Posts by EnlightenedMind

217

Don Imus Fired!

by minimus in

jw
friends

....for saying "nappy headed hos".

he's off tv and radio.

personally, he's never been my favorite but i like him more than the reverend al sharpton!

EnlightenedMind

Repeat: Anytime you say, "It's okay for me because of my race--but not okay for you because of yours," you are validating racism and perpetuating racial tension.

As I previously stated, I never said it was okay either way. And I'm glad you gave that example. I don't use the n-word for just that reason - because I don't want my daughter using it. She doesn't listen to rap music for the same reason.

And I don't believe that it is the prevailing view in today's society that it is okay for anyone to use it. In rap songs, that word is bleeped out on radio stations, (at least the ones where I live), so there is certainly the sense that it needs to be censored.

We are all a part of the human race, and I certainly don't have an "us" vs. "them" mentality. Is Jeff Foxworthy perpetuating racial tension or displaying an us vs. them mentality when he jokes about rednecks, or Margaret Cho when she jokes about asians, or are they simply recognizing the humor in the differences between the cultures?

Is it a problem for me that I can't say some of the same things that they say without offending someone? No. big. deal.

217

Don Imus Fired!

by minimus in

jw
friends

....for saying "nappy headed hos".

he's off tv and radio.

personally, he's never been my favorite but i like him more than the reverend al sharpton!

EnlightenedMind

It's this simple:
If you DON'T want race relations to improve, you will continue to abide double standards.
If you DO want race relations to improve, you will stop abiding double standards.

Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating the use of the n-word by anyone. Personally, I don't think that the n-word should be used by anyone because I think that it has negative connotations no matter what. But if every black person in the world stopped using it, do you SERIOUSLY believe that will stop the white people who use it from using it or viewing black people as such?

I wish it were that simple.

It will be duly noted the next time a double standard is used against you.

There are going to be double standards no matter what. They are used against me, and that is why I don't use certain terms to refer to people that other people of their same race might use. I just don't say those things, and that doesn't affect my life in the least. Why is this type of double standard such a big deal?

217

Don Imus Fired!

by minimus in

jw
friends

....for saying "nappy headed hos".

he's off tv and radio.

personally, he's never been my favorite but i like him more than the reverend al sharpton!

EnlightenedMind

All hip hop stations knock on whites everday

Do you listen to hip hop stations? There is no end to the senseless drivel that you find in music these days, especially hip hop, but knocking whites? No, these days, the mainstream music is all about bling and money and other foolishness.

shows like the chapelle show that constantly knocked whites, but thats ok

Dave Chappelle knocks whites, blacks, mexicans, all kinds. And he's certainly not the only comedian that does that. The difference is that comedians make generalizations for the sake of comedy, while Imus specifically targeted these few women.

As for the Duke lacrosse players, they were wrongly accused and are now being exonerated. If white people want to "dance in the streets", they can dance to their hearts content. And there IS talk of the prosecutor losing his license, as well he should. As for the two white guys in your hypothetical getting fired... not hardly. Look up The Innocence Project. How many prosecutors have lost their license for putting innocent men in jail for years and years?

I have acknowledged that there is a double standard, and I don't think that anyone is claiming that there isn't. The point is, that's irrelevant. There are things that are offensive if said by certain people, and this cuts across all cultures and color lines. There are double standards everywhere, but that is not a license to intentionally use terms that are known to be offensive.

12

Congregational Meals on Wheels

by bronzefist in

jw
friends

when i was an unbeliving husband my ex had a serious health issue (cervical cancer) and lots of "sisters" would bring my three kids and i lots of meals.

it was one of the things that really impressed me.

anyone know if things like that are still done?

EnlightenedMind

I agree with Hortensia. Some people got the special treatment, others didn't.

My brothers exwife, was disfellowshipped for adultery, and he filed for divorce. The sisters came out of the woodwork.

Soooooo true! lol

25

Google earth adds Crises in Darfur, you must check this out

by needproof in

jw
friends

anybody not yet familiar with google earth should try it, www.earth.google.com - offers maps and satellite images for complex or pinpointed regional searches.

recently google have added satellite shots of sudan, where a mass genocide is taking place whilst we go to bed each night in our safe and sound environments (relatively).

up to 300,000 people dead so far - why the hell doesn't blair or bush do something about this seeing as though they are so beset with helping other people (bs)... .

EnlightenedMind

Thanks for posting this, needproof. I was aware of the Darfur crisis, but I was not fully aware of all of the politics behind it.

48

What is your favorite TV show?

by averyniceguy in

EnlightenedMind

Lost is my elusive lover, giving me just enough to keep me coming around, but refusing to make any significant commitment or show any real interest in the well-being of our relationship... such a tease! lol

America's Next Top Model is my guilty pleasure.

217

Don Imus Fired!

by minimus in

jw
friends

....for saying "nappy headed hos".

he's off tv and radio.

personally, he's never been my favorite but i like him more than the reverend al sharpton!

EnlightenedMind

Who cares if it's a double standard! If a white person calls me the n-word, it's going to be perceived differently than if a black person calls me the same thing. Just like a Spanish person might take offense if someone other than a Spanish person called him "homes." I wonder if people really don't understand that or if some are being intentionally obtuse for the sake of furthering their arguments.

What I don't understand is why white people whine about the double standard all the time. It's not navigating a minefield. Just don't say it, and get on with your lives. I don't whine because white people would be offended if I call them rednecks, while Foxworthy has made a career out of it. I just don't say it, and it doesn't bother me one way or the other.

217

Don Imus Fired!

by minimus in

jw
friends

....for saying "nappy headed hos".

he's off tv and radio.

personally, he's never been my favorite but i like him more than the reverend al sharpton!

EnlightenedMind

I'm not familiar with Imus or what he's said in the past, but here are two points:

For one, Imus called them "nappy-head" hos, which is too close to another n-word for my and most black people's comfort. The connotation is there. Rappers and black people say the n-word, and I don't think that's a good thing either, but white people should not use it or any connotation of it, ever, under any circumstances, ever, ever, ever. Is it a double standard? Who cares! Just don't say it. It's very simple. Jeff Foxworthy can call white people rednecks all day long, but I'm not going to do it because it will be perceived a different way if I say it. And I don't whine about there being a double standard because, having no desire to use the word, I really could care less if it's a double standard.

Secondly, rappers call women ho's all the time, and that's just one of the many reasons why I don't buy or listen to that kind of rap music. The difference here is that Imus was referring to a specific identifiable group of women who did nothing whatsoever to incur that type of insult. I don't listen to his show, but has he ever referred to a group of white female athletes as a bunch of nappy-headed hos? By his comment, he specifically identified these few black women, and he called them whores, and they have every right to be offended.

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