Old Man Lays the Smackdown.

[Point of Order]

Some really classy people posting comments on that video. Every other comment contains the N word.

It's amazing how racist some of the people who post comments on YouTube videos are. Not just limited to this video either. I mean just in general.

Same here with the use of "thug" as the less objectionable euphemism for the N-word.

In my world, a thug is someone who comes across as a tough guy, whether or not he actually is tough. But, think whatever you want to think.

That's cool. I do not doubt that's true. In my world though, hearing that word used regularly, thug is code language for those who feel they can no longer use the N-word "even" in non-mixed (all white) company. I hear "thug" used to describe black people even when the behavior being described does not really meat the definition, and I almost never hear it used to describe white people. When I do hear "thug" used to describe white people it often does not meet the definition so much as it describes vices typically associated with blacks. Again, that's just my experience.

What a pile of ****.

PLENTY of thug crackers.

If the rules allowed it, I'd definitely advise you to go have sexual intercourse with yourself. Racist.

How is his take racist? He's saying thugs come in multiple colors. If anything, it's the opposite of racist.

he's a thug=racism denier, and therefore racist. (okay, maybe that's a bit of overstatement but i'm really just pissed he seems to think my experience in the term's use is "pile of ****" basically just dismissing it out of hand and that's perfectly okay. Maybe he's not a racist, just a completely mindless tool).

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Some really classy people posting comments on that video. Every other comment contains the N word.

It's amazing how racist some of the people who post comments on YouTube videos are. Not just limited to this video either. I mean just in general.

Same here with the use of "thug" as the less objectionable euphemism for the N-word.

In my world, a thug is someone who comes across as a tough guy, whether or not he actually is tough. But, think whatever you want to think.

That's cool. I do not doubt that's true. In my world though, hearing that word used regularly, thug is code language for those who feel they can no longer use the N-word "even" in non-mixed (all white) company. I hear "thug" used to describe black people even when the behavior being described does not really meat the definition, and I almost never hear it used to describe white people. When I do hear "thug" used to describe white people it often does not meet the definition so much as it describes vices typically associated with blacks. Again, that's just my experience.

What a pile of ****.

PLENTY of thug crackers.

If the rules allowed it, I'd definitely advise you to go have sexual intercourse with yourself. Racist.

How is his take racist? He's saying thugs come in multiple colors. If anything, it's the opposite of racist.

he's a thug=racism denier, and therefore racist. (okay, maybe that's a bit of overstatement but i'm really just pissed he seems to think my experience in the term's use is "pile of ****" basically just dismissing it out of hand and that's perfectly okay. Maybe he's not a racist, just a completely mindless tool).

It's a pile of crapola.

You are a crybaby and a fomenter.

And you desperately need to grow up.

 

[imjustagirl]

I actually agree with POO in his general point. "Thug" is largely used on white people when they wear saggy jeans, wifebeaters, grills, big diamond earrings, talk with slang, etc.

Very few country-club husbands who rough up their wives or get in fights with their friends would be called "thugs."

Sorry to say, Simon, but outside your view, he's actually right. It's one of those codewords that lets people say what they want without having to be held accountable for their views.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I actually agree with POO in his general point. "Thug" is largely used on white people when they wear saggy jeans, wifebeaters, grills, big diamond earrings, talk with slang, etc.

Very few country-club husbands who rough up their wives or get in fights with their friends would be called "thugs."

Sorry to say, Simon, but outside your view, he's actually right. It's one of those codewords that lets people say what they want without having to be held accountable for their views.

Like when a coach of a suburban team says the inner-city school his team is playing is "athletic."

(That's not to say anybody on this thread was using "thug" in that manner. But I agree it's become a code word for a lot of people, especially sports fans.)

 

[proudpittsburgher]

OK, what a I missing here? I had a hard time hearing the first part of the video, but why in the hell was he asking him to spit shine his shoes, or how much he would charge? I am white, but if I were black and an old white guy asked me to spit shine his shoes, I would take it as a prejudiced slam as well. I may choose to ignore him, and I priobably wouldn't follow the guy to the front of the bus, but I don't see why everyone has a problem with the kid having a problem with the old man in the first place. Again, if I missed something, please set me straight.

