I think that everyone should THINK before posting. Thanks.

n*gga please.

So its okay to just allow it to be recognized as an actual word? It was once legal to keep slaves. Its now banned, but in some areas of the world it still exists. Should we have just kept slavery since people are going to do it anyway or find new ways to do it?

Actually it is equal if you think about it. Slavery was powered partly by words. Many slaves were enslaved simply because they didn't undestand english. Many were manipulated into thinking that slavery was justified by the Bible, which was written in English. They also could not escape because they could not read English signs and directions. Language can be used as a tool to manipulate people. It can be twisted into all forms of propaganda. Knowledge is Power as Thomas Jefferson said, a man who owned slaves as well. Being able to understand English is a form of Knowledge which is power and therefore allows u to manipulate or enslave others mentally, as well as physically with words.

i think it's just a word...
even african americans use it with eachother as a sign of friendship or used as a pronoun to represent a guy (sometimes grl)
even tho it should no longer be thought of as a racist word towards blacks it still does. But if the english language does rid of it, they have to rid of "cracker" "s**c" and any other racial slur

no it should not be banned. we don't ban other words, why ban it. besides it's not going to stop anyone from saying it.....

what the hell does that even mean? It's already regarded as profanity.

I agree that the other words should be banned. I dont think blacks should call each other the "n" word either. Many say its a word for friendship. Yea? Well let's see Caucasion or any other race call an african-american the "n" word. I guarantee they will feel offended and react very unfriendly. The same thing goes for "cracker" and any other offensive racial words. If you want a word to call each other as friends, make a new one, don't just try to change a previously offensive word to a friendly word. If that was the case we might as well call each other assholes to be friendly.



Murder is banned. People still do it. Should we make that okay just because people keep doing it?



Actually, its still regarded as a word. Research may come in handy for this topic.

Your argument is reaching a bit far. There is a huge difference between banning a word, and keeping murder illegal. While it isn't a word I like, there is no reason to "ban" it. Since when did we start censoring the language? It has a completely different meaning today, than it did years ago when it was used as a racial slur. People still use it in that context, but it's just a word.

murder physically hurts someone. people walking around saying the nword doesn't physically hurt someone. that was the dumbest thing i have heard on here in a long time. why the hell do you think murder is anything like saying a word? wtf? do you want to arrest people for saying a word? how are you going to "ban" it?

Ever heard of freedom of speech?

No kidding. It is a word, and it will not ever cease to be a word, whether it is "banned" or not.

"I disagree with what you say, but i defend to the death your right to say it".
It would be pointless to ban a word,you cant stop people from saying it in private.
Freedom of speech imo.

Everyone continues to say "its just a word." If it is just a word, then why can't anyone use it at anytime without anyone feeling umcomfortable. Maybe I shouldn't have said banned because you're right a word can't be banned. However, it should be removed from the English language. Freedom of speech is indeed important and people should be allowed to say what they want. However, if we continue to regard it as an actual word, we are saying that it is okay for us to use such an offensive term. People say it doesn't mean the same thing. That's bull. It may not in certain contexts, but as I said earlier everyone can't use it, therefore proving that is offensive and should not be regarded as an actual word.

Of course saying a word isnt like murder. However, it was an example to prove my point. Im not saying make a law to not say the word, Im saying not to regard it as an actual word.

Nobody is saying it's okay to use an offensive term. The fact is, you can't ban a word. People are going to still stay it regardless.

I feel like this Debate topic is going in circles.

Edit : Please stop double posting. if you like to add something to say, please edit your post.

you can't take a word and make it not a word anymore, that makes no sense. it's a word, it's been a word, and it will always be a word. words don't have to be good to be words. words can be offensive and still be words. the intent or meaning of a word doesn't change the fact that...it's a word.

we regard all words as words...because they are.

You cannot remove a word from the English language. That makes no f*cking sense. You certainly can't punish people for saying something that's not "regarded as a word." Making a big deal out of this will only prolong the inherent offensive meaning of the term.

