People who say others should not get offended

[DerDrache]

Originally Posted by Slave of the Beast

Blacks seem to think it perfectly appropriate to call each other nigger, or "nigga" (because that makes all the difference ) as a term of solidarity. But because they have a shared heritage, the meaning changes slightly:

"You and everyone in your family tree is a lower class of human; Oh, and by the way, remember how your ancestors were oppressed and killed all because of whitey?".

Well if Tyrone wants to hold me, as a white man, somehow morally responsible for 1) some historical shit that he has never even experienced 2) something I have never done, then fuck him. If black people want the term nigger to be forever deemed inappropriate, then they've got to apply the same standard to themselves as they do unto others.

If your point is just that blacks need to stop using the n-word, I agree. There's no need to gay up your post with your typical...gayness.

[Slave of the Beast]

Originally Posted by DerDrache

If your point is just that blacks need to stop using the n-word, I agree.

We do agree on this point.

Originally Posted by DerDrache

There's no need to gay up your post with your typical...gayness.

I think we also agree on my 'gayed up' remarks, but you simply don't want to admit it.

[FunkyZombie]

Originally Posted by alooha from hell

it's pretty funny how you are now arguing the same thing i am.

I'm not.
We're looking at the same data and drawing different conclusions.
I've never said that language doesn't change or that the meanings of words are set in stone. I said that the fact that the meaning of a word might change in a hundred years has no bearing on how you should interpret the meaning of that word today. You seem to be saying that because words change in meaning over time that should ignore the meanings of words.

As I said before if language was as fluid as you're implying then communication would be impossible because up could mean down and left could mean right depending on the whim of the speaker.

Face it until the day nigger is declared to mean "pleasant upstanding gentleman of means" by an omnipotent authority, or the passage of time has worn away all memory of it's true meaning people will rightfully continue to be insulted by it. It's human nature and it's built into our design. If you have a problem with that take it up with our non-existent designer.

[alooha from hell]

Originally Posted by FunkyZombie

I'm not.
We're looking at the same data and drawing different conclusions.
I've never said that language doesn't change or that the meanings of words are set in stone. I said that the fact that the meaning of a word might change in a hundred years has no bearing on how you should interpret the meaning of that word today. You seem to be saying that because words change in meaning over time that should ignore the meanings of words.

As I said before if language was as fluid as you're implying then communication would be impossible because up could mean down and left could mean right depending on the whim of the speaker.

Face it until the day nigger is declared to mean "pleasant upstanding gentleman of means" by an omnipotent authority, or the passage of time has worn away all memory of it's true meaning people will rightfully continue to be insulted by it. It's human nature and it's built into our design. If you have a problem with that take it up with our non-existent designer.

it is, but you wish to see it from the "in my lifetime" view.

but it happened to the greeks. it happened to the romans. it'll probably happen to us. our language will become shattered fragments of how it used to be, and when the people of the future discover the word "nigger" from our time, i wonder how they'll interpret it.