Using the "N" word in public

[MTUpower]

I was the side judge in my sons soccer game this evening. One family watching it's son started calling out to him and then one of the family members started yelling "Go Nig**er! Run Nig**er"- and everyone around them heard this. The "crowd" was scare- no much more than say 60 people. I turned around and told them (with an outside voice) in no uncertain terms that using the " "N" word " was unacceptable in public. (The family was dark skinned Hispanics.One member was very dark- most were medium, two were lighter skinned.) I told them I was very offended with the term even if they were not. One person in the family appeared to want to make an argument about what I said but did not do so. I kinda knew one of the family members- he was the one who attended practices- the child was on my team. When the game was over I fist bumped with the member I knew and all seemed fine, at least with him. The others gave a me a stink eye.

Was I out of line? Do you think dark skinned people can use the term in public but not light skinned people? Can a light skinned person tell a dark skinned person to not use the term in public?

[ruchase]

I think you're fine - you don't have to be dark skinned to be offended. And certainly in a family setting there is no place for such ignorance. Good for you that you stood up to it - too often you hear the 'N' word, or kids calling one another b*itch, f*uck and so on - without any regard for families around them. And their parents are equally stupid for allowing such behavior.

[Honus]

Originally Posted by ruchase

I think you're fine - you don't have to be dark skinned to be offended...

If memory serves, MTU is dark skinned. Either that or members of his family are. Or maybe I just imagined all of that. (I hope my comments do not come off as disrespectful. I certainly mean no disrespect.)

As for the question in the OP, I think you had to be there, but MTU's actions seem OK to me.

[Mike Murrell]

I don't know if this is still going on in the military, but back in the Vietnam war era, blacks would constantly call each other the "N" word. If a white used that word, all hell broke loose.

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by Mike Murrell

I don't know if this is still going on in the military, but back in the Vietnam war era, blacks would constantly call each other the "N" word. If a white used that word, all hell broke loose.

That's basically what some are looking for anyway......anything to fight, all for no reason. Lot 'O fools out there.

[Mike Murrell]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

That's basically what some are looking for anyway......anything to fight, all for no reason. Lot 'O fools out there.

As SELLC said....the double stds. of reverse racism.

[P.C.]

You should mind your own business.

[SELLC]

You have been exposed to the double standard of reverse racism MTUpower!

Embrace it because there is a whole lot of it going on and I only see it getting worse.

Let's break it down. Back in the 80's when I looked up the word ****** the dictionary read - "An uneducated person" - slang / derogatory "A black person". This is straight out of an elementary school dictionary back in the 80's when I was a student looking up bad words on Library hour.

At first blacks were referred to as Negro's. The term Negro is often associated with "Black", be it a person or a car. The black community then decided they did not like this and wanted to be called "Colored" people. They decided this too was somewhat offensive and not exclusive enough, so then we went back to the term "Black" person, rather than "Negro".

Now they wish to be called "African Americans" which is disrespectful to the nation they live. I'd guess that more than 80% of these so called "African Americans" were born in the USA making them "American-Africans".

Seems to me that only an uneducated person could mix up their own birthplace, but what the hell do I know!

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by P.C.

You should mind your own business.

Except he's a line judge and the players are kids with family around. I'm with the OP. Give them a warning. The primary things we want the kids to learn is to play fair, play hard, and respect each other and the other team. If they persist, talk to the ref about ejecting the people who can't control themselves.

All 3 of my larvae played soccer. It was rare, but I did see parents ejected because they got out of control. You have to protect the kids first, even from their own families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlNfGze-BFo

[t walgamuth]

Come on now William...did that really happen to you?

[P.C.]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Come on now William...did that really happen to you?

Exactly.

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by MTUpower

I was the side judge in my sons soccer game this evening. One family watching it's son started calling out to him and then one of the family members started yelling "Go Nig**er! Run Nig**er"- and everyone around them heard this. The "crowd" was scare- no much more than say 60 people. I turned around and told them (with an outside voice) in no uncertain terms that using the " "N" word " was unacceptable in public. (The family was dark skinned Hispanics.One member was very dark- most were medium, two were lighter skinned.) I told them I was very offended with the term even if they were not. One person in the family appeared to want to make an argument about what I said but did not do so. I kinda knew one of the family members- he was the one who attended practices- the child was on my team. When the game was over I fist bumped with the member I knew and all seemed fine, at least with him. The others gave a me a stink eye.

Was I out of line? Do you think dark skinned people can use the term in public but not light skinned people? Can a light skinned person tell a dark skinned person to not use the term in public?

Yes, and you should. However, you risk personal threatening behavior or violence committed against you when you do so.

I don't know about the high-fiving, and the badazz look you got, but when you do OR say anything controversial in public, do not be surprised on any resulting situations.

In my youth, the legal term for black-skinned race people in America was; Negroid, or Negro. That term describing one's race was changed on legal forms at some point to the term; 'black,' instead.

The use of the term; ni**er is used by people of their own free will, and I would not want to see that curtailed. I believe in freedom of speech in America.

[Diesel911]

African American, Afro American, Italian American, Irish American, Native American.... seems like a rather common combination of words.

A lot of Hispanic People in My area don't get a long well with the Black People unless they know each other as neighbors. Saying something like that in a Crowd of People you don't know in My area would be asking for a confrontation.

[cmac2012]

Originally Posted by Diesel911

African American, Afro American, Italian American, Irish American, Native American.... seems like a rather common combination of words.

A lot of Hispanic People in My area don't get a long well with the Black People unless they know each other as neighbors. Saying something like that in a Crowd of People you don't know in My area would be asking for a confrontation.

I'm sorta of on the edge of PC trouble in saying this, but in my experience, a lot of Latinos have a different view on these things. On one of the bigger construction jobs I worked on, one of the foreman was an Asian mix - Indian, Chinese and I forget what else but he looked somewhat Chinese. The Mexican guys called him 'Chino.' They didn't bat an eye at it. Imagine any sort of non-Mexican guy calling a latino 'Mexican' as a nickname.

I've read numerous accounts of Latinos behaving with seriously racist attitudes towards blacks. Prison fights along those lines are brutal.

[davidmash]

I do not see it as a double standard, at least not in the manner being described here.

I am sure most of us have had situations where we have cursed a family member under our breath or got in a fight with a sibling. No big deal. Let someone out side the family dk the same and we get all decensive.

Maming fun or joking about ones "own kind" is OK. When you make fun of others especially as a white person given our history things change. Kind of like a KKK member making a jok e about blacks as opposed to Cosby making the same joke. I doubt the intent would be the same.