Why is it not considered racist when an African-American calls a Caucasian-American a "cracker"?

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livingwordunity said:
If the “n” word itself is so offensive that it trumps every other racist word why is it commonly used by blacks themselves to talk about each other? I think blacks should stop using the “n” word. But I think it has more to do with the amount of hate coming from the one using the word and not from the word itself. That’s why I don’t agree that one racist word is worse than another. Racism is racism.
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It is about intent. Racism is when someone of one race is attacking someone of another race with the word. If I stab you with a knife, that’s called a knife attack. If I get a splinter out of someones foot with the knife, it isn’t called a knife attack despite the fact that I’ve used a knife to penetrate someones body.
 
It is called a double standard.

It is not racist when a race that was subjected to slavery by another race thus in turn uses racist words against said race, yet when a race uses a racist word against another race that has been enslaved at some point in history that is racist, more over one race may call each by the same racist word in the manner of slang towards friendship towards one another or even at times as a slur, that is acceptable in the media, television, entertainment in any form, but not when another race does it.

your standard government run news outlets will make sure to prove that point time an time again, and when a race comes up to put an end to said racist word or slur, it is pointed out for the purpose of " healing " ; to put behind the thoughts of slavery that is attached to said word, and thus burry it in the past where it belongs, it is not intended to be a symbol that the word is no longer to ever be used by said race ever again.

And fyi the reason why the slur " cracker " is not an issue is because whites do not make a federal case out of the word being used, nor are there debates in the media if a black person in a movie uses the slur against a white person in the movie, probably in part due to the word just sounding ridiculous to begin with, the slur for blacks has been used for a very long time, thus the slur itself naturally has become to be known with a negative reference.

I am more offended with having to refer to blacks as " African - American " in the general sense , all for being " politically correct ", I do not mind calling people from Africa who immigrate to America and become a citizen " African - America " though then I would argue what is wrong with just the label " American " ?

Black is Black, White is White, yet some how our political parties the democrats and republicans have managed to turn words which were fine to begin with, into a debate that in turn has thus created a divide , in races . If you use simple words to describe a person of a race, you are implied to possibly be a bigot or some kind of racist. Though if we have African - Americans and Mexican - Americans, do white people in America thus become Caucasian - American ? I mean no one wants white people to be offended right ?

In the end thank the democrat and republican party equally for not letting racial slurs die an creating more division and problems among races that otherwise would just let it all go an not think twice about it if it were not for these political parties and their media outlets promoting that the issue must be addressed constantly.

South Park has an excellent an very irreverent episode on this issue, as moronic as the show is, Matt an Trey some how manage to prove a point some where in the mix, an I hate them for subliminally educating me. I want to enjoy cartoons for the sheer stupidity of it, not to be educated !
 
livingwordunity said:
If the “n” word itself is so offensive that it trumps every other racist word why is it commonly used by blacks themselves to talk about each other? I think blacks should stop using the “n” word. But I think it has more to do with the amount of hate coming from the one using the word and not from the word itself. That’s why I don’t agree that one racist word is worse than another. Racism is racism.
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Aren’t you biracial? Which word would offend you more? There have been plenty of white people on here to tell you that yes, cracker isn’t a nice word, but they don’t feel as though that it is as offensive as the n-word.
I think that says a lot. I’m sure if you poll the majority of white people, they will tell you that cracker isn’t a nice word, but they aren’t going to be super duper upset if they are called it. MOST white folks are going to tell you that the n-word is a more hateful word than cracker.

My children will be biracial and any type of racial slur isn’t going to be allowed in my home. That doesn’t mean that if I am randomly called a cracker because I bump into someone on the street that I am going to be totally offended. The word doesn’t stab me. Hearing the n-word pains me more.

I agree that racism is racism, but there are other ways to be racist. It isn’t just using the word cracker. My stepmother-in-law who says that she doesn’t recognize me and my husbands marriage because I am white is more hurtful to me than being called cracker. Friends from high school telling me that I “took one of their good ones” to me is more hurtful and is more racist than calling me a word that I have no feelings towards.
 
