Must You Say Nigger?
essay44 total reviews
Comment from Megalips
Go ahead and post that...could be a winner, Mikey. You say a lot of things that other people are actually afraid to admit they even think.
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Go ahead and post that...could be a winner, Mikey. You say a lot of things that other people are actually afraid to admit they even think.
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from Sasha
Thank you for your honesty in this post. I recall the day that I realized I was racist and was shocked. The woman I hired to babysit my daughter was black and when I went inside her house I was shocked to see it so clean, organized, and quite attractive. I expected chaos and clutter. I was raised to view everyone as equal but leaned the hard way my parents were also racist. They spoke kind words but their actions told a different story. Anyone who thinks there is no racism in this country is a fool. Sadly, it is alive and well in every state.
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Thank you for your honesty in this post. I recall the day that I realized I was racist and was shocked. The woman I hired to babysit my daughter was black and when I went inside her house I was shocked to see it so clean, organized, and quite attractive. I expected chaos and clutter. I was raised to view everyone as equal but leaned the hard way my parents were also racist. They spoke kind words but their actions told a different story. Anyone who thinks there is no racism in this country is a fool. Sadly, it is alive and well in every state.
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from jpduck
What a searingly honest piece! But I think you cane yourself too much. Among the many things in this world that are beyond our control are our minds. We can control our thoughts, as you have done brilliantly here. But we cannot control our minds.
Three typos (* *=insert; [ ]=delete):
'They seemed most unhappy with the[ir] state of their affairs'
'We didn't have 'white only' in Alhambra because there w[h]ere 'only whites' '
'We[']ll I suppose it doesn't hurt to call me nigger'
Adrian
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What a searingly honest piece! But I think you cane yourself too much. Among the many things in this world that are beyond our control are our minds. We can control our thoughts, as you have done brilliantly here. But we cannot control our minds.
Three typos (* *=insert; [ ]=delete):
'They seemed most unhappy with the[ir] state of their affairs'
'We didn't have 'white only' in Alhambra because there w[h]ere 'only whites' '
'We[']ll I suppose it doesn't hurt to call me nigger'
Adrian
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from Tatarka2
You have said exactly, and concisely, what I have been thinking for so long. Thank you so much for putting my thoughts and feelings into such eloquent words. I love that you begin with yourself, as we all must, and that you acknowledge that we "old hippie-liberals" (I include myself) also have some work to do regarding our attitudes and opinions, in exactly the ways you describe (seeing others as "less than," or "ignorant;" responding with knee-jerk reactions to language we may not completely understand, as if the sixties were today. I speak only for myself, but I think you've expressed what many of us need to hear). Might I also suggest that women using the word "cunt" to speak to or describe one another makes me cringe in exactly the same way?
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You have said exactly, and concisely, what I have been thinking for so long. Thank you so much for putting my thoughts and feelings into such eloquent words. I love that you begin with yourself, as we all must, and that you acknowledge that we "old hippie-liberals" (I include myself) also have some work to do regarding our attitudes and opinions, in exactly the ways you describe (seeing others as "less than," or "ignorant;" responding with knee-jerk reactions to language we may not completely understand, as if the sixties were today. I speak only for myself, but I think you've expressed what many of us need to hear). Might I also suggest that women using the word "cunt" to speak to or describe one another makes me cringe in exactly the same way?
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from justafan
I take a deep breath before I can type anything, this was straight forward truth. We live in a world where we want to be politically correct and that tends to pull us from our values as an individual. As a southern woman, I did grow up with those signs. Not really understanding them, however. This was an inspired piece of writing Mikey. I loved it very much.
Always,
Missy
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I take a deep breath before I can type anything, this was straight forward truth. We live in a world where we want to be politically correct and that tends to pull us from our values as an individual. As a southern woman, I did grow up with those signs. Not really understanding them, however. This was an inspired piece of writing Mikey. I loved it very much.
Always,
Missy
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from Phyllis Stewart
Very courageous piece, well said, and it will make people think.
As for my hubby and myself, we have black heroes, like Thomas Sowell, Ben Carson, Condi Rice, and so on... quite a long list. But he grew up in Detroit, and he doesn't group all blacks together by skin color as the liberals tend to. He sees the differences between those who are rational with common sense and/or education, and those who burn down cities using police brutality or something else as their excuse. He uses the N-word for them and for the gangs that play the knockout game on whites just for fun, and other mindless, violent, blacks with victim mentalities.
I have to agree with him. So, he and I really do not give a crap about skin color, but care only about the "content of character" that separates people into groups. Today's black racist is no different from a white KKK member in his heart and intent... only in the color of his target.
If you haven't heard E.T. Williams, a regular guy with only basic education, give his opinions, you really need to google his videos on youtube. Here's one to get you started: CLICK HERE.
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Very courageous piece, well said, and it will make people think.
