEY don't learn as well" or "THEY don't care about education". I am trying not to impose my thoughts on what may have been in this particular teacher's mind, but I have a difficult time believing she really didn't know the term "Sambo" is a slur.

The word "THEY" is far more derogatory than the word sambo ever was, imo. I really believe "they" should be stricken from the language. I'm not kidding about this, btw.

I know what you mean about comedy clubs, but I think 90% of what I have heard in them would be inappropriate in an academic environment, don't you agree?

I'm sure you know I wasn't in any way implying that what I hear in comedy concerts is appropriate for the classroom. No disrespect, but think perhaps you didn't see my point. Specifically, my point was that Sambo is so completely and totally out of use, that the people who make fun of racism thru comedy don't even use it. One wonders if the word could even be found on a Richard Pryor tape? If it is so completely and totally out of use, is it really hard to imagine that someone might not have internalized it as derogatory? I mean, it was after all, the name of a chain of restaurants. Perhaps this woman thought of it as both racially designating, and affectionate at the same time? Stupider things have happened.

I just reread the news story more carefully, and I have to say I'm quite sure that it is reasonable to believe that this was 100% innocent. A little context helps here. A) Sambo is extremely mild on the list of derogatory racial names. In fact, it is so out of use, that one would have to assume that it is derogatory (unless the context implied otherwise), as it simply isn't used that way or any other way in the year 2003. The term "slur" would become meaningless if this is an example of "slurs". B) A racial designation was evidently needed to make whatever point it is she was making, and CNN's beautifully sparse informational style leaves us clueless as to exactly what the point and context of the original conversation really was. Of course, that doesn't mean simply "black" wouldn't have done the job just as well, but perhaps she was just getting home-spun witit, as is the case with certain posters on this very db. quaint init? C) This was said in a teacher's conference, not a classroom, so it isn't likely a situation where someone thought maybe they could get away with something. Again, it would be nice if the news organization would dig far enough to provide the words that proceeded her comment. I suspect that the devil is in the details on this one. I'm sure the proceeding context would give strong hints as to exactly the woman's motivation for using the phrase.

teejay

gumby

I'm gonna be real simple.

I liked Sambo's . I liked the chubby black statue out front. So what in the hell was wrong with a little black person representing a good black homecooked meal? Blacks can cook good. What's the problem? And if your not as old as I am...... and I'm not REAL old (49) , you haven't a clue what this is all about. That should tell you the world has become redicoulously comlicated in a short time........the end is near.

Gumby

wednesday

racial slurs and social class slurs are wrong.

It is really unnecesary that we must identify ourselves by our color, what real difference does it make? i have no idea what race most of the posters on the board are and that is great with me.

I do remember last year the MC for the Miss America contest made a big deal out of race. A lot of his comments were racial slurs and inuendos, and were really unecessary. I noticed he was not back this year. Lsat night on the emmys the announcer who plays Luis(a hispanic man) made a lot of hispanic jokes. I felt degraded for him.

Wouldn't it be wondreful if we all sat around and i was just wednesday, u were happyout and so on. And we left color out of it.

teejay

@ gumby

gumby

TJ

Gumby

happyout

Six,

While I am easily able to admit I don't know the teacher's motivation (and have done so at least once on this thread) I am at a loss to understand when it would be NEEDED to make a statement like the one that was made. "A little Sambo sitting in the back of the class"? Why could she not have said, " a child sitting in the back of the class"? And, personally, I think the fact that she added "little" to the term goes far more towards showing some sort of bias than otherwise. There is possibly some reason she needed to identify the child by race, but then you have to accept that she knew the term referred to blacks, and it makes more sense to believe if she knew the term referred to blacks, then she knew it wasn't nice, at the very least.

The fact that something isn't used often in no way detracts from it's offensiveness. Because I don't use slurs personally, I won't go into the many words that used to be popular, are no longer often used, but still have the same intent and affect as they did decades ago. I know you won't like this, but I can't think of any other way to say it: calling a slur mild shows that you likely don't know how it feels to be called one. I am not saying that you have gone through life without issues, problems, name calling,etc. I am saying most every minority person I know reacts to slurs, old or new, and that's just the way it is. (and by react, I simply mean they are offended)

The one thing I agree with you on is the story is sparse on details. Maybe it wasn't a big enough story to warrant a follow up, but I could not find it anywhere. What it does say, however, is that two attendees of the conference reported the incident. Two. Not a lot (although I admittedly don't know the number of attendees). Seems like she almost did get away with it.

I just re-read the article again, trying desperately not to be biased, and there is no way I think this was said without racial bias. You can sugarcoat it by calling it "home spun wit" but it's a slur, and she should have had more severe a punishment than paid leave.

Just my opinion, and I think you and I will likely have to agree to disagree on this one.

Happyout

SixofNine

and she should have had more severe a punishment than paid leave.

And I think you've lost the plot to say such a thing, given the information you have or lack thereof. Perhaps her house should be egged? Maybe a snow flake barbie effigy hung in the front yard, give the racist bitch a little of her own medicine?

calling a slur mild shows that you likely don't know how it feels to be called one.

I don't see the logic in that. Are you saying that little sambo is as harsh as nigger? And have you ever met anyone who's made it thru life w/o at least having some idea of what it feels like to be slurred? Given my propensity towards certain forms of entertainment, I even have a little bit of a clue what it feels like to recieve a racial slur, lol.

I also think that it is a mis-characterisation of my words to say that I was "sugar coating" it by calling it home-spun (not wit, but "getting homespun "witit" as in "with it", as in me getting homespun while punnin'). As you may have noticed, I'm not big on sugar coating. Attitude is everything, and it really isn't the attitude of the reciever of a word to make the final call on if something is a slur or not. Just because you feel slurred, doesn't mean you were. I was trying to show a scenario in which this woman may have honestly not been "slurring". I don't know many other ways to point this out... it's getting frustrating seeing people in this thread glom onto the word Sambo as a slur, when I know damn well they are in the main unfamiliar with the word being used, at all, ever. As Gumby pointed out.

At this point however, I'll bow out, cuz honestly, I'm argueing a point that I have no real conviction in; the woman could well be a racist pig. My only point is that given the sparse info provided, she also could well be the relatively innocent victim of a bad choice of words and a worse choice of political correctness on the part of the entire fu****g country, dark-tinted-people-godbless-em included.

But you and I have the same info, and yet you come to a far different conclusion, so it's obvious that your perception is skewed by your obvious blind hatred for anyone and anything lighter than a good Sade or Beyonc-e.

That last, happyout m'dear, is a joke about perceptions of perceptions. All in all, I generally dig your perceptions.

joannadandy

Aww...look at the little white person and little black person kissin!!! Can't we all just get along?

Do words that "just slip out" reflect true feelings?

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