AZ - 6 Arizona Students Used School Spirit T-Shirts to Spell Out the "N" Word

[bluesneakers]

Did you notice I edited my post? I knew someone would pipe in and say well "I" never used that word in hate.

The word got used in hate, and it's not by this generation. It's by past generations, who are now mad that these kids don't grasp the depth of the word.

Just as some people will say stuff like "soup nazi", completely dismissing the gravity of what they're saying.

Oh, it's used by this generation. Believe it. Search around Facebook, twitter, reddit, 4chan... I doubt anyone would use it in your presence (I'm assuming you're an adult) but if you could eavesdrop on a few choice conversations you would hear it there too.

There's no excuse for what these girls did. They thought it would be funny and it probably is to some people but at the end of the day they're using their shirts to spell out a racial slur and it's going to be on the internet forever.

Maybe in a few years one of them can write an article for jezebel to apologize and explain why they did it.

 

[bluesneakers]

Double post. Oops.

 

[bluesneakers]

Disagreeing with someone is not "being hostile." And most young people today who heard the name Emmett would think of Emmett Cullen from Twilight. So I can't believe you said that to that young woman. I honestly wouldn't think of Emmett Till if I heard that name. I don't even watch or know about Twilight, really.

But Emmett is a beautiful name for a boy.

Agree!

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/570695335618441216/NYKO3i3C.png

 

[bwt42]

Agree!

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/570695335618441216/NYKO3i3C.png

Emmit Smith was my first thought.

 

[pappa rob]

The real irony here, is we are blaming these kids for using a word we, in past generations, have used in hate. "Don't you know how we, your parents and grandparents have used that word? Don't you know the hate and horror we associated with it and how we (collectively, not individually) inflicted such harm with that word? How dare you use it flippantly when we used it so hatefully".

That's really the gist of this. They're being blamed, by past generations, for using a word in fun that the past generations used to suppress the very young man who thought it would be funny to stage this.

The irony drips.

edited to add: before I get attacked by an onslaught of "I guess YOU used that word, I never did", I have to say I grew up on an air force base where racism wasn't expressed. Everyone was the same, and there were no racial distinctions I ever felt or saw. I was in 4th grade (around 1969) when on a trip through rural Mississippi I saw that there were STILL segregated drinking fountains, and liberal use of the N word which I had never heard before outside of literature. Never heard it actually used, and didn't know the meaning of it. Then, moving to rural Texas I saw it a LOT.

So I've never used it. Just to be clear before I get slammed.

edited again to add: oh wait. I did hear it once before, and was too shocked to put it in context and integrate it as a word. I was at a friend's house and there was news footage of dogs attacking the freedom marchers, and fire hoses, and I was amazed at the injustice of attacking apparent peaceful people. So I said why are they DOING that? (meaning the cops) and my friend's dad said "that's just the way "n's" are, honey". I felt like he was from mars.

I'm a little older but I never heard either if my parents use that word, nor have I. If I ever did in front of my parents I shudder to think of what would have happened. I heard my Grandmother use it once, it was the only time I had the gumption to tell her off. She used it as part of an older saying, I never heard it again in my house. It's a hateful unacceptable word. Why do you hear it on TV, the movies, and in song still? I thought the people in this world would grow up and stop this kind of garbage by now.

 

[JeannaT]

I'm a little older but I never heard either if my parents use that word, nor have I. If I ever did in front of my parents I shudder to think of what would have happened. I heard my Grandmother use it once, it was the only time I had the gumption to tell her off. She used it as part of an older saying, I never heard it again in my house. It's a hateful unacceptable word. Why do you hear it on TV, the movies, and in song still? I thought the people in this world would grow up and stop this kind of garbage by now.

I think you hear it now, because for 20 or so years those who suffered horribly with that word realized that taking up the word themselves, and throwing it back, took the power out of the word. If someone calls you a name in hate and you pick that word up yourself and put it into songs and rap and art, the power of the word is gone. It's awfully hard to call a group of people a nasty name when that's what they call each other with affection.

As evidenced by this new generation. The power of the word is gone. Except for those who remember how powerful the word used to be.

And to me, that's a fabulous thing. I don't know why anyone would get upset to see young black people laughing at that word. It's like, the ultimate victory over the negativity of that word. It's much better than pretending the word never existed. Checkmate.

