Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Wednesday Word: Thug

thug      

noun \ˈthəg\
: a violent criminal
 
Once again, our precious language has been hijacked. Because of the riots in Baltimore, and the media, the mayor of Baltimore, the governor of Maryland, and the president of the United States of America all using the word "thug" for these rioters/looters/thieves, it has suddenly become a racist term.
 
Excuse me?
 
Why? Because the majority of these thugs (used correctly here, may I add) are black does not automatically make this a racial slur.
An associate professor at Columbia went as far to say that, when black people use the word, it is a term of endearment, but when white people use the word, it is a nice way of saying the "n" word.
 
Excuse me?
 
I am going to use the word "thug" to describe these lawless citizens, because that is what they are: violent criminals. If the majority of them happen to be black, that's their problem, not mine.
 
Please don't allow the language to be hijacked. Continue to use this word.
 

1 comment:

  1. Huh, I never associated "thug" with being a black or white word - I just always thought of it as a criminal. So I agree, I will continue to use it as such, white or black.

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