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The only cultures/races that have slurs, are ones that have shame.
Think about it. What slurs are there for white people or western culture? Cracker, Honkey, and not much else.
Are those insults? Does a while person get angry when you call them a Craker, or do they smile, maybe even laugh.

Doesn't matter what word you come up with for 'white', doesn't matter how much hate you put into saying it. I will never be offended by being called white.
I have a native friend who grew up on a dry reservation. I can call him anything from redskin to Tonto, he takes it all with pride.
I have another native friend who grew up in a pickled reservation. He gets offended by any word you use, even 'native'.

I think I now understand the difference. And why black people hate any word for black, while nobody has ever been able to create an offensive word for 'white'.

Maybe instead of trying to teach people not to say specific (but always changing) words, we should teach people that there is no shame in being a Cracker, Nigger, Redskin, or a Zipper-head.
If you feel good about yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.
If you feel worthless, that's when it matter what others think. But that's not a solution. It does give them something else to focus on and sometimes blame, though.

Disagree? Good, tell me why.

The only cultures/races that have slurs, are ones that have shame. Think about it. What slurs are there for white people or western culture? Cracker, Honkey, and not much else. Are those insults? Does a while person get angry when you call them a Craker, or do they smile, maybe even laugh. Doesn't matter what word you come up with for 'white', doesn't matter how much hate you put into saying it. I will never be offended by being called white. I have a native friend who grew up on a dry reservation. I can call him anything from redskin to Tonto, he takes it all with pride. I have another native friend who grew up in a pickled reservation. He gets offended by any word you use, even 'native'. I think I now understand the difference. And why black people hate any word for black, while nobody has ever been able to create an offensive word for 'white'. Maybe instead of trying to teach people not to say specific (but always changing) words, we should teach people that there is no shame in being a Cracker, Nigger, Redskin, or a Zipper-head. If you feel good about yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If you feel worthless, that's when it matter what others think. But that's not a solution. It does give them something else to focus on and sometimes blame, though. Disagree? Good, tell me why.

2 comments

[–] Boukert 2 points (+2|-0)

If you feel good about yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I agree with this. I worked in Bars and Restaurants with all kinds of races, beliefs and cultures. We would tell the harshed jokes to eachother and then laugh. The absurdity of those jokes would often lead to conversations followed by mutual understanding and friendships. It was mostly a positive way to "break the ice", I feel PC culture is making normal communication impossible in the US and hence deepens the trenches and creating racism.


I've been pondering your statement but i think this is a very North-American and skin colour based approach.

If I take Western Europe as an example, we have plenty of racial and cultural slurs going around. Those are much more based on cultural background (country/region) then the color of ones skin. A black Brit will always be a twat or a wanker before he would be a nigger, like an indonesian Dutchmen will always be a cheesehead before he's a peanut. A Chinese Dutchman will call a Chinese German a "Mof" (Dutch slur for Germans) without problems and not really see a cultural connection due to their skincolour.

Those slurs mostly have to do with cultural phenomenons and/or the perception of them by another country/region. Like most of Western EU sees the French as arrogant, The French couldn't care less. Same with greedy Scotts and Dutch, loud drunk Englishmen and Belgian stupidity. None of them really cares much about those though.

Skincolour is much less an issue in Europe then the US, the only exception might be prejudice towards Arabs/Muslims but it's still a much, much more mild variant then in the States even at the worse cases.

You're right that there is a difference between race and culture based slurs. I think the difference is often blurred in North America as race and culture are confused or even used interchangeably.

We still have that culture based 'mild-ribbing' type that you describe. But for white folk it is primarily between western cultures only, as when applied to others it is often taken as racism.
Everybody loves a good scottsman/russian/dutch joke, but the same joke with 'African' might get you shot. Because it will be taken as racist, no matter the context.

I find Asians (Both East and South) tend to do the same. But don't get called racist, because reasons.
Honestly though, the only time I expect any problems with being viewed as racist, is when I'm with mostly white people.
I do not censor myself around Indians(dot), East Asians, or natives. They usually understand the importance of context. Also, sometimes they're too racist to make accusations about others.

In Canada we carried on many of your European rivalries, but I think our strongest are between provinces. We don't have any neighbours other than the US, and our provinces are larger than a handful of other countrys, so we divide teams based on province. That makes it hard for it to be viewed as racist, or hateful (Even if I do hate those stinkin' Quebecois!).
I think that kind of behaviour is not just acceptable, but should be encouraged. A rivalry doesn't need to be hateful. It can be playful.

I wish more people over here, more so to the south, could separate race and culture.
People need to understand that I don't hate them because of their skin colour.
I hate them because of who they are on the inside.