B-word’ to get the boot as New York strives to clean up its act
James Bone in New York

Black activists in America recently held a mock funeral, complete with wooden coffin, to mark the demise of the hated racist slur known as the “N-word”. Now they have begun campaigning to purge the much-used “B-word” from the language.

New York City Council, which declared a moratorium on the word “nigger” in March, is now debating a similar symbolic ban on the word “bitch”. “Some young ladies have no self-esteem. If you call some of them that, that means a lifetime of hurt – the same way as if you say the ‘N-word’ to someone,” said Darlene Mealy, the Brooklyn councilwoman behind the proposal.

The battle over insults is part of a wider culture war sparked by the spread of hip-hop music, with its obscenity laced lyrics.

Black rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott have long referred to women in their songs as “bitches” and “’ho’s” — a corruption of “whore”.

But the epithet has been embraced by white artists such as the singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks, who proclaimed in a 1997 hit: “I’m a bitch.” Black celebrities from the TV talkshow host Oprah Winfrey to hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons have criticised the now-commonplace use of such sexist terms.

The movement gathered steam when the white talkshow host Don Imus referred to Rutger’s Unversity’s predominantly black women’s basket-ball team as “nappy-headed ’ho’s” in April, costing him his job.

This week, the Rev Al Sharpton, the flamboyant black activist who ran for President in 2004, staged rallies across the United States urging public divestment from the music industry until rappers stop using the word “nigga”, “bitch” or “’ho”.

“The opposition has tried to use the argument of free speech, but they don’t have the freedom to use peoples’ pension funds against their own will and interest,” Mr Sharpton said.

Cultural sophisticates argue that words such as “queer” and “nigga” have been reclaimed by the very people who were once the targets of them. And some subcultures, particularly in the gay community, have already taken the sting out of “bitch” by using it as a term of endearment when referring to friends.

Andy Zeisler, who co-founded a feminist magazine called Bitch a decade ago, called New York’s proposed ban “problematic”. “If the issue is one of the impact on women, there are many more things the city council could do,” she said. “If you are going to put a symbolic ban on the word ’bitch’, why would you not put a symbolic ban on men catcalling women on the street?”

Ms Mealy insists that the “N-word” ban is already having an effect. “I am around a lot of children. They are about to say the N-word. Then they say, ‘No, you’ve got to say ‘My brother’ or ‘My sister’ instead.”

Twenty of the fifty-one New York city council members have signed her resolution. However even some council members admit using the B-word about their wives.

Rappers themselves are unimpressed with the plan.

“People tend to forget it’s entertainment and no different than someone going to a movie theatre for two-and-a-half hours watching rape, domestic and gun violence, and girls being called bitches and ho’s,” the female rapper Remy Ma told Billboard magazine. If you don’t like it, change the station or don’t buy the CD.”

yeah, let's just add more and more weight to these words and make them even more hurtful by reducing the level of acceptability.

Daily N-word segment


"Do You Understand How Rap Works?"

I thought they meant "bourgeouis".

Sample agenda for municipal governance:

1. "Bitch"
2. Organized crime/murder rate
3. A fucking tornado in Brooklyn

Next thing I'm gonna have to stop calling people assholes.

I only got a couple paragraphs in but please tell me they're seriously suggesting Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliot invented the word "bitch."

Missy's so sexist.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

nigga please.

Bitch nigga you don't know me
So why in the fuck you try'n to
Hate,
Runnin your mouth just like some Hoe,
Bitch thats the closest thing to Fake,
All in my face just like its cool But i see right through this shit,
Talkin bout dat u my folk,
No nigga you's a bitch,
Get back boy,
I'ma be gettin laid up in this bitch, What, nigga time and time again, I done told you better
duck nigga, Cuz if ya fake stay the fuck away
Cuz i don't like ya bitch, All my niggaz no ya,
an they know dat you's a stay trick,
all fucked up to tell ya that i ain't gon make me show ya

I'm not talking about the queens
But <what?> the bitches
Not the sisters <what?> the bitches
Not the young ladies <what?> the bitches
The bitches, the bitches

you still can't slander, intimidate, use hate speech, yell fire in a crowded place (when there is none), etc etc

i got no problem w/ banning nooses



unless you need for hanging things, like dogs... right Number 7?

the law they are tying to pass says you can't paint a noose if you hour intent is to harass or threaten.
If you are an artist and paint a noose and hang it in a gallery or art museum, but never say what you intended by painting it, you could go to jail if people thought it was a threat. Maybe the artists intent was to draw attention to the barbaric practice, but they chose to let people figure it out on their own.
It is a slippery slope when you start restricting speech or thoughts



In that case, carry on!

Nah, I get your point...I'm just sayin...

I know, I was just goofin

sure you can.

What's my favorite word??

BITCH!

Banning words, haa.. is there any sort of rules on this? I mean, if someone is being a bitch, would I still be able to call them a bitch, or would I have to switch it up and call them a cunt? I mean, that word has more gravity, but if bitch is banned..