This definitely isn't controversial

• points · 7 comments

submitted 3 years ago

Viral

7 Comments

submitattach picture

SKOOLKNIGHT · 2 points · 3 years ago *

Thanks to the US and their historical antics, old folks, gullible, ignorant boomers mostly, in Europe got harassed for calling Africans "negers" which was/is a word used for Africans since... Gee, I dunno... A very, very long time ago.

The word itself has nothing to do with racism or slavery unlike the friggin' n-word. Both the N-word and neger were derived from the southern European words for black people. They have the same origin but not the same connotation....

Though interpreting "connotation" is subjective.

Why were they called "negers"? Because the early European powers that ventured deep into Africa were from Portugal and Spain and the words they used literally translate into "black" people. Negro.

Negro denotes "black" in Spanish and Portuguese, derived from the Latin word niger, meaning black, which itself is probably from a Proto-Indo-European root *nekw-, "to be dark", akin to *nokw-, "night"

What a coincidence that both Niger and Nigeria are called Niger and Nigeria, the areas where portuguese and spanish merchants build ports and trading facilities before slavery became a wide spread thing.

So in, for example, Germanic speaking areas, they simply called it neger instead of negro, because the people that went to Africa called the Africans negros... Because it meant "black people"...

Imagine being an old derp living in Austria or Denmark and get beaten because you called a black guy "neger".

It's as cringe as hearing people say that only white people were responsible for slavery all the while you live in friggin' Poland or something.

arthurgwg · 7-Year Club · 2 points · 3 years ago

As a Portuguese speaker (native Brazilian, yeah...) I tried telling this to my friends in the US and it was very unconfortable. My experience living in the US is that it is very insular. The culture hegemony means that many never venture outside of the country and have no interest knowing about other countries. Its a shame. That of course does not apply to all US residents and I met many who knew a lot more than I did but... You know... Not a majority unfortunatelly.

SKOOLKNIGHT · 2 points · 3 years ago

Brazilian?

The crime ain't fine but the b*tches on the beaches do compensate for it.

arthurgwg · 7-Year Club · 2 points · 3 years ago

Amen brotha

ElMundo · 1 points · 3 years ago *

sorry i have to stop you because you have no clue what you're talking about.

The word neger in german is very insulting to black people.
And the reason is, because its used as a racist slur
it's like saying "gay" means happy, because that what it meant in th 60is. Language changes, and meaing also changes.

And listen im a black guy in europe, and never has the word neger been used in a respectful way around me, only people who discriminated me used that.

Another example, in switzerland there is a saying : "und de bi ich wieder de neger"

Which translates to "and than im again the neger" which means, "and than I am again the one who suffers"

i think it would be nice, if you would refer to black people as black, call your friend neger if theyre okay with that.

it might be different in italian/spanish/portuges, but in the german context, its an insult, and i would say most black people would agree with me.

peace

SKOOLKNIGHT · 2 points · 3 years ago

"because its used as a racist slur"

That's why I said connotation is subjective... And connotation would depend on place, time or situation... And the people.

I know plenty of people using the word neger without it being used as a racist slur thus without being a racist slur... While you know people who do.

You live in Germany and I don't.

"never has the word neger been used in a respectful way around me, only people who discriminated me used that"

I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know how the word is used in Germany.

"i think it would be nice, if you would refer to black people as black, call your friend neger if theyre okay with tha"

Well, I personally refer to black people as black people or "zwarte mensen" which means "black people" if I had to adress them being black or something... Because I know people could take neger the wrong way... Even though it has the same meaning here. Unless someone changed it and it lost its original meaning?

And I won't deny that some people would use it in a bad way... Or perhaps the word itself is turning into a bad word, one way or another?

The problem is that a lot of people here use the word "neger" without any malice or hidden meaning behind it... But some people think they do, which is unfortunate.

Some people complaining to Portuguese people for using negro because it's their word and language is also a good example. The Portuguese don't necessarily mean it as a racial slur yet it's easy to see it as a racial slur.

If there would be enough people in Portugal to claim that it's a racial slur, maybe the word itself becomes a racial slur... Even though it originally means black.

I can't speak for Germany itself tho but not every place where Germanic languages are used uses the term neger as a racial slur or any slur.