And here I was, thinking that the Bible was originally written in Hebrew. -_-

Words are just words, whether they're derogatory or not. People choose not to say words because of the history behind them and that's perfectly fine. You can't just erase a word like it never existed. You can't effectively ban a word and expect people to comply. What you CAN do is try to impress upon others that using words in a way to hurt others is a bitchass thing to do.

While we're at this whole banning of words issue, you might as well fight to ban all the other words in the English language that might be marked as offensive.

I don't think everyone is paying attention. Of course you can't punish someone for saying a word. My POINT IS (please read clearly) that the word should not be regarded as a ACTUAL word. When I say actual I mean FORMAL. By formal I mean allowing it to be printed in the dictionary. AINT is not a formaal word and therefore is not listed in the dictionary. However, it is still a word because it is made of letters. Of course the nword will always be a word, but it shouldn't be part of the FORMAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE. I also believe that any other offensive racial terms should not be regarded as english either. Maybe slang, but not english. I really hope that everyone reads this correctly because it seems as though a lot of people here are close-minded and are not understanding my point clearly.

Tell me, does the average american use a Hebrew bible? I don't think so. Nor do I think slaveowners had Hebrew bibles. Either way it doesnt matter because slaves couldn't read either one

oh,now i understand a little better what you were trying to say.
The N word has pretty much left a stain on the english language,that cant just be erased.Trying to just make it disappear,would be like erasing History;...sort of like covering up what things happened because of it...be it tragedy or change.<--- Im not really good at explaining things,but maybe somebody will get what im getting at,lol.(Random:I did read about the whole Bible thing ,today actually >_>)

Just because people don't get your point, doesn't make them close-minded. It makes you really bad at communicating and/or getting your point across.

And now that I get your point, I still disagree. If by "N-word" you mean n****er, then fyi, it is already considered slang. If by "N-word" you mean negro, I feel like the word has been a part of our history for so long and, though it is considered an archaic ethnic slur now, still belongs in our dictionary. Not every word in the dictionary sheds a positive light on everything and just because you happen to disagree with the usage of this word doesn't mean it should be taken out.

It's not about closed-mindedness, it's a matter of you conveying your point horribly. You'd rather accuse everyone of not thinking or doing sufficient research, rather than make an effort to make yourself clear.

Ain't is not in the dictionary because it's a contraction, and not even a proper one at that. I don't think there are any contractions in the dictionary (I don't have a real dictionary so I can't check, but I assume). Regardless, I don't know what make you think disregarding n****er as a word would change its meaning or usage at all. Pretending [potentially] offensive words don't exist does not make them less [potentially] offensive.

Just because it has a negative connotation doesn't mean it shouldn't be regarded as english. This whole "debate" is silly.

Pitt Bulls have a negative stigma. Therefore, they shouldn't be considered a breed or even type of dog. They are an animal, and they are canine, but that is where it ends.

See my point?

Hmm...

well it seems as though Im not proving my point effectively so Im just gonna say agree to disagree. I just feel as though we shouldnt continue to justify racial terms as words because they've been around for a while. The berlin wall was around for a while but it got torn down. The history is still there, of course you cant erase it, but efforts were made to ease the pain of the harm caused by it. It would be more comforting for an individual to open a dictionary without seeing words such as "cracker" and "n****er" or "Negro" or whatever.

I do want to say that you all made very good points and I appreciate the participation in this debate. I just wish that more of you could understand my points better.

But taking down a physical object is completely different from getting rid of a word.

Not neccessarily. They both have some type of symbolic meaning. Keeping these words are like keeping a dog that bit your left butt cheek off lol. They both hurt whether its physical, emotional, or mental, it hurts. Removing the reminder is one step towards soothing some of that pain.

nope. its a word and we have freedom to say it.

first, i dont think its possible to BAN a word.
second, i dont like the word nor do i use it, but it is what some people use to express a thought or feeling so who am i to tell them they can't say it.

Did you even read the forum?

But the difference is that you cannot remove a word. Removing a word from the dictionary won't remove it from the vernacular. The Berlin Wall did have a symbolic meaning, but it wasn't just a symbolic meaning. It had a physical presence, that had a very direct effect on people's lives.

