Warning Touchy subject: Dambusters dog is now called Digger not Nigga

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Red Dawn remake.

To be honest though, I'm not as concerned as I was about this film when I read that Stephen Fry was writing the script. He's usually quite good with historical accuracy. I think (and hope) that ****** is the only thing to be changed for modern audiences. Plus David Frost is on the team, so I imagine the reason why it's only just been confirmed now that ****** is out is because it's taken them this long to win him over.

Sir David's choice is Nigsy, which Gibson sometimes called ******. So I think that would be an excellent, and still authentic, choice.

And how come when a black man says that word it's socially acceptable, but with a white man it's not? But I can't ask that as that's also deemed racist to even imply there is a difference one way or the other!

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

And how come when a black man says that word it's socially acceptable, but with a white man it's not?

Because when a white man says it, it carries with it the baggage of 400 years of slavery.

And back on topic...I'm on the fence about this. I can see why they would change it, but then again, why should they? I guess the controversy of changing it is much less than the controversy of not changing it.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I guess the controversy of changing it is much less than the controversy of not changing it.

Oh, and don't forget the shameless free publicity!

@McBee, thank you!

[STEED]

The dog was called ******...end of.

I'm sick of these bloody PC thugs saying we can not say this we can not say that....Blah blah blah.

[AVGWarhawk]

And how come when a black man says that word it's socially acceptable,

It should not be acceptible. Many in the black community have stated this.

-shrug-

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

It should not be acceptible. Many in the black community have stated this.

-shrug-

Many in the black community have also said that Nigga is acceptable, but ****** isn't.
Beats me.

[nikimcbee]

What would Mel Brooks do?

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

It should not be acceptible. Many in the black community have stated this.

-shrug-

The acceptability of words in a social situation should depend on the context the given word is used in, no word itself should be concidered inherently offensive.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

The acceptability of words in a social situation should depend on the context the given word is used in, no word itself should be concidered inherently offensive.

it is arguably the most consequential social insult in American History, though, at the same time, a word that reminds us of ***8216;the ironies and dilemmas, tragedies and glories of the American experience***8217;***8221; (Kennedy 1).

As a black American male, the word ****** conjures up within me hate, hostility, violence, oppression, and a very shameful and unfortunate part of American History. The word symbolizes the everlasting chains of a people plagued with hate and bondage simply because of skin color. For many black people, including myself, ****** is the most pejorative word in the English language. Even when compared to racial slurs like kike, honkey, cracker, wet back, spic, jungle bunny, pod, tarbaby, and white trash, ****** is noted as the worst insult in the English language. The word ****** suggests that black people are second class citizens, ignorant and less than human.

Should ****** be Used as a term of Endearment in the Black Community and Everywhere?
Randall Kennedy argues that the word ****** should be usable by all people as long as no one is being harmed. ***8220;There is nothing necessarily wrong with a white person saying ******, just like there is nothing necessarily wrong with a black person saying it. What should matter is the context in which the word is spoken***8221; (Kennedy 51). Here Kennedy argues that context can determine how ****** is used, and to treat the word otherwise would transform ****** into a kind of fetish. Fetish by definition means to treat something with unusual obsession or devotion.

http://wrt-intertext.syr.edu/XI/******.html

[Hottentot]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

The acceptability of words in a social situation should depend on the context the given word is used in, no word itself should be concidered inherently offensive.

I'm with antikristuseke on this one. It might also have something to do with historical differences. As Finland hasn't had similar minority of black people, let alone slavery in the past, the word "******", while not acceptable these days, doesn't necessarily conjure such harsh images in here either.

To give an example, I have seen some old school books and adverts that use the word. Some of them are circulating the internet too, as far as I know. There are poems, stories and "facts" that in our modern times seem weird, but were in their own era considered scientifical facts. Even from my own childhood, in the early 1990s, I remember there was a popular candy called "the ******'s kiss", which was at some point renamed to something more politically correct.

The word in here has been mostly benevolent. It was the word that was used when talking about black people. Like it or not, it is part of our history. That doesn't mean that I'm running around calling every black person ****** these days, obviously not, since it's now politically incorrect in here too. But I have also had some heated debates concerning if all the people in the 20th century were obvious racists, since they used the word on regular basis. People who think like that are doing exactly what should not be done according to majority of historians, that is, trying to impose our moral views and codes on the past and then trying to understand it based on that. It doesn't work.

Should the word be in a movie? I really don't care, I just want to see the film. It's a film: if I want to study history, I have a whole university for that and I'm doing it there daily anyway. If I got to choose, I would keep the dog's name as it was. But it doesn't ruin the film for me if it isn't.

[nikimcbee]

subsim motion: Motion to change Steed's user name to: Stigger , or maybe "Gordon's Pet."

all vote:

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by STEED

The dog was called ******...end of.

I'm sick of these bloody PC thugs saying we can not say this we can not say that....Blah blah blah.

[Gerald]