Rahm Emanuel uses insult "retarded"

[billms]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

So if I said someone was running faster than a spic running across the Rio Grande, that's not an insult to Mexicans, since I wasn't aiming my insult at them?

I agree in many cases people are way too sensitive. But I don't think it's too much to ask for our elected officials to refrain from using words like "retard."

I don't see this is a huge deal. As Melody said, make him lick soap and move on.

It may be an insult to mexicans - but it has no parallel to what Rahm did so what is your point. The parallel would be if Rahm said they were running as fast as a fast runner. Does *that* insult fast runners? No - it doesn't.

Why should people not say retard? The only reason that I can understand is that it hurts their feelings - and that is a reason worth taking into consideration. However - the idea that calling mentally retarded people mentally retarded is insulting would be ridiculous without the context of abuse they have suffered as a result. And of course there has to be some way to refer to that group of people. So we move from one perfectly good/descriptive name to another because of the context associated with the old one by asshats? Maybe thats worth doing - but isn't the problem really the asshats and other stuff they do - not the word retard?

[eastside billee]

Wow - 2 times in 1 week that I agree with billms.

This terminology p.c. issue has gotten way out of hand. I'm not a fan in any way of Rahm, but maybe what he said needed to be said - and he said it. I'm absolutely exhausted with this back and forth, left to right, he said this, he said that, he meant this,they meant that.....it's beyond ridiculous already. This oversensitivity is a bit silly. IMO it's killing free speech.

[billms]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

...and if he'd have said, "You people are mentally deficient" there would have been no issue.

Re-tard, with the emphasis on the first syllable, is a deragatory way to refer to people who are mentally deficient.

Actually he didn't say retard and I doubt either of us know where he put the emphasis - or is there audio that I'm unaware of?

So your distinction is moot.

By the way I was wrong - I suggested that he called liberals retarded - he said the plan is retarded. But that word obviously does not identify the group you refer to.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by shabba4detroit

I don't know white people who use it anymore. I know that I had to explain to my 9 and 8 year old what it was, and why they shouldn't use it, because they heard it in some rap song from their friends.

I know lots of white people that use that word. Do you hang around with a lot of immigrants or working class people? Because they call black people niggers all the time, in my experience.

In fact, I was at a Super Bowl party on Sunday where somebody called Obama a stupid ****** who can't speak without a teleprompter.

[DetroitCity313]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I know lots of white people that use that word. Do you hang around with a lot of immigrants or working class people? Because they call black people niggers all the time, in my experience.

In fact, I was at a Super Bowl party on Sunday where somebody called Obama a stupid ****** who can't speak without a teleprompter.

I kinda disagree. A lot depends on where the immigrants are from. Most predominantly Muslim country's immigrants are very accepting of blacks as are people of most Eastern religions.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by DetroitCity313

I kinda disagree. A lot depends on where the immigrants are from. Most predominantly Muslim country's immigrants are very accepting of blacks as are people of most Eastern religions.

I question that conclusion.

I can only speak for the Eastern European and Mexican immigrants I know. I can also speak from my time at the UAW as to what auto workers say to each other on the line. You wouldn't believe some of it if you heard it.

[DetroitCity313]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I question that conclusion.

I can only speak for the Eastern European and Mexican immigrants I know. I can also speak from my time at the UAW as to what auto workers say to each other on the line. You wouldn't believe some of it if you heard it.

Being black, all I can speak from is what groups of people have been the most accepting of me and my family/friends. I have had this conversation many times with my friends and we all basically agree on my premise.

It is sad though, that working class people of all races choose to turn on one another and fall victim to the ploy the elite have set up to keep us fragmented and divided on race even though it is against our own financial benefit. If laborers across the race spectrum were to band together they could gain some ground and fix their communities. Unfortunately, we turn on one another because we usually fight for the same (low paying and exploitative) jobs.

[shabba4detroit]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I know lots of white people that use that word. Do you hang around with a lot of immigrants or working class people? Because they call black people niggers all the time, in my experience.

Yes and yes. In my experience, I don't here it a lot. But I do live in a fairly close-knit mixed community. . Maybe you need a better class of immigrants or working class people. Or maybe the vibe of tolerance that I give off subliminally tells people that I won't stand for that.

Now I do hear it when it is used facetiously. But that wouldn't be in public or in front of children. But it gets used like that to mock racists, not blacks. So, truthfully, it probably gets used more than I have indicated, but not contextually so.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by DetroitCity313

Being black, all I can speak from is what groups of people have been the most accepting of me and my family/friends. I have had this conversation many times with my friends and we all basically agree on my premise.

It is sad though, that working class people of all races choose to turn on one another and fall victim to the ploy the elite have set up to keep us fragmented and divided on race even though it is against our own financial benefit. If laborers across the race spectrum were to band together they could gain some ground and fix their communities. Unfortunately, we turn on one another because we usually fight for the same (low paying and exploitative) jobs.

I tend to find that the lower the education level, the more racist the group tends to be. Also, newer immigrants from Europe seem to be very racist. I don't hang out with any Middle Eastern non-Jews, so I wouldn't know. From my experience, it's the income and education level, not the color of their skin, that leads to overt racism.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by shabba4detroit

Yes and yes. In my experience, I don't here it a lot. But I do live in a fairly close-knit mixed community. . Maybe you need a better class of immigrants or working class people. Or maybe the vibe of tolerance that I give off subliminally tells people that I won't stand for that.

