WyBlog, the best thing about New Jersey since the invention of the 24 hour diner.
Chris Wysocki
Caldwell, NJ
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan
Linkiest
CH 2.0 Info Center
The Jersey Report
Labor Union Report
Memeorandum
Net Right Nation
The Patriot Post Newsletter
Pajamas Media
PJTV
Victor Davis Hanson
J! E! T! S! Jets! Jets! Jets!
OpenVMS.org Portal
AVS Forum
NJ.com Caldwell Forum
The Caldwells Patch
The Jersey Tomato Press
"This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes."
Because a federal jury has just ruled that using the "N word" between two African-Americans is inappropriate.
A federal jury has ruled against an employer who said he used the N-word in an affectionate way toward black colleagues, effectively saying the incendiary word is unacceptable at work under any circumstances.
Rob Carmona, 61, was sued by a former employee who said that Carmona's use of the word during a "tirade" over workplace attire and professionalism was inappropriate.
The jury ruled that Carmona's March 2012 four-minute "rant," was "hostile and discriminatory" and awarded plaintiff Brandi Johnson $250,000 in damages. The jury is now deciding whether to award punitive damages as well.
"I was offended. I was hurt. I felt degraded. I felt disrespected. I was embarrassed," Johnson, 38, who recorded Carmona's comments, testified during the trial.
When asked to explain how he has used the word in a positive manner, Carmona explained, "That means my boy, I love him, or whatever." And Carmona said that was his intention with Johnson.
The exchange between Carmona and Johnson, both of whom are African-American, has raised the question of whether use of the N-word has different legal connotations when used by someone who is black and someone who is not.
You damn skippy!
Listen up, either that particular word is offensive, or it isn't.
There is no "just between us homies" exemption. No matter what the various hip hop recording artists will tell you. In their, ahem, "music" they throw around "the N word" with abandon, and they get a pass because they're black. Or liberals.
So let me ask you. If Hip Hop Harry hired a white employee (yeah, stop laughing already), and if that employee was subjected to having to hear, and perhaps repeat, that word on a daily basis, would it constitute a "hostile work environment" as defined in federal employment law?
Personally I think having a double standard on something like that is even more racist than using the N-word when refering to a black person. Why? Because it assumes that the black person is too unsophisticated or unintelligent to develop a non-offensive vocabulary.
And not for nothing, but I really hate having to explain to my daughter why a word she regularly hears in her dance class soundtracks is verboten in our home. The school is pretty good about using G-rated remixes, but somehow she always finds the unredacted version on YouTube while practicing.
Can you say "cringe-worthy?" Sure, I knew you could.
Posted at 20:53 by Chris Wysocki
[/news]
Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags:
racism
n-word
hip-hop
|
Tweet
Previous: We now have the perfect opportunity for Congress to vote "No Confidence" on Obama | Next: Obamanomics in action: Layoffs surged by 34% in August |
Main |