I would also add I find when someone on Jerry Springer or some court tv show , screams I am not a racist, I married a black person, my baby is biracial, I have black friends.

it literally cracks me up when anyone uses that as an answer or excuse for their racist behavior.
 
Just as a side note here:
cracker: Southern U.S. derogatory term for “poor, white trash” (1766), probably from mid-15c. *crack *“to boast” (e.g. not what it’s cracked up to be), originally a Scottish word. Cf. Latin *crepare *“to rattle, crack, creak,” with a secondary figurative sense of “boast of, prattle, make ado about.”
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I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, who often change their places of abode. [1766, G. Cochrane]
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But DARE compares corn-cracker “poor white farmer” (1835, U.S. Midwest colloquial). Especially of Georgians by 1808, though often extended to residents of northern Florida. Another name in mid-19c. use was sand-hiller “poor white in Georgia or South Carolina.” Online Etymology Dictionary]
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Boldface mine. Basically, cracker = poor white trash.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled forum thread, already in progress. 🍿
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
Aren’t you biracial? Which word would offend you more?
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I am biracial. I grew up in a time when it wasn’t considered cool to be biracial. So, I experienced racism on both sides. Which is better or worse, as a child to get beat up by blacks for being half white or to be whispered about behind your back by whites and being barred by white parents from hanging around their kids because your mother is black? I think both are just as bad in different ways. Racism is racism. Blacks going out to randomly attack whites to avenge Trayvon Martin shows that whites don’t have a monopoly on racism. And belief in black superiority or superiority of any other “minority” race is just as racist as belief in white superiority.
 
livingwordunity said:
I am biracial. I grew up in a time when it wasn’t considered cool to be biracial. So, I experienced racism on both sides. Which is better or worse, as a child to get beat up by blacks for being half white or to be whispered about behind your back by whites and being barred by white parents from hanging around their kids because your mother is black? I think both are just as bad in different ways. Racism is racism. Blacks going out to randomly attack whites to avenge Trayvon Martin shows that whites don’t have a monopoly on racism.
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Yeah…I said much more than what you quoted. I also told you that I do feel that racism is racism. You should know that there are other ways to be racist than calling a person one word that doesn’t mean jack to them.
 
livingwordunity said:
. And belief in black superiority or superiority of any other “minority” race is just as racist as belief in white superiority.
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I don’t think there is a supreme race. I didn’t choose my skin color. No one did. Believe me, if I did choose my skin tone, it would probably be more of a Pacific Islander tone. My skin burns very easily…I definitely wouldn’t have picked it.

I think that instead of trying to figure out what is more racist or whatever, that we should be trying to get away from this race thing. A person is a person.
 
john78 said:
I would also add I find when someone on Jerry Springer or some court tv show , screams I am not a racist, I married a black person, my baby is biracial, I have black friends.

it literally cracks me up when anyone uses that as an answer or excuse for their racist behavior.
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Sweet Rosy O’Grady. :rolleyes: You just said* that? Deep sigh…*

Well if I have to tell you…
 
livingwordunity said:
Here’s an interesting example of the crazy double standard:
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There was a man in the Atlanta area that used the word “nigardly” (Scandanavian word for “Stingy”). Despite validation of the origins and meaning of the word he lost his job.

There was a lady that used the word “pedagogical” that some one took to have something to do with “pedophilia.” The HR group wrote up her walking papers and called her in to fire her. Once she told them the meaning of the word the ended up lowering it to a reprimand (though I don’t know for what “offense” it was filed as).

My take away: assume that there will be some one some where that will interpret your words in the worst possible way. One of the things I’m known for at work is for not saying negative things; I’ve found that there are ways to get a point across (even if that point expresses a negative opinion) without using negative words. There’s been the occasion where a person has tried to say damaging things about me by claiming that I’ve said something. My past patterns of behaviour were a strong piece of evidence that defended me before I was even aware of the accusations.

