I think it depends on context and ultimatley its hard to tell.

With the "N" word its pretty easy. Blacks own the word - as a community they can set the standards for how they want to use it - non-blacks never get to say it.

The word "thug" is a lot more gray. I think it is frequently used without racist intentions. It is sometimes used with racist intentions. Ultimately only the user of the word really knows.

Practically its best to just avoid it. There are other terms that can be used that are more descriptive - like "violent criminals", "gang members", "drug dealers".

This post was edited on 1/26/14 at 3:27 am

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Posted by LSU Patrick

Member since Jan 2009

73548 posts

Posted on 1/26/14 at 8:13 am to JazzyJeff

What a ridiculous notion. The "N-word" refers directly to skin color. "Thug" refers to behavior and lifestyle. The two words are completely exclusive.

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Posted by KCT

Psalm 23:5

Member since Feb 2010

38911 posts

Posted on 1/26/14 at 9:05 am to LSU Patrick

I said this several pages ago, but the simple fact is that, anytime a person who is black is criticized, there's a good chance that some people will bend over backwards to claim that there is a racial or racist aspect attached to the criticism.

Hell, President Obama did this very thing less than 2 weeks ago. A journalist asked him to explain why his approval rating had declined dramatically within the last year. True to form, Obama played the race card. He said that some people don't like him because he's black.

Yes, I'm sure some people don't like him because he's black. But, that factor has nothing to do with a 15-18% decline in Obama's approval rating in YEAR FIVE of his Presidency. That was a ridiculous excuse, but that's where we are now.

If Barack Obama can hide his incompetence by playing the race card, why shouldn't somebody like Richard Sherman use it to excuse his idiotic ranting on national television?

Is it okay to call his actions idiotic, or will somebody need to start a thread referring to idiotic as the new "T" word?

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