Termie and vooke: Is Negro Confused or What?

[Kababe]

Mhesh, I am the last person you will catch tolerating views indicating that black people are inferior. My point is that you are attaching this meaning to the word "neg.ro" but it belongs with the other N word.

I don't know how to put a "sticky" thread up there but I think someone should start one where we discuss and agree on words to ban from this forum.

[Logan]

Mhesh, I am the last person you will catch tolerating views indicating that black people are inferior. My point is that you are attaching this meaning to the word "neg.ro" but it belongs with the other N word.

I don't know how to put a "sticky" thread up there but I think someone should start one where we discuss and agree on words to ban from this forum.

Kababe, that's sad.

Soon, we will be into choosing whether Raila, Uhuru, or Ruto should be no go zones for criticism.

This is a free forum. Topics come and go depending on the interest they generate. So are the words.

The term "ignore" rings a bell? Live and Let Live!

[Kababe]

I agree, Logan. What I meant was words that are insults in common language, like the N word, f word and such. They don't necessarily have to be banned but we can decide for the sake of the forum's portfolio and everything, to ban them where they are not properly disguised.

Other proper English and scientific words should NOT be banned at all.

Mheshimiwa must learn to tolerate opposing views. I will roll up my sleeves and get in the ring with anyone any day who attacks any of my people (Blacks, Catholics, Women) and debate them to kingdom come, but I cannot ask the mod to enforce my preferences through the banning function.

vooke, take it easy on Veritas, she just made a quick decision when two members made a request. She has no interest in controlling the discussions, she has been EXTREMELY responsive to requests ever since the site came up, so tulia kidogo boss. She will set things right when she wakes up in Aussie land and reads the rest of the thread.

[vooke]

the only thing worth banning is anything remotely harmful to any member or this site itself. Otherwise as Logan said, all it takes is enough Mheshimiwa grade goons to stifle thought

I will use the word n.egro till Jesus comes back for me

[Kababe]

the only thing worth banning is anything remotely harmful to any member or this site itself. Otherwise as Logan said, all it takes is enough Mheshimiwa grade goons to stifle thought

I will use the word n.egro till Jesus comes back for me

Agreed. For example,

1) Language banned by Google or the monetizing companies Veri intends to use.
2) Posting details of members on the board etc 

[Mheshimiwa]

Could we use words like black or African from now on please.

Is it really that difficult to just use words like black or african or nyeuthi or mwafrika...really?
I make simple suggestion that we refrain from using the "N" word,
RVP comes along & tells Veri to ban the word & for the next 3 hours you lot have been going back & forth bringing up OO, Jukwaa, Mheshimiwa grade goons, Catholics, Dictionaries.....sigh...

Its a tag team battle & I am alone in the ring fighting against 4 opponents, wapi RVP I need to take a break.

[vooke]

IS N.EGRO 'banned by Google or the monetizing companies Veri intends to use'?

the only thing worth banning is anything remotely harmful to any member or this site itself. Otherwise as Logan said, all it takes is enough Mheshimiwa grade goons to stifle thought

I will use the word n.egro till Jesus comes back for me

Agreed. For example,

1) Language banned by Google or the monetizing companies Veri intends to use.
2) Posting details of members on the board etc 

[veritas]

Sorry everyone. I thought it was agreed it was offensive and so I censored it. I'll uncensor now. Please send me a PM next time. I've been coding emoticons.

[Kababe]

Thanks, Veri. I knew you didn't have any OO tendencies 

[veritas]

Welcome Kababe, thanks for the heads up. I didn't realise censoring offensive words would trigger this. From now on I ain't censoring anything. I don't give a crap if you swear.

[veritas]

IS N.EGRO 'banned by Google or the monetizing companies Veri intends to use'?

the only thing worth banning is anything remotely harmful to any member or this site itself. Otherwise as Logan said, all it takes is enough Mheshimiwa grade goons to stifle thought

I will use the word n.egro till Jesus comes back for me

Agreed. For example,

1) Language banned by Google or the monetizing companies Veri intends to use.
2) Posting details of members on the board etc 

Honestly Vooke you think too much. It was an honest error on my part. I read the last post by RVP and assumed everyone agreed the word was offensive. I need a PA to read  through posts.

[veritas]

I've read through this thread thoroughly now, and it seems there are members who do find N words offensive. In respect, I have put a poll up. Whichever the majority vote I shall proceed accordingly. I do apologise for censoring before without consulting members. It won't happen again.

[Kichwa Mbaya]

Negro is Okay but Akata is not Okay and is far worse than the "N" word.  My problem is with Africans from motherland who think they understand African Americans and so they try to patronize them on one hand and on the other hand with African Americans who think they understand African's from motherland and look down on them.  The African Americans and Africans from motherland who understand and respects each others history are my kind of people.  I have found out that when it comes to the issue of race relations in American, African Americans understand best how to deal with bazungu in America and I defer to them or take their lead on such matters.  When it comes it issues of colonialism, Africans from motherland understand it best.  I think we can combine our experience and learn how to deal with bazungu in a much better way than each of us using their one dimensional view of bazungu to deal with them in a comprehensive way.  Both of our experiences gives us a better view of bazungu than bazungu can possible have on us.

