Mel Brooks wrote Blazin Saddles, at the time and since some said it was offensive. However the more you watch it now, it shows a scary reflection of how 40+ years later many of subjects matters he makes fun out of are still present. To the point you can't laugh at most of it. Well expect the childish stuff, who doesn't laugh at farts? Mr Brooks in recent years would have too much material to ridicule.
The problem is, do they speak for ALL Black people in reclaiming the word? I think there are plenty of Black people who are uncomfortable with ANYONE using that word, so what gives them the right to "popularize" it in music, etc? Tricky one, its a bit like those spurs fans who claim to be taking back the word "Yid" by calling themselves the "Yid Army" - maybe they are Jewish, maybe not, but even if they are, they simply don't have the right to use a racist word and claim it for all Jews to be able to use it.
It could be a calculated business move - he might be angling for the EDL Christmas Party booking, or a spot on the current Cabinet.
Because it is a word that is tremendously hurtful, that is associated with some truly horrific acts, and if the victims of those acts want to use it then so be it. If you still want to use the word despite knowing how hurtful it is because the victims use it then that makes you a ********, and if you act like a ******** don't be surprised if everybody treats you like a ********.
That’s an insane false equivalence. If black people want to reclaim the word, it’s not up to you me or anybody else to tell them they can’t. It’s so far away from “some spurs fans are not Jewish” that it doesnt even fall into the same category.
It is a complex area, but I think a bad word is a bad word. Someone as eloquent as Hunter with an intellectual audience might get the irony, but the knuckledraggers dont and neither would young kids who might find themselves on the wrong side of it because the word has been propagated. It should just die out. I find Hunter unfunny (but accept people have different senses of humour). I just find it divisive, the ultimate goal must be that everyone is treated the same. I have confronted people who have used the N word before including once at a 20/20 cricket match about 15 years ago when one lad sat in front of me told a joke with the word in it. His mate said words to the effect that it was what they called each other. They looked well-heeled salesman types (sadly) in their early twenties and crafty enough to use this an excuse for their behaviour. Like I said, it's a bad word, full stop. Having said that, I did find myself confronting someone walking out of Wembley in 2008 who'd just referred to Odejayi in an equally repulsive but different way, so they would just find something else I suppose. He had no argument when I pointed out that he scored the goal that got us there in the first place. Got to say the surrounding fans backed me up, a better crowd than Yorkshire cricket club in 2006 who didn't, though I suspect I was sat in the middle of some corporates on a p£ss up rather than genuine cricket fans. I was fast losing my rag with them and it was probably a good job we thrashed Lancashire with an innings to spare and it finished early.
This is why education is key. For me it's far too lazy for people just to say "if they can use it why can't we". Similar analogy to LGBT community recently reclaiming the word "queer". Far more education is clearly needed, to break this horrible cycle. People aren't born bigots.
Definitely similar with the word "queer" - an old work colleague of mine who identifies as queer uses that term. It is the intent that is the problem, not the word itself IMO.
Meanwhile, I imagine Richard Littlejon will be losing his $hit over this. Moth Lives Matter. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/gypsy-moth-ant-insects-esa-b1882563.html?amp
I was feeling a bit queer the other day. My grandmother uses it as a phrase to describe someone being under the weather.