This sounds a lot like the "Newspeak" described in 1984. For those not familiar, the fictional government in 1984 removed words from the English language in an attempt to shape and forbid thoughts. In essence, you can't think and express something if you have no words to do so. And this is very true: studies of language have shown that people have different ideas based on their native language. For example, there's a tribe in the Amazon that doesn't have any words for numbers; in the 1800s, Christian missionaries tried to teach these people how to count, but they found it was impossible to teach the tribespeople how to count beyond 2 or 3, because they had no words for doing so in their native tongue.

But I think racial slurs are so entrenched in our language that there's no way to remove them, even if they aren't recognized as an actual word. So I'm against banning the word "n****er" from English because (a) I don't agree with censorship to begin with, and (b) it wouldn't work anyway.

the people who use the nword just look like idiots and the ones who dont use it are normal. If the nword gets "banned" then so should the f, s, etc words. I dont think it has the same impact as a derogatory term anymore because people who once fell victim to that word are using it like nothing? :]

there is no word that can be "banned" words are ideas.

you can't take ideas from people, at the moment..

aberisk: its not true that the people currently using the n word were once victim of it.. if everyone today knew how awful it felt to be called that on the daily, this word would not be as common a slang term.

woahhh...huh?

i was just saying it's impossible to ban ideas (words are ideas), or rid of ideas unless the entire society has become extinct or we get some crazy technology

i truly doubt you're maliciously called n****er every day

if you are, I'd suggest moving

No matter what, you really can't stop someone from saying n****er. It shouldn't be removed from the English language, and the word doesn't always mean 'a black person'. I know someone, who is 100% NOT racist, and uses the word 'n****er' to describe a stupid person, no someone of any set race.

That's like wanting to ban CHink. CHink wasn't originally used to describe a person of chinese decent. It was used as another word for money, or a narrow opening.

Also, you've been asked not to double/triple post several times. I think it might be best not to do that again :D

True dat and what RCKstarh said.

First of all how do you ban a word, i mean if you say it whats going to happen, so what if it gets banned people will probably just say it anyways and besides are we going to hire vocab police to make sure we dont say it or get punished if we do? Thats just ridiculous.

Face it, people are going to say it either offensivly or jokinly.

Do try reading the thread, people. It's only on the second page.

people are reading it, but there really isnt much to read of it except for everyones input. Afterall she posted by saying how people should think before saying it which really doesnt say much to me.

oops sorry i meant that for the post above you...

You can't ban a word.

That's about as simple as it can be put.

Sure you can. Go shout bomb in an airport.

Ya I did.

@ this topic.

Please stop victimizing Black people. It's not a good look.

Thought I was the only one who was snickering while reading this, now I don't feel so bad.

If one of your quotes is here, it is because your comments are pointless simply because they have already been brought up before. If you didn't read, please read. And if you have read it then that shows a lack of reading comprehension skills on your behalf if you did claim to have read previous remarks but still made points that have already been addressed.







Your first paragraph to me seemed a bit ignorant, and I do not mean to be at all offensive. If you know the definition of ignorant you'll understand how I don't mean to offend you. But anyway, I say that because anyone can change the connotation of a word. However, that does not change the denotation of the word which may be offensive or mean something completely different from what you may have intended. For example, people say cool all the time. The denotation is slightly colder than warm (my guess), while the connotation in a statement 'she's cool' is different. This doesn't change the fact that cool still means slightly colder thant warm, and this may cause someone who doesn't know what your connotation of the word cool is to think that you are crazy for calling someone slightly colder than warm. The same thing for the "N" word or any other offensive racial term. I can call a ball a n****er or any other offensive term. This doesn't mean that the definition is ball now. That is just a personal connotation of the word, and therefore cannot be considered valid definition.

Also, I was unaware of what double posting was because I'm new to the forums. But, i talked to an staff member and everything's worked out. I know how to use multiple quotes.

And for the record, I am NOT victimizing African-Americans. I am myself an black male who is completely non-racist. I believe that all offensive racial terms should be done away with to ensure comfortability of all people. I am also proud to say that I am a proud member of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) which was actually started after the holocaust to prevent anti-semitism, racism, discrimination, etc. That is a reason why I am passionate about this topic.



The official Anti-Defamation League Website