"Seattle Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman spoke in Seattle on Wednesday with the media, expressing regret that his infamous post-game boisterousness had distracted many from appreciating the hard work and talent of his fellow teammates and calling out those who were quick to label him a thug. The only reason it bothers me is because it seems like its the accepted way of calling somebody the N-word nowadays, Sherman said. Its like everybody else said the N-word, and then they say thug. And thats fine. Thats where its kind of, you know it kind of takes me aback. And its kind of disappointing, because they know. Whats the definition of a thug, really?" http://www.salon.com/2014/01/22/richard_sherman_thug_is_simply_the_accepted_way_of_calling_somebody_the_n_word/ Anybody doubt it?
I have, but that doesn't explicitly make it racist. There may be racial intent behind the word these days, but as a word, it has nowhere near the same damage that the N-word carries with it.
It never has been used exclusively for blacks. I don't know what you use the word for but I always used it as an indicator of character, not as an indicator of skin color. Maybe perusing some national crime stats might give you an idea of why there may be some statistical anomaly involved with the terms usage and it's apparent current popularity... . . . ;
Sherman brought this on himself, and is now hiding behind his race. If he can't handle the negative response to his actions, he should keep his mouth shut. Nobody made him say what he said, or make the motions that he did (choking motions). He could have showed class like most NFL players, but he chose not to. I don't think anyone was calling Russell Wilson a thug, were they?
Thug, punk, hoodlum, none of these titles are used exclusively for any race. I remember a few years back on here somebody tried labeling Neal Boortz as racists for talking about urban thugs. Their arguement was that urban was code for black.
Hey Richard Sherman.......If the 'T' word fits your actions then wear it proudly........you are what you are.........never saw Peyton Manning act the fool......win or lose.......some folks got class........some folks weren't raised well.
Welcome to the new NFL: WWF style! [video=youtube;a1xw09AcvzI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1xw09AcvzI[/video] He did take that punch with a smile though... but he's still a thug [video=youtube;abJkMrZUIps]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abJkMrZUIps[/video] I know that style too... [video=youtube;-7aObTKq7zM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7aObTKq7zM[/video] Last time I saw Roidman...
This movement to turn thug into a racist term because a bunch of black people willingly identified as something bad is really disappointing. Maybe some day I will be an old man who insists on using the word "thug" because it wasn't originally considered racist and all the pajama boys and slutwalkers in the room who are only alive because someone botched their abortion will gasp in collective horror at my bigotry. Heads up, better move to New York if you don't want to be offended by the T-word.
I honestly don't know I have black friends and dated a black chick once, but if someone tells me that the word "thug" is racist I'm not going to give a damn. So this probably makes me racist by Salon and pajama boy standards, but the guys I used to do capoeira with likely know me better.
Be that as it may, I have to say you certainly seem racist, but I'm not one to let first impressions mean much, so we're cool, at least I hope. I don't want to antagonize the racists after all.
I call police thugs with guns all the time. It's not really a racial term. Sure, the media is quick to use the term - that doesn't necessarily make it racial. Blacks are called a lot of names - sometimes the use of the word is racist, not the word itself.
Damn, I lose because you called me racist before I could call you racist. Maybe we can all agree upon using the word "ruffian" instead. But then, once all the black artists begin deliberately identifying as ruffians, we will have to remove that word from the lexicon too. Maybe some day, liberals will get their way and it will just be illegal to accuse someone of being a cut-throat bastard, no matter which word you use.
No need to play the victim. I plainly left the door open for you to declare you aren't racist, yet you decided to call me racist instead. While I wasn't sure you were racist before, I'm a little more sure of it now. Rainbow Crow--reminds me of Kosinky's Painted Bird.
I read that book but the analogy never occurred to me before. Care to elaborate? More to the point, what you don't seem to be understanding is that this fetishism around the word racist, and things like trying to keep people from using originally neutral words, is not going to do anything against actual racists. Just as there is race-baiting, there is also racist-baiting, which is all that publications like Salon really do when they cry about the T-word despite decades of black celebrities bending over backwards in their attempts to convince people that they're thugs. You see, even if the word thug has racist connotations now, it's black people's fault if it's anyone's fault and there will just be another word after the T-word if their subculture does not change its ways.
The child, Kosinki supposedly, fell in with a guy who trapped birds and sold them for food. For fun, the trapper would sometimes capture a bird and paint its feathers. Then he'd release the bird and laugh while the rest of the flock attacked the bird for being different, and the poor bird never knew why. I just don't like racism. That's it.
Speaking of the painted bird, let's imagine that someone gets attacked by a black person and later calls them a "thug" without any racial animus. Then, Salon and people like you come into the situation and drag the victim through the mud for being a racist. Who's the painted bird now?
Lol-Peacock. I see now... [video=youtube;y9zHSjt_2IM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9zHSjt_2IM[/video] Good luck with that...