Now I do hear it when it is used facetiously. But that wouldn't be in public or in front of children. But it gets used like that to mock racists, not blacks. So, truthfully, it probably gets used more than I have indicated, but not contextually so.

It's not used in polite company to be sure, but most of the morAns I was hanging around with on Sunday don't do much in polite company except serve drinks.

Like I said, Eastern Europeans fresh off the boat tend to be the worst, Serbs, Poles, whomever. But that's just my own small sample size.

[DetroitCity313]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I tend to find that the lower the education level, the more racist the group tends to be. Also, newer immigrants from Europe seem to be very racist. I don't hang out with any Middle Eastern non-Jews, so I wouldn't know. From my experience, it's the income and education level, not the color of their skin, that leads to overt racism.

Might be true, but that overt racism actually does little to the black community on a day to day level. It is the hidden racism by the execs, business owners, CEOs, justice system which truly hurts the black population. I would much rather someone call me a ****** to my face than deny my application for a loan.

And the reason I think the Muslim world is more accepting is because their are so many black Muslims who are Sunni and Shi'ite and they see Muslims as their common brothers and sisters if they are religious. And the egalitarian ways of many Eastern religions also bodes well for relations between blacks and other immigrant communities.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by DetroitCity313

Might be true, but that overt racism actually does little to the black community on a day to day level. It is the hidden racism by the execs, business owners, CEOs, justice system which truly hurts the black population. I would much rather someone call me a ****** to my face than deny my application for a loan.

And the reason I think the Muslim world is more accepting is because their are so many black Muslims who are Sunni and Shi'ite and they see Muslims as their common brothers and sisters if they are religious. And the egalitarian ways of many Eastern religions also bodes well for relations between blacks and other immigrant communities.

Tell that to the brother trying to catch a cab...

Institutional racism will probably always be a problem for black people in this country. However, I believe it is more of a problem for lower income blacks than middle/upper class blacks.

[DetroitCity313]

Originally Posted by Buddha

Tell that to the brother trying to catch a cab...

Institutional racism will probably always be a problem for black people in this country. However, I believe it is more of a problem for lower income blacks than middle/upper class blacks.

Yeah, the upper class blacks are less effected by institutional racism- although it does hurt them too (in the case they are arrested, the way they are still pulled over at a higher rate than whites, the way in which their housing and loan applications are rejected at higher rates than whites with equal income).

My point is if someone calls me the N word I feel sorry for their ignorance and hatred and find their anger to be sad. It doesn't make me think I am a N*****, it makes me think they are stupid. But if someone doesn't hire me- that truly effects me and my future.

[Duane B. Sims]

Originally Posted by billms

It may be an insult to mexicans - but it has no parallel to what Rahm did so what is your point. The parallel would be if Rahm said they were running as fast as a fast runner. Does *that* insult fast runners? No - it doesn't.

Why should people not say retard? The only reason that I can understand is that it hurts their feelings - and that is a reason worth taking into consideration. However - the idea that calling mentally retarded people mentally retarded is insulting would be ridiculous without the context of abuse they have suffered as a result. And of course there has to be some way to refer to that group of people. So we move from one perfectly good/descriptive name to another because of the context associated with the old one by asshats? Maybe thats worth doing - but isn't the problem really the asshats and other stuff they do - not the word retard?

I agree the problem has gotten out of hand. But in a case like this I think more sensitivity should've been used. I hate PC from the depths of my soul, but I do think people should try to be sensitive to others' feelings.

[Duane B. Sims]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I tend to find that the lower the education level, the more overtly racist the group tends to be..

Fixed that for you.

[Duane B. Sims]

Originally Posted by DetroitCity313

Might be true, but that overt racism actually does little to the black community on a day to day level. It is the hidden racism by the execs, business owners, CEOs, justice system which truly hurts the black population. I would much rather someone call me a ****** to my face than deny my application for a loan.

And the reason I think the Muslim world is more accepting is because their are so many black Muslims who are Sunni and Shi'ite and they see Muslims as their common brothers and sisters if they are religious. And the egalitarian ways of many Eastern religions also bodes well for relations between blacks and other immigrant communities.

Of course black Muslims would be accepting. But many of the Arab Muslims I know, and I know quite a few, can't stand black people. They call them Ah-Beds (don't know if that's spelled right, but it's phonetically how they say it).

And people from India can be among the most exclusionary in the world. They have an entire system set up which puts people in their places.

I wouldn't say one group, be it black, white, Muslim or redheads, is more racist than another as a whole. I would bet the percentage of racists is probably the same, allowing for socioeconomic and other factors. Some of the snobbiest, most exclusionary people who look down on others are rich black folks I've met. And I know a lot of poor black people who see white people as the cause of all their woes, and vice versa.

Good and bad comes in all forms, and, all things being equal, I think the percentage of really evil people is about the same. Of course, in different social situations that would change. I'd expect there to be more racists in a prison than at a mixed-race bingo game.