Should the N word be banned?

[jimnyc]

This word was recently used in the title of a thread to describe the black guy in the posted video within the thread. Since very rarely, if ever posted here, a few are both insulted by the mere fact that it was posted - and the misdirected belief that the board supports or encourages any type of racism. People post negative things about Italians, Muslims, Liberals, Conservatives, Indians, Asians.... but the N word pops up just once!

Anyway, if the community would choose to censor the word, in the future it would come up as ******

Keep in mind, and this is just my personal take, and my one vote carries no more weight than any other - will this open a door to further votes on censorship down the road?

[Little-Acorn]

My vote:

No.

The word "nigger" should not be banned.

People using the word in an offensive way on this board, should be warned and/or suspended for a week or two.

To quote a recent poster, if they don't like it, they can kiss........

[darin]

No way. Never.

[crin63]

Isn't it term of endearment?

Personally I don't like the word or use the word but we are about free-speech here for the most part. If it were constantly being posted in thread titles I might have a different view but once in a while, no harm, no foul.

[HogTrash]

Should the rules of Political Correctness be the operating standard for Debate Policy?

* Yes?

* No?

I will refrain from participating in the poll since I may be the catalyst.

[SassyLady]

No.
It just another word on a long list of offensive words.
Where would you stop?

[Luna Tick]

It's an offensive word and I despise people who put down black people like that, but I also believe in free speech. Don't ban it.

[Missileman]

You have to consider the source. The one trick pony is now the 1.01 trick pony. It's just more evidence of his inability to participate in an intelligent discussion. Unfortunately, you can't legislate against stupid or offensive.

[PostmodernProphet]

I guess if the result is "no" we'll have the answer as to whether this is a racist board.....

It's an offensive word and I despise people who put down black people like that, but I also believe in free speech. Don't ban it.

other words are banned....

No.
It just another word on a long list of offensive words.
Where would you stop?

apparently, somewhere after the "c" word.....

[HogTrash]

Isn't it odd that the "N" word is so politicly incorrect that it totally eclipsed the entire messege of the thread I posted it in.

Not one person was able to focus on the point of the OP while people are in an uproar all over the board with follow-up threads and some threatening to leave.

The power of PC never fails to amaze me...I am very thankful to be free of the baggage that weighs you down and censors your thoughts as well as your speech.

I knew a lady who had a cat that was raised from a kitten in her house and had never even once known the freedom of the wide open spaces just outside the door.

I told her I thought this was cruel and she smiled at me and replied, "the cat is perfectly content because it doesn't miss what it has never known".

[KarlMarx]

I wonder which word will be the next after nigger? faggot?

Perhaps some people ought to learn to use the "ignore" list if they don't like what someone is saying... I use it and I'm certain that someone has placed me on theirs...

[Little-Acorn]

Isn't it odd that the "N" word is so politicly incorrect that it totally eclipsed the entire messege of the thread I posted it in.
[/I]

Get your head out of your ass, HT. You came up with a well-cleansed definition of "nigger" in hopes that everyone else would accept it. But everyone else knows what it really means: A black person who is inferior or even subhuman, simply because he is black. Not because of anything he did.

I told you that then, and you ignored it and tried to stick by your new, made-up definition. You want a new meaning? Make up a new word. Don't use one that means something so vile, and think you can automatically change everyone's knowledge of what it means.

Using "nigger" offensively, even to someone who acted as vilely as that guy did, says that there are black people who are subhuman, even though they did nothing. Quit acting like a brain-dead dumbshit and pretending people think it means anything else.

[Mr. P]

I think banning a word or words on this board would be akin to banning a book or books in the library.

It's despicable for one to use words in an attempt to incite or personally harm folks. But we've all done it at sometime in life. No excuse but most of us mature.

So the answer is, DON'T BUY the author or the book if ya don't like the story. That, IMO, should be the focus.

On the other hand..I agree with PMP..the web crawlers will tag words and attract slime. It's as I told my daughter...if ya dress "that" way yer gonna get a reputation you don't want.

[revelarts]

I think banning a word or words on this board would be akin to banning a book or books in the library.

It's despicable for one to use words in an attempt to incite or personally harm folks. But we've all done it at sometime in life. No excuse but most of us mature.

So the answer is, DON'T BUY the author or the book if ya don't like the story. That, IMO, should be the focus.

On the other hand..I agree with PMP..the web crawlers will tag words and attract slime. It's as I told my daughter...if ya dress "that" way yer gonna get a reputation you don't want.

I'd have to agree with this.
I don't like a lot of words, "N" being in my top 5 of Bad words. But I can't really bring myself to say ban it. Make no mistake part of me really wants to. But this is a debate site , so I guess it's the price you pay for freedom and all that etc.. Sadly sometime people use crappy language in attempts to make, so called, intelligent points or to be funny or from frustration.
But crappy language does stink up the place and attract flys and vermin. (to add to the slut analogy).

[revelarts]

And you know... I've found that I can piss people off quite effectively without using any foul language . i think most of the people here probably have that same ability from time to time.