Sorry to floccinaucinihilipilificate.

As you can see, I think gratuitous use of unnecessary words can be fun.

I draw a line however at gratuitous use of words that serve to inhibit people, who have been subjected to horrendous mass criminal abuse, from shedding the trauma of their history and moving on to a brighter future.

Gratuitous use of these words says to them "You may not forget, you will be reminded constantly of your old place in society, for no reason other than our stubborn refusal to be considerate."


      ... Why should I? ...


      ... Why shouldn't I? ...



It is interesting to note, that where offensive terms have been gratuitously added to this thread, there has been no development on the ideas being discussed in the thread.

They have been added solely because the poster just had to blurt them out.


For those interested in understanding use of the word "Niggaz" in Hip hop culture:

- many words have been written about "reclaiming" words and changing their connotations from positive to negative.

Listen to the music!

There is nothing positive about it.

The point of using the word "Nigga" in hip-hop is this.

It says to optimistic black people "Don't be Naive - you will never sit at the white mans table - you will always be a Nigga in his eyes".

Listen to the music.

Watch the video.

Look at the contemptuous snarl on the rappers face as he speaks to his peers, caricaturing how he believes white people view black people.

Hip hop culture says "OK - I accept that you define me as scum - and if its scum you want then its scum you'll get".

It says "I don't want to sit at your table anyway, I'm gonna sit at my own table - in fact - being scum, I'm going to steal your table - I might even just shoot you and have your house too".

Of course when whitey has a bad day at work and is feeling disaffected by the system or his workplace, nothing makes him feel better than to turn on some hip-hop and let off a little steam on the subject of how he doesn't give a f***.

So mainstream hip-hop is born, comprising black artists, playing horrendous caricatures of how they believe black people are viewed through white peoples eyes, and white people love it because it lets them let off a little steam now and again.

The consequences are mixed. Young black people get to feel less marginalized culturally, but stereotypes of Black people end up muddying how they are perceived, and eventually confuse their own perceptions of themselves.

But one thing remains constant throughout.

The term "Nigger" is a term of abuse with no positive connotations, whether used cynically by Black musicians, whether used in hatred by racist monsters, or whether used gratuitously by bloody minded old fools.