[mya88]

Veri, you're soon treading in dangerous zones when you start micro-managing.

This is not a smart move when one imposing individual- a well known jubilee NSI agent starts to dictate what we're
to post.

Yo need to relax and watch an argument develop before you rush into taking sides, or you will soon be slidding into the same slippery slopes you've been a victim to. How soon can you forget your past?

A mature moderator should be above involvement in simple fights, please.

My two cents.

Good Lawd, how long have I been away...before people start fighting? I agree with Logan. Veri shouldn't be heeding at each and every petty issue as if this is a high school. We are grown folks for goodness sake and self moderation should be allowed as much as possible otherwise you border on censoring and thats not pretty. We also need to ask ourselves, who the audience is for this forum before we start figuring what is offensive to who.

I dont see anything wrong with all those words n.gro, human, akata etc..... African americans refer to themselves as negro. Akata, I thought was a naija description of AA not necessarily derogatory...human...i don't really know what the problem is. People stop being petty, overly sensitive and start blogging about issues. nuff said. My only issue is if people get personal when it isn't really necessary.

@Veri, the poll is a good tool to gauge the mood of the forum.

[mya88]

veritas is abusing moderator powers.  Negr.o is a perfectly acceptable word for a black bipedal hominid, even here in the US.  It is not the N word.

I think one wants to tread very carefully when it comes to dealing with complaints.  That way we don't find ourselves barely able to understand what we have "written".

@veritas,

Please reconsider banning that word.

Pundito said it tongue in cheek...that's censorship
Anybody visiting here who thinks human is derogatory should be euthanized

Done. Changed to 'human' or 'humans.'

Termi

I think she is trying to cater to everyones needs and that is why she is being pulled in all directions. Growing pains of a blog owner. People just need to grow up and stop being petty...really.

[Kichwa Mbaya]

I think Veri is doing the right thing by being concerned about peoples concerns.  I find Akata and Ni--er highly offensive but negro to be a term of endearment.

[Logan]

Kadame, I think you raised some very appealing issues here. The akata resentment curiously surprised me when Obama won his first democratic nomination in 2007. I think we all remember, and can understand Bill Clinton's frustration when he said:



Bill's wife Hillary was until Obama showed up, the anointed nominee for her party...

But a report soon leaked to the internet reveals that what Jackson said was far worse:

His off-air comments in relation to Barack Obama was that he wanted to ''cut his nuts out'', and that he was ''talking down to black people''.

Most AA who did not vote for Obama in 2008, and there are quite a few, resented that being the son of a kenyan father and a white mother affected his AA authenticity because his parents did not suffer same "slavery background" like the true AAs.

This in effect is the same resentment us Africans receive from AAs. They don't think we understand their plight, and like Termie and vooke mentioned, ignore our attempt to integrate.

You want to see black-on-black racism, visit that site: topix.com and search Akata threads on Africans in the USA. You will be seriously disabused of any false ideas regarding Akatas and Africans being the same people. There are some Akatas who want absolutely nothing to do with "the motherland", absolutely nothing.

From that admittedly very limited exposure to net Akatas, it seemed to me that Caribbean blacks were much more positively predisposed towards their African roots and identifying with Africans as their people. They are not forever whining that Africans sold them into slavery, something that seems like the standard Akata retort to afros every other sentence. I think it may probably be because they (Caribbean blacks) were somewhat allowed to retain some of their Africanness in culture etc than the American slaves and I think they were not separated as families as much as African Americans. Their family structures are intact, they don't have the African-American problem of scarcity of family stability. They are much closer to Africans than African Americans are to us, seems to me.

[Kichwa Mbaya]

I think an AA in the streets understands the issues of race relations in America than any African from mother land with PHD.  The problem with educated Africans is that they think they know more than AA's when it comes to race relations just because of their education.  This stuff is very cultural and trying to substitute that culture with education is a big mistakes.  The same way I would not want an AA to lecture me about tribal politics in Africa no matter how educated they are is the same way AA's do not take it kindly when some know it all African think they can lecture an AA about race relations in America.

[Kababe]

I think an AA in the streets understands the issues of race relations in America than any African from mother land with PHD.  The problem with educated Africans is that they think they know more than AA's when it comes to race relations just because of their education.  This stuff is very cultural and trying to substitute that culture with education is a big mistakes.  The same way I would not want an AA to lecture me about tribal politics in Africa no matter how educated they are is the same way AA's do not take it kindly when some know it all African think they can lecture an AA about race relations in America.

Which "educated" African is educating AA on race relations in the US? We are making observations on attitudes of some AA towards people from Africa. Would you prefer we pretend we don't notice it or we pretend that AA have nothing negative about them? Or Africans have no right to complain when they meet with discrimination from AA or AA from Africans....?

Its one thing to defend AA views on their History, its quite another to expect African views to be buried unless they are talking about Africa. After all, they are also part of American culture now and they have their own experiences, views and perceptions of what they see around them. African Americans are not a sacred cow that can never be criticized by anyone but themselves, and neither are Africans or the Caribbeans for that matter.

[bryan275]

Although I have voted to keep the word, I still think the context in which it is being used on the forum is to denigrate and amplify the perceived shortcomings people of colour. 

Which is not nice.