 

[bluesneakers]

I think you hear it now, because for 20 or so years those who suffered horribly with that word realized that taking up the word themselves, and throwing it back, took the power out of the word. If someone calls you a name in hate and you pick that word up yourself and put it into songs and rap and art, the power of the word is gone. It's awfully hard to call a group of people a nasty name when that's what they call each other with affection.

As evidenced by this new generation. The power of the word is gone. Except for those who remember how powerful the word used to be.

And to me, that's a fabulous thing. I don't know why anyone would get upset to see young black people laughing at that word. It's like, the ultimate victory over the negativity of that word. It's much better than pretending the word never existed. Checkmate.

I don't know where you're from or where you live, but in the world I live in it hasn't changed. It's still a powerful word that can be used to hurt people.

 

[nightwatch]

Disagreeing with someone is not "being hostile." And most young people today who heard the name Emmett would think of Emmett Cullen from Twilight. So I can't believe you said that to that young woman. I honestly wouldn't think of Emmett Till if I heard that name. I don't even watch or know about Twilight, really. But Emmett is a beautiful name for a boy.[/QUOTE

Love Emmitt Smith, great football player.

On the topic of the teen girls I would wager their social media is blowing up with negative comments. Hopefully they can get past this because kids can be cruel to each other. Classmates remarks will make it tough to live down their careless actions. Wouldn't be surprised if they don't transfer to other schools. Jmo

ciao

 

[bluesneakers]

I'm a little older but I never heard either if my parents use that word, nor have I. If I ever did in front of my parents I shudder to think of what would have happened. I heard my Grandmother use it once, it was the only time I had the gumption to tell her off. She used it as part of an older saying, I never heard it again in my house. It's a hateful unacceptable word. Why do you hear it on TV, the movies, and in song still? I thought the people in this world would grow up and stop this kind of garbage by now.

The one time I heard my mother say it was as part of a saying too.

My father, however....

It is hateful and unacceptable. I don't know the answers to your question, but if I ever meet Mr. Quentin Tarantino I have a few choice words for him.

 

[Chewy]

The one time I heard my mother say it was as part of a saying too.

My father, however....

It is hateful and unacceptable. I don't know the answers to your question, but if I ever meet Mr. Quentin Tarantino I have a few choice words for him.

Tarantino is someone that I thought of as well. There's a ridiculous interview with him and the cast of Django Unchained and he's basically slipping into speaking "like a black guy" through the whole interview. It's weird and uncomfortable to watch.

He had a lot of wonderful performances in that movie but the way he kept having the characters use the word was gross.

 

[Chewy]

I think you hear it now, because for 20 or so years those who suffered horribly with that word realized that taking up the word themselves, and throwing it back, took the power out of the word. If someone calls you a name in hate and you pick that word up yourself and put it into songs and rap and art, the power of the word is gone. It's awfully hard to call a group of people a nasty name when that's what they call each other with affection.

As evidenced by this new generation. The power of the word is gone. Except for those who remember how powerful the word used to be.

And to me, that's a fabulous thing. I don't know why anyone would get upset to see young black people laughing at that word. It's like, the ultimate victory over the negativity of that word. It's much better than pretending the word never existed. Checkmate.

I would disagree with this statement as well. When I grew up and people said it, it was generally a bunch of rednecks and it was considered crass. A good word to compare it to would be the F word used to denigrate a homosexual. I have watched old comedians who used that word and it's extremely jarring to hear today.

But take the case of Paula Deen having used that word. Some people said the same thing you are trying to say. ( I think we all get where you are coming from in your point.) Her career was essentially ended because she had used the word years ago. One of the reasons OJ Simpson was found not guilty was because of this word. It's completely offensive and unacceptable for a white person to use that word today. So to say we've lost the "depth" of the word doesn't really make a lot of sense.

Recently there was an episode of the VIEW where Barbara Walters just said the word as a quote of what someone else said. And it caused a problem. If anything the depth of the word today is much more clear than it was in the past.

Consider Paula Deen again, when she said the word in the past it wasn't taken as seriously as it was when it was just revealed that she had said it today.

I think what you are trying to say is that the girls who did it are young and stupid and not really aware of how serious of a thing it was to do. They probably thought it was funny or silly or being extreme. And if the girl's boyfriend was egging them on to do it, they might not have realized how it could come across to others.

I'm sure they didn't expect it to go viral.