Recently in Language Use Category

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/04/umd_facebook_ra.php

This is an article about a recent incident at the University of Minnesota-Duluth that involves blatantly racist comments posted on a wall-to-wall conversation on Facebook. The comments were between two white girls discussing the presence of a black girl in the room they were in. Before I go on, here are some of the horrible comments they were making:

"ewww a obabacare is in the room, i feel dirty, and unsafe. keep a eye on all of your valuables and dont make direct eye contact.... i just threw up in my mouth right now....,"

"were two white girls.. she already has her 'nigga' instinct to kill us and use us to her pleasure..."


I'm sure I don't have to tell you that these comments are pretty messed up. The girls claim that they were just joking around, but I don't know what kind of person actually thinks this is funny. And what the f***, why were they publicly posting a conversation like this on Facebook?! Do people not understand that ANYONE can go on Facebook and see what you say to other people? Also, if they were in the same room, why were they using Facebook to talk to each other?!.....I hate technology....

Anyway, what kind of punishment do you think they deserve? Is it even possible to punish somebody for something like this? What leads a person to believe it is okay to 1) make these comments in the first place, 2) post this comments on their PUBLIC Facebook page, and 3) think that there is nothing wrong with making comments like this open to all eyes?



In his book Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, Randall Kennedy explores the history of the word and it's role in the justice system and society. He begins by investigating the word's origin which is derived from the Latin word 'niger' meaning the color black. It is unknown when the word began to be used as a slur; however, by the early 19th century it was used widely as an insult referring to slaves' ignorance. It has been reported in 4,219 court cases compared to only 286 for 'honky' and 90 for 'gook.' Compared to many other slurs, the N-word has the greatest amount of social and legal consequences. The word has been banned from being used in the courtroom because research has shown that simply overhearing the word can cause people to lower their evaluation of African-Americans. This combined with the fact that 'criminal' has been found to be a dominant stereotype for Blacks raises major issues for the accuracy of the term 'fair trial.' 
In the past, the N-word was used as a demeaning slur against Blacks; recently, however, many African-Americans have adopted the word as a term of endearment and have changed the meaning it carries. This has confused many Whites and some people have proposed that the word should be banned outright. Kennedy argues that this view disparages the historical significance of the word and fails to recognize its expressional flexibility. He also believes that Whites may not understand Black culture enough to use the word and that having to suffer it as a slur for so long, Blacks should be able to use it. He also believes, however, that Whites should not be barred from using the word in the appropriate context and that ignoring context would just make a 'fetish' of the N-word. He believes that we 'worry more about speech codes than coded speech' and that living in a free society, we have to 'tolerate some amount of offensive expression.' I would recommend this as a read to anyone--it really elucidated many ideas and scenarios I've never considered. One thing is for sure: the N-word is not disappearing anytime soon. Understanding it's history can help one realize in what contexts it may be appropriate as well as what the word can mean and the issues it has caused.
"Anti-abortion groups are targeting black audiences with the message that abortion is a form of "ethnic cleansing." But as many point out, this strategy ignores the real needs of all women."

http://jezebel.com/5483679/womb-lynching-on-the-anti+choice-targeting-of-african+american-women
















     When I heard this spot on the radio the other day, I immediately thought about the situation we discussed in class about the adjunct professor that was fired for using the "N" word.  According to our class discussion, one of the main reasons we believed this action was taken was because of the instructors' inability to recognize the history and the true meaning embodied by that sort of language.

      This use of the word "lynching" regarding African American children seems to do the same thing.  Though I think all of us would like to see the number of abortions performed each year decrease, it seems the groups using this sort of language are also disregarding the historical and contextual meaning the word "lynching" has.

     Media coverage over the last few years (even as recent as last month) has shown time after time how even a noose hung in a tree or a campus building incites fear, resentment, and anger amongst those who understand its meaning.

     No matter what side of the abortion issue you find yourself, I think this kind of use of language proves ineffective for its intention...  





Paul Mooney is one of the Kings of comedy. He has written stand up comedy for Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Saturday night live and many other venues. He is mainly known for his active stance in confronting racism in America through Stand up Comedy and going on different talk shows to address these issues faced by society today. Paul has a strait forward or blunt approach he takes which makes most White people uncomfortable and upset. There are a lot of good youtube videos that go into greater detail with his views. Do you think by him being direct about these issues help or harm the message he is trying to portray?

They Don't Care About Us

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So, I am a Micheal Jackson fan...and you can think whatever you want about him, but he has made a great impact on our music that we have today.

