Posted by PS on September 21, 2005 at 09:03:09:
In Reply to: Re: Crackers or Sand N****r posted by pj on September 21, 2005 at 07:00:15:
: : : Good! -- an opportunity for deeper understanding.
: : : (Of course, who needs understanding when we have bombs, right?)
: : :
: : : I guess I'll just throw in a note right here that the ethnic references are gone from the thread below. I do agree w/ Marcos, and think we need to be respectful of other human beings of any race or ethnicity. I have wonderful Mexican in-laws and great Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Columbian friends. I could say more, but have to go now--there's another whitey at my door to see me. (Lord, I wish those cracker slave-owner colonialists would leave me alone.)
: : ~Thanx, I knew you would come through. I'm sorry if I over-reacted, as I remember when we had the open-mic in the building 2 years ago, we actually had some comedy with racial tones, but we knew the spirit of the person telling it, and esp. that person was of that same race, which made it different. I don't remember the person's name, just he was a friend of Jason's. But on this board, we don't have the same clues as to where the person is coming from.
: I have been called for years an sand n****r because I am two dark to be white and to light to be black thus I am sand-negro man
It is still a pejorative term. It is fine that you do not mind being referred to in this way yourself, but the term n****r is not and has never been used to refer to Greeks; thus, the true offense at its use far transcends you and your experience. Your being called by that name (in jest OR in true maliciousness) neither implies nor concretizes your solidarity with those who have been so-called for centuries--those of African origin. All that to say, the use of the term n****r itself is really to be avoided as a rule. (For that matter, negro also is no longer the acceptable term.) This is a public board, password or not, and nothing should be said here that you wouldn't say in a large, public, multicultural gathering. (Hopefully such restraints would inform private conversation also, but I will not speak to that here.)
This is not meant to be any kind of scolding; this is just a great opportunity to address an important issue, and its cruciality far supercedes the trivial discussion happening here. I am deeply convinced that of all the people on this earth, those who claim the name of Jesus the Christ ought to be at the forefront of the move to respect and validate all races and cultures and to guard the dignity of all humans. Jesus' 2nd great command was to love your neighbor as yourself, and in the global community, we are all neighbors. I hope that when the world goes up in a thermonuclear fireball, we who follow Jesus will be found in active resistance of such evil, and not behind the launch control panels. I fear the latter is more likely.