Concerning VIolence
Decolonizer
so why are these people celebrated to reify anti-blackness?
Like no one laughed at the notion of someone literally calling himself "Young Thug"?
The word "thug" in reference to black men
- Thread starter Elle Driver
- Start date
so why are these people celebrated to reify anti-blackness?
Like no one laughed at the notion of someone literally calling himself "Young Thug"?
Imo, I think the use of thug in reference to us is a means of characterizing the fear white/non-blacks have for us. The word is a blatant substitution for ****** and represents all of the stereotypical negative attributes associated with us, (dependence on welfare; familial dysfunction and OOW children; uneducated; violent; irresponsible and so on).
Now that was how non-blacks tend to use the word.
As for other black people...I take it as them simply wanting to assimilate with non-blacks with the whole "looksee I'm different than them". shyt could be a matter of them needing access for $$, associating whiteness with greatness or a combination of the two. There's also the KentTV crowd that sees women who flock to these "thugs" as a major issue in society as well
Like you said in OP, its internalized...and a major part of that is the sense of how our inferiority is seen and acted upon. The word simply sums up the overall sentiment held for us by ignorant and scared people.
Now that was how non-blacks tend to use the word.
As for other black people...I take it as them simply wanting to assimilate with non-blacks with the whole "looksee I'm different than them". shyt could be a matter of them needing access for $$, associating whiteness with greatness or a combination of the two. There's also the KentTV crowd that sees women who flock to these "thugs" as a major issue in society as well
Like you said in OP, its internalized...and a major part of that is the sense of how our inferiority is seen and acted upon. The word simply sums up the overall sentiment held for us by ignorant and scared people.
Elle Driver
Veteran
This is basically what I'm trying to get at. To hear black men call each other thugs or for black people period to refer to each other as such is disgusting.Imo, I think the use of thug in reference to us is a means of characterizing the fear white/non-blacks have for us. The word is a blatant substitution for ****** and represents all of the stereotypical negative attributes associated with us, (dependence on welfare; familial dysfunction and OOW children; uneducated; violent; irresponsible and so on).
Now that was how non-blacks tend to use the word.
As for other black people...I take it as them simply wanting to assimilate with non-blacks with the whole "looksee I'm different than them". shyt could be a matter of them needing access for $$, associating whiteness with greatness or a combination of the two. There's also the KentTV crowd that sees women who flock to these "thugs" as a major issue in society as well
Like you said in OP, its internalized...and a major part of that is the sense of how our inferiority is seen and acted upon. The word simply sums up the overall sentiment held for us by ignorant and scared people.
Even law abiding brehs who get caught up in some mess end up felons and to hear our people call them thugs is disgusting. They're already branded by this institutionalized system designed to make us all fail. What does calling them thugs do? I believe the reason our people glorify this lifestyle is to cope with the stigma. Society calls them thugs, their community calls them thugs, family, so they wear it with pride.
Like nas and em "owning" the word ******
Imo, I think the use of thug in reference to us is a means of characterizing the fear white/non-blacks have for us. The word is a blatant substitution for ****** and represents all of the stereotypical negative attributes associated with us, (dependence on welfare; familial dysfunction and OOW children; uneducated; violent; irresponsible and so on).
Now that was how non-blacks tend to use the word.
As for other black people...I take it as them simply wanting to assimilate with non-blacks with the whole "looksee I'm different than them". shyt could be a matter of them needing access for $$, associating whiteness with greatness or a combination of the two. There's also the KentTV crowd that sees women who flock to these "thugs" as a major issue in society as well
Like you said in OP, its internalized...and a major part of that is the sense of how our inferiority is seen and acted upon. The word simply sums up the overall sentiment held for us by ignorant and scared people.
Nah most people that are called thugs by the black community are really thugs.
Cacs see us all the same so what they think does not matter. But nobody is calling the weed man in the hood a thug .
Someone who wants to be gangster but doesn't belong to a specific gang. In the early 90s being a Crip was the thing to be when making gangsta rap. Snoop opened the flood gates for all that shyt, when NWA was just pretending. I remember 2pac starting all that "thug" talk because he wasn't really raised from the streets to be aligned with a specific gang but he still wanted to portray himself as gangster-like.
In the bay it became slang for someone who slanged and was grimey, doing crazy shyt but didn't belong to any set. "I'm not a thug, I'm a gangsta." Gangsters in my area never proclaimed to be thugs, it wasn't until he died that everyone started claiming to be a thug. Pot head Yukmouth became the "thug lord" and mentioned how Pac made it cool to be a thug.
Late 90s early 2000s thug was a popular word but now it's outdated, but just now racist whites are using the word to apply to any black man that intimidates them, or just to black men in general. Black athlete does a little trash talk, "THUG!"
Saying "thug" is a term to reference growing up struggling, pulling yourself up from your bootstraps is bullshyt and yes, it shouldn't be used anymore.