A long reply. I apologize in advance.achilles81June 3 2007, 17:47:01 UTC
If this is too long, I understand if it will be deleted, but I thought I'd through in my lot. As far as media goes, a few familiar instances come to mind that to me shows how some of these slurs have come to hold different meanings.
(1) In the Boondock Saints, Willem DaFoe gets up in bed to answer the phone and is annoyed when his lover tries to cuddle. When he gets off the phone, he asks, 'What the fuck are you doing?', and his lover answers, 'I'm just trying to cuddle,' to which Willem replies, 'Cuddle?!? What a fag!' (2) George Carlin comments, and I paraphrase, it's not ok for white people to say 'nigger', but it is ok for black people to say it. Why is that? He shrugs his shoulders and answers, 'Because they're niggers.' (3) And lastly, there is of course the already unforgettable scene in Clerks 2 where the ignorant Randal decides that he will be the one that takes 'Porch Monkey' back.
I admit that I have used phrases myself such as 'That's so gay', 'What a fag', and even, when commenting on a person, 'What a fruitcake', while sitting at a table with gays, lesbians, bis, and trans. However, I KNOW that they will nod their heads in agreement and/or laugh, because I am on intimate terms with them. Even if I didn't know this, would these terms hold the same effect amonst unfamiliar company. I personally have found these utterances have transcended their original implications, not because gays use them themselves for empowerment, but because many feel that these terms no longer apply to them. It is not calling someone a 'fag' because of the fact that they are gay, but because they are acting in a manner that was stereotyped as gay when the term 'fag' came into use. Perhaps it is simply the company I keep. Nevertheless I know that I can use these terms. To use James' example of Pat Robertson commentating a pride parade, it would not be ok for him to announce, 'And here come the fags' or 'Look at all the fags', but he could probably get away with calling a particularly bright princess pink banner 'So gay'.
That said, the term 'ho' is neutral to color. Does that mean that it can be used to properly describe a girl? Any girl? It is a derogatory term that describes a prostitute. Girls call each other 'ho', but there is a hidden diminutive meaning expressed by the name caller.
As for the term 'nappy headed', it is racist, pure and simple. Originally nappy was used for children as a term of endearment, but took on a very sour meaning in reference to black people. I find people will let it go if it is used to describe black children, again finding it a term of endearment, but to use the term to describe young adults or adults in a way that is not overtly a compliment, rather just a general description, I think is a clear racial slur.
I lament ave_hercules' observation above that there is a certain degree of desensitization these days, probably because of the modern codification and usage of racist terms. This does not of course excuse terms like 'towel-head', or 'fag' to insult someone because they are homosexual or to make a heterosexual person feel uncomfortable. If Imus meant to generate a laugh, he sorely missed the mark.
Calling an all girl's black basketball team 'nappy headed hos' when there was no presubscribed comic element or familiarity with the team players must be deemed racist, albeit ignorant. I don't think Imus ought to be crucified for it, but he must at least issue an apology where he makes clear that no offence was intended and that he understands how his attempt at comedy was disgustingly inappropriate.
As far as media goes, a few familiar instances come to mind that to me shows how some of these slurs have come to hold different meanings.
(1) In the Boondock Saints, Willem DaFoe gets up in bed to answer the phone and is annoyed when his lover tries to cuddle. When he gets off the phone, he asks, 'What the fuck are you doing?', and his lover answers, 'I'm just trying to cuddle,' to which Willem replies, 'Cuddle?!? What a fag!'
(2) George Carlin comments, and I paraphrase, it's not ok for white people to say 'nigger', but it is ok for black people to say it. Why is that? He shrugs his shoulders and answers, 'Because they're niggers.'
(3) And lastly, there is of course the already unforgettable scene in Clerks 2 where the ignorant Randal decides that he will be the one that takes 'Porch Monkey' back.
I admit that I have used phrases myself such as 'That's so gay', 'What a fag', and even, when commenting on a person, 'What a fruitcake', while sitting at a table with gays, lesbians, bis, and trans. However, I KNOW that they will nod their heads in agreement and/or laugh, because I am on intimate terms with them. Even if I didn't know this, would these terms hold the same effect amonst unfamiliar company. I personally have found these utterances have transcended their original implications, not because gays use them themselves for empowerment, but because many feel that these terms no longer apply to them. It is not calling someone a 'fag' because of the fact that they are gay, but because they are acting in a manner that was stereotyped as gay when the term 'fag' came into use. Perhaps it is simply the company I keep. Nevertheless I know that I can use these terms. To use James' example of Pat Robertson commentating a pride parade, it would not be ok for him to announce, 'And here come the fags' or 'Look at all the fags', but he could probably get away with calling a particularly bright princess pink banner 'So gay'.
That said, the term 'ho' is neutral to color. Does that mean that it can be used to properly describe a girl? Any girl? It is a derogatory term that describes a prostitute. Girls call each other 'ho', but there is a hidden diminutive meaning expressed by the name caller.
As for the term 'nappy headed', it is racist, pure and simple. Originally nappy was used for children as a term of endearment, but took on a very sour meaning in reference to black people. I find people will let it go if it is used to describe black children, again finding it a term of endearment, but to use the term to describe young adults or adults in a way that is not overtly a compliment, rather just a general description, I think is a clear racial slur.
I lament ave_hercules' observation above that there is a certain degree of desensitization these days, probably because of the modern codification and usage of racist terms. This does not of course excuse terms like 'towel-head', or 'fag' to insult someone because they are homosexual or to make a heterosexual person feel uncomfortable. If Imus meant to generate a laugh, he sorely missed the mark.
Calling an all girl's black basketball team 'nappy headed hos' when there was no presubscribed comic element or familiarity with the team players must be deemed racist, albeit ignorant. I don't think Imus ought to be crucified for it, but he must at least issue an apology where he makes clear that no offence was intended and that he understands how his attempt at comedy was disgustingly inappropriate.
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