 

[YankeeFan]

I actually agree with POO in his general point. "Thug" is largely used on white people when they wear saggy jeans, wifebeaters, grills, big diamond earrings, talk with slang, etc.

Very few country-club husbands who rough up their wives or get in fights with their friends would be called "thugs."

Sorry to say, Simon, but outside your view, he's actually right. It's one of those codewords that lets people say what they want without having to be held accountable for their views.

Like when a coach of a suburban team says the inner-city school his team is playing is "athletic."

(That's not to say anybody on this thread was using "thug" in that manner. But I agree it's become a code word for a lot of people, especially sports fans.)

Or when Joe Biden calls an African-American politician, "articulate".

That this thread became a discussion of racism was the easiest bet in the world. Old mad beats up much younger loud mouth -- after walking away -- in a rout.

But because the younger guy is African-American, you're a racist if you took some glee in it.

"Thug" has been applied to mobsters, gangsters, and other assorted toughs forever. If it's been applied to African-Americans in a disproportionate manner, it's because the term was embraced by some in their quest to look like the, "gangsters," they wanted to emulate.

Anyone remember Tupac's, "Thug for Life"? Who coined that? Not racist whites, but Tupac himself.

African-American rappers and others seeking, "street cred," wanted to be seen as thugs.

Many of the NBA players want to be seen in the same light. The tattoos, the gang symbols, the rap music. They wanted to be seen in the same light as the rappers -- as thugs.

Phil Mushnick must have written 20 articles on the way many of these young athletes pose for pictures -- magazine cover shots even. Do they flash a smile? Maybe a smirk? No. Very often, it's a scowl.

What image are you trying to project when you scowl and try to look like a tough guy in a cover shot?

So someone goes and calls Latrell Sprewell or Allen Iverson a thug and they're a racist?

It's ridiculous.

I'm not sure how often, "thug," is a word that comes out of my mouth. But I don't see any racial connotations to it. A big, intimidating white guy would be a thug in my mind.

To apply the same term -- a term embraced by many African-Americans -- to to a big, intimidating African-American is not racist.

If someone is using thug all the time, as a substitute for African-American, ok, that would be racist.

But to call the guy on the bus a thug? What's wrong with that? He was a loud mouth, who was trying to intimidate the (crazy) old guy. It sounds like a reasonable term to use -- and certainly not out of line.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Man, this thing has got some legs.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/epic-beard-man

Tremendous.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

 

[93Devil]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

I always thought a thug was someone who tried to (or did) live a gang-like lifestyle.

I have seen plenty of Asain, Hispanic and white thugs.

Inky does make a very good point, though.

 

[YankeeFan]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

I'd agree with you if people were calling Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods thugs. I just don't see people using thug as synonymous with, "black man."

Like 93Devil, I see it more as a term for people who are (or are acting like) mobsters or gangsters.

Where I grew up, it was applied to Italian-Americans more than anyone else.

I've also seen cries of racism when, "Chicago thug politics" has been talked about in terms of Obama. But Chicago thug politics isn't about African-Americans, it's more about tough Irish thugs.

And in New York, Tammany Hall used thugs & thug tactics.

This excerpt is from a book written about Tammany Hall in 1917: http://bit.ly/cnEOuc

(How do you create a link instead of posting a huge URL?)

It talks about thugs in politics and it was written nearly 100 years ago.

The easiest way to avoid being called a thug is to avoid acting like one.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

But the meanings of words change, YF. Calling somebody "gay" now means something completely different than decades ago.

I have yet to see anybody call the old dude a thug. Even though his behavior and actions (on the bus and perhaps previously) were more menacing and dangerous than the guy he beat up.

The old dude was, by the way, was taken to a local hospital where he "was under observation for mental instability."

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14419993?nclick_check=1

 

[Diabeetus]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

I'd agree with you if people were calling Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods thugs. I just don't see people using thug as synonymous with, "black man."