Second thing is when speaking assume that there is a recording device some where around. Often times now days there really is! It sounds a little paranoid at first, but between cell phones, computers, tablets, and many other devices people are walking around you carrying devices capable of recording.
 
john78 said:
I would also add I find when someone on Jerry Springer or some court tv show , screams I am not a racist, I married a black person, my baby is biracial, I have black friends.

it literally cracks me up when anyone uses that as an answer or excuse for their racist behavior.
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Ok… I will make an attempt at this.

So help me out. You think that a person (presumably* not* black) that is married to black person, has a bi racial child and has black friends is still a racist? :cool:

And this literally “…it literally cracks me up…” (?)

I will grant you, that a person may still have enculturation that may dispose one to classical stereotypical thinking, despite being married to person of a different race.

However I would simply not equate it to ‘racist behavior.’ To have stereotypical, prejudicial features in one’s thinking is no ‘moral equivalency’ to actually being a Racist.

Let us be clear just what a true Racist is.
IMHO, a Racist is one that willfully desires harm for the target race. A Racist is one that would never even consider having a ‘friend,’ let alone marry a member of the target race. A true racist would indeed entertain the idea of genocide. Examples being the Ku Klux Klan, The New Black Panther Party, Louis Farrakhan et. al.
**That **is true ‘Racist Behavior.’

To refer to a person that is married to a member of another race as having ‘Racist Behavior’ is to only cheapen, minimize and devalue the full,ugly meaning of the word - Racist.
 
Nimzovik said:
Ok… I will make an attempt at this.

So help me out. You think that a person (presumably* not* black) that is married to black person, has a bi racial child and has black friends is still a racist? :cool:
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In some people’s minds, anyone who is white is a racist. 🤷
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
I don’t think there is a supreme race. I didn’t choose my skin color. No one did. Believe me, if I did choose my skin tone, it would probably be more of a Pacific Islander tone. My skin burns very easily…I definitely wouldn’t have picked it.
I think that instead of trying to figure out what is more racist or whatever, that we should be trying to get away from this race thing. A person is a person
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Ahhh,Yes. Peace, Carlan
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ThinkingSapien said:
There was a man in the Atlanta area that used the word “nigardly” (Scandanavian word for “Stingy”). Despite validation of the origins and meaning of the word he lost his job.

There was a lady that used the word “pedagogical” that some one took to have something to do with “pedophilia.” The HR group wrote up her walking papers and called her in to fire her. Once she told them the meaning of the word the ended up lowering it to a reprimand (though I don’t know for what “offense” it was filed as).

My take away: assume that there will be some one some where that will interpret your words in the worst possible way. One of the things I’m known for at work is for not saying negative things; I’ve found that there are ways to get a point across (even if that point expresses a negative opinion) without using negative words. There’s been the occasion where a person has tried to say damaging things about me by claiming that I’ve said something. My past patterns of behaviour were a strong piece of evidence that defended me before I was even aware of the accusations.

Second thing is when speaking assume that there is a recording device some where around. Often times now days there really is! It sounds a little paranoid at first, but between cell phones, computers, tablets, and many other devices people are walking around you carrying devices capable of recording.
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Good grief. Deeep Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

It has come to this, eh?
 
Speaking of court and racism…

It would appear that-] President /-]King Obama is apparently the most racially polarizing and flagrant violator of good race relations as evidenced by the machinations of the Obama appointee Eric Holder, if the accusations of this link is accurate.

foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/10/did-justice-department-support-anti-zimmerman-protests-after-trayvon-shooting/ :bigyikes: :bigyikes::bigyikes::bigyikes::bigyikes::bigyikes::bigyikes::bigyikes:

This is absolutely despicable and obviously racially motivated against non - black persons if true!!

See here as well: washingtonexaminer.com/feds-helped-organize-manage-pro-trayvon-martin-protests-documents-show/article/2532890

Truly the audacity knows no bounds.
 
Corki said:
In some people’s minds, anyone who is white is a racist. 🤷
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I think that’s true because whites of today have to apologize for slavery even though they had nothing to do with it.
 
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