[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Moni: Well maybe things are a little bit different in the North where the anti-black communities make their stance well known and the more intelligent people around them attempt to show respect.

Uhm.....excuse me, Moni, but are you suggesting that anybody that doesn't go along with PC is unintelligent???

I have an older brother who lived in Mississippi for many years driving a beer truck and he'd ask "Hey, ■■■■■■, where do you want this?" when making deliveries to black bar owners. If a society is going to make racial slurs acceptable, I can certainly see your points of view but where I was raised, my generation thinks it is both ugly and deplorable to use the "N" word or the word niggardly where a proper synonym can replace it in mixed racial company.

A lot of black people use the "N" word themselves. Of course, that doesn't mean it's "acceptable" for white people to do it, since it has historically been a racial slur when used in that manner. I guess that's a situation where "It's Ok for ME to call my brother a jerk, but NOBODY ELSE better try it."

I know white people who use it just for the thrill of being able to say it in the company of blacks, who I call blacks btw unless I am in mixed racial company where I'll replace it with African American out of respect. African American is the current chosen title for identifying those who wish to have their race separated from others (not to mention that every application you fill out for most anything in this country will ask you to specify your race and why? what difference does it make unless it is related to the medical field?) The blacks I know are perfectly fine with being called blacks and their parents aren't offended by the word ■■■■■■...its all generational and IMO its not a bad thing to keep up with the times in order to maintain harmony amongst peoples. You wouldn't want people calling you Mr. Whatever if you are a woman or Mrs. Whatever if you are a man would you? All I said was that people should show enough respect to others where they use the word (to avoid offense in any confusion for its meaning or to blatantly offend in mixed racial comapny) I don't see anything wrong with that and I am not surprised to see people disagree with it.

I agree with "most" of your commentary here. I always try to treat everybody with respect, despite any social, racial, or theological differences we may have. In college, I lived in a boarding house with several blacks and got along with all of them very well. It was kinda funny. Towards the end of the school year, I went out to eat with them and several of their friends at a local pizza place. As we sat around the table, I suddenly started looking around the table and mentally "counting" everybody there. Michael, who lived in the house with me, said "What's wrong?" (I had a strange look on my face too, I guessk).
I looked at him and said "I just realized......I'm the ONLY white guy here."
He chuckled and said "Is that a problem?"
"No" I said "I mean I JUST NOW realized it. Earlier in the year, I would have been nervous about it from the time we left the house".

The bottom line is this.....skin color doesn't make a person who they are. Underneath the pigmentation....we are all just PEOPLE!

That's one reason I resist PC Labels. I refer to black people as black....simply because they are - but I do it in a respectful manner. I don't expect them to call me a European-American. I'm a white boy.

The one exception I make is for Native-American...because the term "Indian" is incorrect. They didn't come from India, but Columbus thought that's where he had landed originally.

Ok, that's enough of the Barbarian Rant on Political Correctness.

There may not be anything wrong with the word "niggardly", but (as Azred pointed out, MOST people don't know what it means....so it is automatically assumed to be negative by association). Therefore, I would not use the word in mixed company.....or ANY company for that matter. I had never heard of the word until the incident with the congressman a couple of years ago. I hadn't used it before then, so there is no reason to start now. Moni is correct in that there are plenty of acceptable synonyms that communicate my message just as effectively - perhaps even more so.