When was the First time you heard or used the word "******"??

[Ariux]

And remember thinking to myself, "Why did he do that"?

He did that because Afros are violent by nature. You probably think you did something to deserve it, but you didn't. I hear Afros use racial slurs all the time. I've never once felt the least inclination to punch the lights out of one of those Afros for doing it.

I've never personally called someone a n- in my life, except when it was deserved. The last time I used the word was after I had left a grocery store and saw an Afro peering through the windows of my car. I just said, "You better run n-."

 

[High_Gravity]

And remember thinking to myself, "Why did he do that"?

He did that because Afros are violent by nature. You probably think you did something to deserve it, but you didn't. I hear Afros use racial slurs all the time. I've never once felt the least inclination to punch the lights out of one of those Afros for doing it.

I've never personally called someone a n- in my life, except when it was deserved. The last time I used the word was after I had left a grocery store and saw an Afro peering through the windows of my car. I just said, "You better run n-."

Sure you did pussy.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Must have heard it before I was old enough to remember it. My mom's dad's family was violently racist toward blacks. My dad's family didn't have much love for Mexicans.

So I had heard all those terms before I was two or three, I am sure.

Ariux, if you said that in my southern town today, you would beaten to the ground. Stupid talk.

 

[bayoubill]

“******” wasn't part of my regular vocabulary until I moved to an urban neighborhood where I was one of the few white faces to be seen...

We had a neighbor across the street who frequently had folks drive up to his house in the middle of the night and sit on the car horn until somebody came out... drove me nuts... and, sitting on the sofa or lying in bed, I’d holler “FUCKIN’ *******!” in my aggravation...

I got cured of that when, arriving home one day from work, I found my wife in a stew, with her arms crossed and staring daggers at me... “You have no idea what you put me through today!” she said seethingly...

seems that, while she was out on the front sidewalk that afternoon with our toddler son driving his kiddie car, the little guy, out of the blue, started beeping the horn on his kiddie car and shouting “FUCKIN’ ******* FUCKIN’ *******!” With neighbors out on their front porches and folks walking down the street in front of our house, my wife frantically tried to get the little guy to stop, but he just kept on beeping his little horn and shouting “FUCKIN’ ******* FUCKIN’ *******!” Finally, in desperation, she picked him up and carried him into the house, trying to cover his mouth as she went, but he batted her hand away, laughing and saying “hahaha... FUCKIN’ ******* FUCKIN’ *******!”

 

[Ariux]

Ariux, if you said that in my southern town today, you would beaten to the ground. Stupid talk.

The way I spoke to him was to intimidate him to avoid a physical confrontation. As for getting beaten to the ground, I'm not short and fat, like Zimmerman (cursed Hispanic blood).

 

[JakeStarkey]

You could be Mr. Physical Fitness, and as many people as was required (black, white, mexican), you would be beaten to the ground. If you had tried to pull a weapon, it would have been even worse for you. Arixu, you are only a bad ass in your mind. You try it in our town, if you are lucky, it will be only a beaten, broken, and bloody ass.

Then the police would take over, and it would become worse for you. Go to, fellow, and talk to the voices in your head.

How tough you are means nothing. Why? The South has changed enough that there are not enough of you guys anymore.

 

[bayoubill]

You could be Mr. Physical Fitness, and as many people as was required (black, white, mexican), you would be beaten to the ground. If you had tried to pull a weapon, it would have been even worse for you. Arixu, you are only a bad ass in your mind. You try it in our town, if you are lucky, it will be only a beaten, broken, and bloody ass.

Then the police would take over, and it would become worse for you. Go to, fellow, and talk to the voices in your head.

How tough you are means nothing. Why? The South has changed enough that there are not enough of you guys anymore.

I 'spect mebbe Ariux is jealous of Zimmerman...

wants his own 15 minutes of fame...

 

[JakeStarkey]

Let him go to Port Neches, then.

 

[bayoubill]

Let him go to Port Neches, then.

Vidor, Texas would prolly work just as well, if not better...

 

[MaryL]

What an odd question...You mean to ask, where did we first experience racism? I can't answer that. I have seen whites treat blacks like crap, and I have also seen blacks abuse whites with that same aplomb. I grew up in the midwest in the fifties, THAT word was evil to me even as a kid. It was socially acceptable to use it. It seemed like a slap in the face. It was a vile word I shudder to say. It was like a profanity. Vulgar. I heard all those growly white old men chomping on cigars used that word. I read it Mark Twain. I heard black kids I grew up with use that word. I heard white kids I played with use that word. Now this neurotic and confused generation of African American "kids" use it as some kind of term of endearment. But then they are offended when whites use it. It is offensive that this word is used by ANYONE anymore.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The kids over at the junior high and high schools are not allowed to use homophobic, sexist, or racial slurs of any sort at all, regardless of season. I have known kids who have not be allowed to suit up and practice. That went for blacks as well as whites and mexicans. The athletes are not allowed to act like lower creatures of humanity. The first two years was really hard. The black kids had a hard time getting it. They do now.