Like 93Devil, I see it more as a term for people who are (or are acting like) mobsters or gangsters.

Where I grew up, it was applied to Italian-Americans more than anyone else.

I've also seen cries of racism when, "Chicago thug politics" has been talked about in terms of Obama. But Chicago thug politics isn't about African-Americans, it's more about tough Irish thugs.

And in New York, Tammany Hall used thugs & thug tactics.

This excerpt is from a book written about Tammany Hall in 1917:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Wxtx_eo60J8C&pg=PR9&lpg=PR9&dq=%22tammany+hall%22+thugs&source=bl&ots=EwP0TmdWdp&sig=IlplyyLn-NmQyrpPbMDWrLeidFc&hl=en&ei=wpV-S9fOGI-0tgfDpbSzDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBYQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

(How do you create a link instead of posting a huge URL?)

It talks about thugs in politics and it was written nearly 100 years ago.

The easiest way to avoid being called a thug is to avoid acting like one.

Go here: http://bit.ly/

 

[YankeeFan]

Go here: http://bit.ly/

Gracias.

 

[Double J]

Man, this thing has got some legs.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/epic-beard-man

Tremendous.

Stellar.

Especially the screen shot of the girl with the headphones. :)

 

[Point of Order]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

I'd agree with you if people were calling Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods thugs. I just don't see people using thug as synonymous with, "black man."

Like 93Devil, I see it more as a term for people who are (or are acting like) mobsters or gangsters.

Where I grew up, it was applied to Italian-Americans more than anyone else.

I've also seen cries of racism when, "Chicago thug politics" has been talked about in terms of Obama. But Chicago thug politics isn't about African-Americans, it's more about tough Irish thugs.

And in New York, Tammany Hall used thugs & thug tactics.

This excerpt is from a book written about Tammany Hall in 1917: http://bit.ly/cnEOuc

(How do you create a link instead of posting a huge URL?)

It talks about thugs in politics and it was written nearly 100 years ago.

The easiest way to avoid being called a thug is to avoid acting like one.

Haven't looked, but I'd bet there's at least one person calling Tiger Woods a thug on the car accident thread. Any takers?

 

[The Big Ragu]

Haven't seen this on here. There was video of Epic Beard Man from the summer getting tasered by the cops at an A's game that made the rounds on the Internet.

 

[93Devil]

What really saddens me is that we are so far from Halloween. Damn, what a fine assed costume this would make.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

I'd agree with you if people were calling Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods thugs. I just don't see people using thug as synonymous with, "black man."

Like 93Devil, I see it more as a term for people who are (or are acting like) mobsters or gangsters.

Where I grew up, it was applied to Italian-Americans more than anyone else.

I've also seen cries of racism when, "Chicago thug politics" has been talked about in terms of Obama. But Chicago thug politics isn't about African-Americans, it's more about tough Irish thugs.

And in New York, Tammany Hall used thugs & thug tactics.

This excerpt is from a book written about Tammany Hall in 1917: http://bit.ly/cnEOuc

(How do you create a link instead of posting a huge URL?)

It talks about thugs in politics and it was written nearly 100 years ago.

The easiest way to avoid being called a thug is to avoid acting like one.

Haven't looked, but I'd bet there's at least one person calling Tiger Woods a thug on the car accident thread. Any takers?

Come on man, who's gonna call Tiger a thug... He's the whitest black guy this side of Wayne Brady.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

What the **** did Roethlisberger do that was thuggish?

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Nice rant, YF. But you're wrong.

One, I'm not saying anybody here is racist. Two, in my experience (and others), there are code words and "thug" is one of them.

For example, I've not seen many people calling Roethlisberger a thug due to his legal troubles. Yet Shawne Merriman got that tag, from some, for his. I've seen the same thing with State U. Black kid gets arrested, the fans call him a thug. White kid commits worse crime and he doesn't.

For many people, right or wrong, "thug" now means "black man."

What the **** did Roethlisberger do that was thuggish?

You know what was alleged by the woman in Tahoe.