Comments on: Own Or Rent?

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:55:20 +0000

The song, “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World”, was written by John Lennon….not Yoko. Although I am sure that sure influenced his thinking in many ways concerning the femenist movement.

By: Jade

Jade — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 08:44:37 +0000

You know, I was talking to the neighbor boy the other day (he’s 20 and comes to hang out with us. I like to think it’s because I’m cool, but it just may be because I cook well and let him eat whenever he wants.) and corrected him when he said “chink” while referring to the Chinese population up here (the 2nd largest outside of China, so I’m told). He looked at me all confused and I asked him if he’d be offended if I called him “White Trash” just because of his skin color. “But I’m not trashy” “Yes, but you’re white.”

But I can call myself a half-breed Mexican. Or a Wab. Or anything I want because it’s ME and I’m not insulting ME.

Today I drove him to the store and he was about to use yet another raical slur and thought twice about it.

Made me proud to think he’s actually learning

By: Bethydiane

Bethydiane — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:00:22 +0000

Wow, I wrote you a book and when I went to submit it it didn’t go through. Such aggravation! Hmm… I’ll try to recap:

- I took an African American Lit. class a few years ago and we read the novel Clotel. I then wrote an essay on it and used the term “mulatto/a” as I had learned it in class. One of the comments my professor left when she returned it to me was that “mulatto” is a term, that while common during Clotel’s time, is no longer acceptable, but I here I see you use it, so maybe that’s not true? My best friend in elementary school was “mixed” as that was how she identified herself.
- I went to an urban elementary school and was one of the four white kids there. I tried to fit in by picking up the dialect and braiding my hair like all of the other girls. I considered myself “popular” and then one day it was made aware to me that I was different: I had been hanging out with my dance troupe, waiting to go on a field trip/performance, when my drill team coach made a joke. Everyone was laughing but me and I made a comment that I didn’t get it, to which he responded, “It’s a black thing.” To which my friends said, “Ooh girl, he dogged you!”

By: Josh

Josh — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 02:44:03 +0000

I like Allen’s advice. It is SO true.

By: QofS

QofS — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:23:03 +0000

Here you go sweetie–in reference to your white people and the “n” word thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVbjK2dXOpc&search=straight%20outta%20compton

By: ali

ali — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 05:26:20 +0000

hi kelly, have been reading you everyday even outloud to my husband, i really love your new space, even if it has caused me to go back to lurking…what with the new shiny space and all..keep up the great posts, see you tomorrow!

By: Chase

Chase — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 05:02:55 +0000

Ok, this is WAY random and I apologize for stomping all through your post (which is quite fantastic, by the way!)…but I wanted to say HI. And, odd that you stopped by my place today because I just added you into my Bloglines, like, two friggin days ago (a mixture of Kevin and Belinda influences there).

We need to chat over a mojito on Thursday at BlogHer. I’ll bring enough tissues for us both!

Hi. Carry on with normal, on-topic posts.

By: mizangie

mizangie — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 03:24:05 +0000

I know I don’t have to understand it, but I also don’t have to like it. It’s inflammatory no matter who says it. A friend asked me one time if white people had a word like “nigger” that we call each other when it’s “just us.” I couldn’t think of anything similar but I told him that, yes, we do but I couldn’t possibly tell him what it is because he’s black and I would lose my cracker membership card if I told him. Ha!! He didn’t know for a long time whether I was kidding or not. Why are whites “people” but blacks are “folks”? I’ve never understood that, either.

By: Keis

Keis — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 01:14:40 +0000

Every time I venure over here, you have something insightful to say. I’m throwing off my lurking cloak again. Recently, I’ve decided my groups of friends show not use that word anymore. It was used in passing as a joke really, but it still bugged me to use. I’ve only ever been called that once by a random guy suffering from dementia when I was in college out of state. I do understand it is hard to explain why it isn’t okay for a non-Black people to make use of it but I don’t understand why. This first came to my attention during, of all things, an episode of ‘Girlfriends’. Being the American term, Black myself, I don’t get it. I know I don’t like it, it doesn’t feel right but it’s hard to move away from it (especially living in NYC).

By: Mocha

Mocha — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 23:32:49 +0000

I’m irritatingly busy at the moment and the TaskMaster hubby is making sure I get all my papers written, so if Ken comes in and asks if I was here, please say ‘no’, ok?

Most interestingly, I see this common thread of weight and, for the most part I agree. Yes, we all can say things about ourselves that others are not allowed to say. When describing people we try not to say “The black kid” or “The fat boy” and we never say “The white girl”. There is one glaring omission in this theory, though.

When we use a term in a derogatory manner sometimes we use ‘nigger’ or ‘niggerish’ to denote someone of lower class, but because we don’t ever call a thin person ‘fat’ or ‘obese’ unless in jest, I’m not sure it belongs up there with the same exact term.

I’m probably not making any sense now. I’ll just go write another paper about the sociolinguistis who gave an explicit view of how to teach reading after I write another paper on brain research on dyslexic patients using theories about saccades and regressions and the foveal span.

Yeah. That’s more my speed right now.