Those Certain Words

In a country where we are supposed to have the "freedom of speech" there are certain words which we are conditioned to not say, especially to a person of another race or culture. For example, if a white man were to call his other white friend a "cracker" or a "honky" then he'd probably just laugh. But if a black man, called him a cracker, he'd get angry and probably want to fight! Why? What is it about those words?

It also works the other way around. If a black man calls another black man the "n" word, then he'll probably chuckle. But if a white man were to call him that, it's a fighting word, and violence insues. Why is this?

If it's wrong to call someone a name, I can understand that! (Personally, I think it's childish to call people names, and I don't think we should do it! It's a CARNAL practice.)

But what is it about these words that make people so angry? To answer that we need to figure out where these words come from and look at their etymology.

As I investigated the word "Cracker," I found it is a term created many years ago to apply to people who have lived at least for five generations in Florida or Georgia. That doesn't sound too offensive to me. Unfortunately, I am only a first generation Floridian, and am not a cracker. So I wouldn't get mad if someone either white or black called me that. I'm just not one!

I had problems tracing the roots of the word "Honky," so I just thought about where it might have come from. I'm only guessing, but I think it was invented to refer to white people who frequent "Honky Tonk" Country bars. Well, I'm a Christian and I don't go to bars (although I know some so-called Christians who do!). So I'm not a "Honky." It doesn't bother me if a white or a black were to call me that, as I'm not one!

What about the "N" word. (For those of you who don't know, the word is: "Nigger.") Where does this word originally come from? As you study, you find it's a term which began to describe a person who's origin was from Nigeria in Africa.

So, if a person calls another person the "N" word, he's insinuating that he's from Africa. Why would a black person get offended at this? Especially if they love and embrace their African heritage?

The only thing I can figure is that people no longer define terms. They only use certain words in a hateful way without defining them in order to cut down and hurt others. This is not only sad, but is a degrading practice. We should not call people names, period!

Certain words then have become racist terms used out of hatred instead of descriptive terms used to accurately describe a person. This ought not so to be.

I'm very proud of who I am and where I come from. But it doesn't make me any better than anyone else. I have friends both black and white. And I'm glad we can talk about anything, and even jokingly call either names sometimes without becoming offended with each other. If a guy calls me something I'm not, I don't worry about it, cause I know he's wrong! I don't let his stupidity try to provoke me to wrath.

But in the crazy mixed up world in which we live, certain words have become divisive, and are not defined as they were originally intended, but are words used to make others angry on purpose.

Don't fall into the hatred game, and don't let certain words offend you. Just let it go off your back like water off a duck's back and just laugh when someone calls you something you are not. Let them be the bad guy and don't let them provoke you to anger and doing something you'll regret!