marrakesh

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:40:16 -0800

JadeEDF, the thug comment in parentheses is tongue in cheek. It's the Downtown Dispatch article that takes issue with the term "street thugs." Seattlest is merely noting that and pointing out that it's a wee bit absurd.

JadeEJF

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:44:03 -0800

I'm just curious how you came to the conclusion that thug is a racist term? Obviously originally it was used specifically to refer to members of a professional fraterinity of Indian thieves and murderers during British Imperial rule of the Indian subcontinent. Now, though, it's frequently used in reference to African-Americans, who have adopted the term in reference to themselves in a number of pop culture cases as well. Granted, it *can* be used in racist ways, but I don't think the term is necessarily racist in and of itself, specifically since its official definition references at least two different ethnic groups. Regardless of what race the kids were (and I honestly don't know, nor did I read the piece at Downtown Dispatch, so I'm not sure what context it's used in there)- I think kids who beat a beloved icon at a bus stop to his eventual death probably deserve that label. Of course, perhaps the folks at DD did use that term in a racist manner, but in general, I think the term can be rightfully applied without a hint of racism to any group of individuals who enact violence on another person.

Seattlest: Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone

marrakesh

JadeEJF