Bahtatboy

Eeny meeny miny mo...

The Mirror engaged a forensic expert to listen to a tape of Clarkson allegedly saying the above--the expert's view was that he did.

On the back of "slope" this could do him serious damage.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...on-top-3480258

[The Mirror. I know. Sorry.]

Millsyisland

But black people use the "n" word regularly and are not picked up on it - they even use it in their songs. In fact I'm sure Eminem and others of his ilk use it when some of them are not even black.

co durham boy

Clarkson's a prick , hopefully this will finish him .

Beaverstate

The term has been around since Vietnam if not sooner.

If this has been pointed out Iv'e only read post 1.

Boomhauer

Context and intent.
What matters is if the person saying it intends it as a racial insult or not. " Redneck " is considered by some as a derogatory word for Whites but it is also said by many Whites as a term of endearement (Jeff Foxworthy for instance).

Beaverstate

Agreed. However blacks are not doing themselves any favor by throwing the term around so freely.

Millsyisland

I agree to a certain extent, but if he was using the term from an old nursery rhyme (or whatever you'd call it), I'd say there's no intent there? I was taught this when I was a child too and would still use it without thinking of any intent to be racist.

Millhouse

you would teach your kids it today, or something else?

Millsyisland

No, my daughter's been taught the same kind of thing at school, but with a replacement for the "n" word. It was however what I learnt and what I know - if I said the rhyme in front of my kids I'd probably mumble that part, simply because I wouldn't want them to repeat it as they'd probably get into trouble.

Beakersful

Odd they didn't contact French or Coulthard for their expert opinion as forensic linguists.

Millhouse

So you know that it is wrong then. Glad we established that.

Anyway, the difference is that the white man says: nigg-errrr, the black man says nig-az followed by a kiss of the teeth. Completely different. I prefer the second version.

What gets me, is that the Paks in my office sometimes (actually quite often) use the word Paki to refer to themselves. I'm only allowed to use Pak.

Inequity. It's all around us.

the_red_sheep

I find it slightly bizarre that even in the context of saying they the word “nigger” is bad, and should no longer be used to describe people, that we still seemingly can’t say it, and have to say the “n word”. It’s no more offensive than lots of other words used to describe ethnicities, races or cultures but it seems that no matter what the context white people just can’t say or even type it anymore.

Boomhauer

N word is considered quite racist (excepting certain contexts) . Everyone knows what N word symbolises , Clarkson (assuming he said it) can't claim ignorance .

Why would it being an old rhyme make it acceptable There's lots of racist caricature toys from the past, but we don't generally see that sort of stuff in the West anymore (well not unless you attend a curio auction on past memorabilia).

Boomhauer

The Guardian spells it out. I used " N word " out of habit. I don't have any issue with spelling it and I certainly have seen it spelled out on American media when talking about its negative connontation. It's just that in the Mainstream media, it is referred to as the " N Word ".

Millsyisland

No. I know that I don't want my kids saying it because I know they'd get into trouble.

Personally I don't see a problem with saying it in the context of an old nursery rhyme.