 

[Sunshine]

I didn't grow up hearing that word. It was considered coarse and vulgar and only low class white trash used it. Well mannered white people where I grew said 'nigra.' And it wasn't until 30 years later they expressed the desire to be called 'black.' Then people started calling them 'blacks.' And when they wanted to be called 'African Americans' guess what! We started calling them African Americans.

 

[Sunni Man]

What an odd question...You mean to ask, where did we first experience racism?

The OP wasn't about racism per se.

There were just 2 questions.

1) When was the first time you ever heard the word ******?

2) When was the first time you ever said the word ******?

 

[JakeStarkey]

We had to exclude an uncle and his wife from associating with our children (offspring of all of us siblings) because he thought he had the right to say whatever he wanted around the kids. He missed out big time. His grandchildren hang out far more with our family side than at his place. Bitter old man with bitter old thoughts locked in bitter olden days.

 

[rightwinger]

The first time I heard the word was from the mouth of my best grade school friend at the time, Al Fitzpatrick, an African American. He called another Black friend a ******. I had to ask him to explain it. Up until that point I had only ever heard the term 'colored' to describe Black folks.

The first time I heard/read the word from a white man was Democrat President Lyndon B Johnson:

“Son, when I appoint a ****** to the court, I want everyone to know he’s a ******.”

and this doozie,

"I'll have those ******* voting Democratic for the next 200 years."

You never heard LBJ say that

 

[rightwinger]

I was raised in the early 60s and was taught to say colored or Negro. ****** was used, even on TV news and was considered crude but not a obscenity like it is today.

In the late 60s black power came into play and black was considered the proper term. By the late 60s, saying ****** was asking for an ass beating

 

[Sunni Man]

I didn't grow up hearing that word. It was considered coarse and vulgar and only low class white trash used it. Well mannered white people where I grew said 'nigra.' And it wasn't until 30 years later they expressed the desire to be called 'black.' Then people started calling them 'blacks.' And when they wanted to be called 'African Americans' guess what! We started calling them African Americans.

I don't believe I ever heard my father use the word ******; and definitely my mother never said it.

But on very rare occasions I did hear my father use the word "coon" to describe a black person.

 

[HUGGY]

1953 or 1954. My dad's father was a fine man in every way except his view of non caucasions. He was an ex pro football player that looked like Barry Goldwaters twin. He was not an official member of the KKK as far as I know but he hung out or better put had occasion to come into contact with some devout racists when he wasn't building mansions or inventing and constructing his used oil refinery business which made him very wealthy by Seattle standards. He used to take me on some of his visits to the hillbillies that operated some of the service stations he picked up used oil at. It seemed like every other word was "******" uzzing from the mouths of some of these knuckle draggers. I was 4 or 5 years old. I found thier preocupation with blaming thier's, America's and the worlds problems on the *******, spics and chinks hard to listen to. It was awkward and uncomfortable even then listening to that hatefull nonsense but then again I was 4 or 5 and children were seen and not heard in the early 50's. I never said anything to him about his views until I lived with him in my senior year of high school. He didn't get mad at me ..he loved me but he just shook his head and told me.."you think that way now but Sean..there will come a day when you see what makes me say these things and you will understand." I'm 63 and still waiting.

 

[Sunshine]

I didn't grow up hearing that word. It was considered coarse and vulgar and only low class white trash used it. Well mannered white people where I grew said 'nigra.' And it wasn't until 30 years later they expressed the desire to be called 'black.' Then people started calling them 'blacks.' And when they wanted to be called 'African Americans' guess what! We started calling them African Americans.

I don't believe I ever heard my father use the word ******; and definitely my mother never said it.

But on very rare occasions I did hear my father use the word "coon" to describe a black person.

I heard the term 'coon' on the exact same occasion I heard the term 'Georgia spook.' I was 23 at a picnic. My husband's cousin had gone to Florida and someone he knew there called them that. He came home talking about it.

 

[MikeK]

I don't remember the first time I'd heard the word ******.

I was raised in Brooklyn, NY, which during the 40s and 50s was a city of ethnically diverse neighborhoods. My lineage is German/Dutch but most of my friends were Italian. I noticed that Italians often referred to other Italians as guineas, much in the way contemporary Blacks refer to other Blacks as *******. But I knew better than to take the same liberty.

I grew up regarding the words guinea, ******, ****, etc., as useful only with deliberate intent to offend or when intentionally expressing disrespect. But where accepting offense from such words is concerned I advise adherence to Shakespeare's assertion that, A rose is a rose and by any other name would smell as sweet.



"The American negro will not truly be free until the word ****** no longer troubles him. Because the striking of chains and the death of Jim Crow does not free the mind." (James Baldwin; speaking at Columbia University, December, 1964.)