kelly4danny Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Presumably kelly4danny your students possess sufficient emotional intelligence to be able to appreciate contextual references and the three dimensional discussion that is taking place here?? I grew up in a time where 'wog' and 'sambo' were common epithets used to describe black people, in fact they were words which were part of casual conversation, even in the mainstream media (eg Love Thy Neighbour). The words are offensive, however that should never be used as an excuse to avoid discussion of them or their use to endorse a well conceived (anti racist) argument. If that were the case BF, then you could say that its actually white people who are most offended by these words, and that the people that these words are aimed at don't actually mind them. I can understand that most things in life do need discussing, but it would be wrong for me to agree that there is any need whatsoever to keep exaggerating the words and phrases in question over and over again, like they were actually in mainstream conversation. I have been actively involved in this discussion, yet I have always chosen my words and descriptives with the empathy of the people who may not enjoy seeing them, time and time again. There is another thread that could be merged with this one, and that the Freedom of Speech thread. A very important human right, but one to be used with thought about others too. Ooh, and just to be straight with everyone, they weren't my students. They were my fellow students!. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliceBB Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I can understand that most things in life do need discussing, but it would be wrong for me to agree that there is any need whatsoever to keep exaggerating the words and phrases in question over and over again, like they were actually in mainstream conversation. Your use of 'exaggerating' is an exaggeration. The words in question have been referred to and occasionally repeated, that's all. That's what happens in a discussion about language use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mort Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 As was suggested this thread has been aggressively pruned and drivel and posts quoting it have been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly4danny Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Your use of 'exaggerating' is an exaggeration. The words in question have been referred to and occasionally repeated, that's all. That's what happens in a discussion about language use. Wouldn't say it was an exaggeration Alice. Far from it. Certain sentences have been written and are there, or have been there for all to see. I did try to put my last post in a concise and rational way because I feel most people are rational, but if you truly believe that just because yourself and a handful of others don't see how these posts can offend people, then i'm afraid that it appears you cannot see it from the perspective of the people that are offended by it. The thing is with particular words is that they are aimed at one group of society, which makes it very easy to brush it off as just a discussion, if you yourself are not in that group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliceBB Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Wouldn't say it was an exaggeration Alice. Far from it. Certain sentences have been written and are there, or have been there for all to see. Just because 'certain sentences have written' does not mean that words have been exaggerated. You are not making much sense, I'm afraid. I did try to put my last post in a concise and rational way because I feel most people are rational, but if you truly believe that just because yourself and a handful of others don't see how these posts can offend people, then i'm afraid that it appears you cannot see it from the perspective of the people that are offended by it.If there are people who are genuinely offended and upset by an academic discussion of how language operates in social contexts, then I suggest they are oversensitive and should simply avoid forum threads on the issue. They should also avoid listening to Radio 4 or embarking on an A level English Language course since discussions of this nature feature in those contexts, too. The thing is with particular words is that they are aimed at one group of society, which makes it very easy to brush it off as just a discussion. A discussion about particular words does not 'aim' them at anyone; it merely analyses their impact. More often than not, people are saying 'It's not OK to use this term as a referant or descriptor for x group of people'. It is rather like looking at your medical notes, seeing the word 'anus' and concluding that the doctor is being disrespectful towards you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly4danny Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Just because 'certain sentences have written' does not mean that words have been exaggerated. You are not making much sense, I'm afraid. If there are people who are genuinely offended and upset by an academic discussion of how language operates in social contexts, then I suggest they are oversensitive and should simply avoid forum threads on the issue. They should also avoid listening to Radio 4 or embarking on an A level English Language course since discussions of this nature feature in those contexts, too. A discussion about particular words does not 'aim' them at anyone; it merely analyses their impact. More often than not, people are saying 'It's not OK to use this term as a referant or descriptor for x group of people'. It is rather like looking at your medical notes, seeing the word 'anus' and concluding that the doctor is being disrespectful towards you. OK Alice. Im afraid we will have to agree to disagree my dear:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliceBB Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 OK Alice. Im afraid we will have to agree to disagree my dear:) Alright, ducky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) After speaking to a few of our afro caribbean students regarding this subject, it became clear that all of them hated the "W" word with a passion Out of interest. How did you "speak to them" about this word, without actually saying the word? Did you mime it, write it down, or speak little asterisks into the air? You had to say it, right, at least once. And you didn't personally offend all your students by saying it, because of the context, of a discussion about the word. Rather proving our point I think. Edited February 12, 2015 by Cyclone added a comma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandr Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 ...They are openly available on Ebay here, so the word is obviously not illegal http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=gollywog&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xgollywog+badge&_nkw=gollywog+badge&_sacat=0 Yeah, and one of them's obviously a doctor. It depicts a happy looking black person in a top job. I just don't see what's racist about that at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Blackboard. I don't get to inhale the chalk dust though. Even the chalk wasn't chalk, it was gypsum. And ye gods people - words are just words. Noises made when you flap your jaws and meanings made when you punch glyphs into computers. It's the intent behind the transmitter that counts, not the symbols being used. Kelly's a teacher? Jesus Wept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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