Quote Originally Posted by Colonel Cærdiffi View Post
I know it is offensive. I even know why it is offensive.

But then someone like you comes along with a huge leap of logic with a statement like this: "it's not racist to suggest that you, as a white person, shouldn't use it"

I'll ask again, how is your statement not racist? It seems like the exact definition of racism to me.
My logic, and I suspect the logic of many is simply this.

The word was developed, by white slave owners in the American Southern States, as a derivative of the Spanish word for black. The word continued to be used by white racists in America, and beyond for many users, as an insult to black people.

Now, of course, keen observers of this board will understand that while you are white, you're not American, you don't own a plantation and you're not a racist.

But because people who looked like you, and me, used that term in such a pejorative way, then it is inappropriate for us to use it because of the offense it causes. I think it would be inappropriate for whites, asians, southern europeans, native Americans, etc to use it. That's not a definition of racist that I recognise.

Personally, I don't think anyone should use the word, but if anyone can "get away with it" then it would be a black person.

TOBW's sheepshagger analogy isn't perfect, as he himself admitted, but if some wurzel came up to you screaming "you sheepshagging bastard" in your face, chances are he'd get a slap, meanwhile, thousands of us us sing that's "who we are" every week, and that's ok.

I have a vague recollection of you recounting a tale from your stand-up tale where you used that word and it didn't end well. Is that the basis for your stance in this thread?