When I went to buy a cd of his that had recently broken, I didn't realize that one of the songs was going to be censored. The song is titled "They Don't Care About Us" and you can find the lyrics on the site below:
http://www.elyrics.net/read/m/michael-jackson-lyrics/they-don_t-care-about-us-lyrics.html

the two words that they censor are "jew" and "kike".. if you want to listen to the song you can go here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNJL6nfu__Q

 

The point of this song is in the message, and I was really suprised to find that they were covering up these words. I feel like this really connects with our class where we put all of the hateful words on the board. By covering these words up, what kind of message are they trying to promote? He is trying to bring up these issues to the forefront, by blocking them out there is only a greater hate for the words.
What do you think about censorship? Are there times when it is ok to leave things uncensored? Are there times where things NEED to be said? 

An instructor was fired for saying nigger during class, in the context of his lecture. How do you feel about this? Just cause? Or political correctness and hypersensitivity at work?

http://www.thetowerlight.com/adjunct-faculty-member-fired-following-racial-slur-1.2174910

"While reviewing a chapter about identity and the body, Zaruba referred to himself as "a nigger on the corporate plantation." (Zaruba is white).



This is a pimp named Ken who pimps all over the world. "Pimpin" is a form of power that one may have on another. This video shows some of the concepts he goes by also shows his reasoning. He is promoting his new book called Pimpology and DVD series which he explains 48 laws to the game of pimpin. What is the psychological aspect they use to get the women? what is wrong with the thought process of a PIMP and HOE? Does our US government pimp us?
http://www.northern-iowan.org/multimedia/travel
I was looking for a story in the Northern Iowan, and I came across this advertisement listed below in the travel section, I was thinking wow, in the newspaper of the University that talks about "diversity matters' but yet, it implies and promotes a false image when and entity is being bias toward an ethnicity Mexican's/Latinos/Hispanics can take this ad offensive when it says "you don't have to cross the boarder." 


Ad:
Spring Break Texas
Spring break South Padre Island is an affordable destination with beautiful beaches, stunning ocean views, and a party scene that is simply unbeatable. South Padre Island has the perfect mix of a Mexican feel without having to cross the border.

Is it discriminatory, towards Mexicans'/Latinos/Hispanics?  You tell me how I should feel reading this ad if you were in my shoes? How does it make you feel when you see this? 



Politically Correct

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My girlfriend is currently working 12 months as an AmeriCorps Vista in Minneapolis.  She is working in some low income areas of the suburbs.  Through her position she is receiving some training on various things and recently she had a multicultural training.  In this she learned that the new "preferred" term for those in the U.S. who are not white is "people of color", and is no longer "minorities."  Reason being that "people of color" puts the emphasis on the person, and is not a one-word term to refer to a group of people.  I would first like to know what you think about such "politically correct" ways of speech.  Does me saying "people of color" instead of "minorities" cause ME to THINK of the person as more of a person, and not just a group of people who are different than me?  Or is the overall goal not to necessarily impact the way I think, but more so out of respect to those who it applies to?  Second, do you think we will ever have a final and official politically correct way to refer to groups of people, or will we continue to come up with new ways because we are a prejudice people and can't seem to treat each other with respect?


And on a side note, when searching for "people of color preferred term"  I found this handy chart on preferred terms, and not preferred terms for groups of people.  I would recommend printing a copy and taking it with you wherever you go...

http://www.gcorr.org/atf/cf/%7B9412EEAA-507B-4DDB-8168-B750F1B8A277%7D/Speaking_of_Diversity.pdf

R-word controversy

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/meghan-mccain-calls-out-t_n_453778.html 3.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/09/colbert-sarah-palin-is-a_n_454744.html   2. 

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/02/02/emanuel-steps-up-his-apology/    1.

Several links here in reverse order, so I suggest you start with number one and then go that way (I numbered them).

Rahm Emmanuel called the liberal democrats 'f'n retards' then Sarah Palin called for his resignation for saying such things. Rush Limbaugh said that Rahm Emmanuel's comments were much ado about nothing and that you can't say anything in this PC world. "Why can't you call people who are retards 'retards' [referring to the liberal democrats]....they're going to go to the White House and have a retard summit". Sarah Palin defended Limbaugh as being satirical and that she wasn't the 'word police'. Colbert diagnoses the situation in video 3 rather bluntly...

First of all is the r-word comparable the n-word? (another reference Palin made). Is there a ranking of words that are more taboo than others? Does such fuss about word usage and policing words create a feeling of disillusionment and desensitization to the general public or even worse defensiveness? Are we just filling up news dockets, or does this stuff matter?