As for my hubby and myself, we have black heroes, like Thomas Sowell, Ben Carson, Condi Rice, and so on... quite a long list. But he grew up in Detroit, and he doesn't group all blacks together by skin color as the liberals tend to. He sees the differences between those who are rational with common sense and/or education, and those who burn down cities using police brutality or something else as their excuse. He uses the N-word for them and for the gangs that play the knockout game on whites just for fun, and other mindless, violent, blacks with victim mentalities.
I have to agree with him. So, he and I really do not give a crap about skin color, but care only about the "content of character" that separates people into groups. Today's black racist is no different from a white KKK member in his heart and intent... only in the color of his target.
If you haven't heard E.T. Williams, a regular guy with only basic education, give his opinions, you really need to google his videos on youtube. Here's one to get you started: CLICK HERE.
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from flylikeaneagle
Michael: Even thou we run the race in many contests together, I admire you. You do care about people. I grew up in an all white area of Fargo, North Dakota, all white. We Catholics didn't go to church in another's church, not Lutheran or Baptist if we were Catholic. Then, in high school, I dated two guys, one Lutheran and one Baptist, both sweet guys. The only blacks that we had were those who got scholarships to play sports at our universities. Schools were big into sports and those guys could play ball and run.
My husband grew up in a small town, Southern Minnesota, where we are now. i hear stories where guys bragged about hitting their woman as they drank. Then, I didn't want her so I shipped her to the funny farm. Got a new one.
There was KKK in this town who ran those "n" out of town. Really? Now, we have people brought in from Chicago to work at the farm machines companies...Agco who makes farm equipment.
My daughter, Monica, is graduating on May 9th. She got to see that funny farm. Woman were brought here when their husbands didn't want them any longer. Others, were here. She is graduating in psychology and going to go into brain research. She has a heart for people and loves to write and research. She's moving to Denver to work for a hospital or university in research.
Everyone has a story to tell...I'm going long...great writing. I'm going to walk my dogs and work on my garden. I love getting my hands in the black soil.
flylikeaneagle
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Michael: Even thou we run the race in many contests together, I admire you. You do care about people. I grew up in an all white area of Fargo, North Dakota, all white. We Catholics didn't go to church in another's church, not Lutheran or Baptist if we were Catholic. Then, in high school, I dated two guys, one Lutheran and one Baptist, both sweet guys. The only blacks that we had were those who got scholarships to play sports at our universities. Schools were big into sports and those guys could play ball and run.
My husband grew up in a small town, Southern Minnesota, where we are now. i hear stories where guys bragged about hitting their woman as they drank. Then, I didn't want her so I shipped her to the funny farm. Got a new one.
There was KKK in this town who ran those "n" out of town. Really? Now, we have people brought in from Chicago to work at the farm machines companies...Agco who makes farm equipment.
My daughter, Monica, is graduating on May 9th. She got to see that funny farm. Woman were brought here when their husbands didn't want them any longer. Others, were here. She is graduating in psychology and going to go into brain research. She has a heart for people and loves to write and research. She's moving to Denver to work for a hospital or university in research.
Everyone has a story to tell...I'm going long...great writing. I'm going to walk my dogs and work on my garden. I love getting my hands in the black soil.
flylikeaneagle
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from Ben Colder
It is what it is. I was raised with and worked many black people in my day and they call each other niggers. Red Fox, Sandford and Son were the world's worse at calling his friends niggers on public TV. If they wish to earn respect and never be called Nigger, then they should stop acting like one. Respect is earned never demanded. Baltimore and Ferguson should reveal this. No, I am not a bigget. I resepect a person for who they are and what they are no matter the culture. They called us savages, I am Choctaw, but really are we savage?
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It is what it is. I was raised with and worked many black people in my day and they call each other niggers. Red Fox, Sandford and Son were the world's worse at calling his friends niggers on public TV. If they wish to earn respect and never be called Nigger, then they should stop acting like one. Respect is earned never demanded. Baltimore and Ferguson should reveal this. No, I am not a bigget. I resepect a person for who they are and what they are no matter the culture. They called us savages, I am Choctaw, but really are we savage?
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from Kingsland
I find it amazing that in this day and age I find so many that don't think racism exists in this country. Cnn actually had people on their news cast that stated that very thing. This is a well written article that has a lot of frustration written into it thoughts... John
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I find it amazing that in this day and age I find so many that don't think racism exists in this country. Cnn actually had people on their news cast that stated that very thing. This is a well written article that has a lot of frustration written into it thoughts... John
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015
Comment from CR Delport
I think the writer in you don't think it is brave to write this, but necessary. Personally, I think it is very well done. Speaking from a country where racism is evident every day, I think you handled it very well.
Good luck.
Christelle.
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I think the writer in you don't think it is brave to write this, but necessary. Personally, I think it is very well done. Speaking from a country where racism is evident every day, I think you handled it very well.
Good luck.
Christelle.
Comment Written 28-Apr-2015