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In reply to the discussion: Thug is the new Nigg**!! [View all]The Green Manalishi
(1,054 posts)It makes as much difference to me as if you called me a Martian or a mountain lion. You can post my name and picture and call me a racist all you want, anyone who knows me will just laugh at you.
It's like this: I agree with you that most of the people who use this word are closet racists, who would be much happier using the Nword. And it's not a wise word to use around people with little to lose and not a lot of respect for academic debate. I'd no more use the word to describe urban youth in a blanket fashion that I would 'Redneck' or 'Cracker' or 'White Trash' to describe economically exploited rural whites; that's punching down and is uncool.
However I defy you to call me a racist to my face when I'm wearing my "Union Thug" T-shirt on a picket line. We've been called 'Union Thugs' for so damned long that, like AA's who use the N word or LGBT folks who appropriated 'queer' as a source of pride, people who find it inappropriate are more a source of humor than of concern. It is also an excellent word to describe the actions of some in the political right wing and such scum as the CEO of Nestle who opines that clean water is not a right, as well as the cops who took Freddie Gray for a ride.
Regards