Is black hole a racially insensitive term?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around whether the term "black hole" is racially insensitive, sparked by a tense exchange between Dallas County commissioners. Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield used the term to describe a problematic office, which prompted Commissioner John Wiley Price to suggest it should be called a "white hole," leading to demands for an apology. The conversation explores the context and intent behind language, questioning if scientific terms like "black body radiation" or "brown dwarfs" could also be deemed offensive. Participants argue that words can be misinterpreted based on context, and some express frustration over perceived overreactions to language. Ultimately, the thread highlights the complexities of language and race in contemporary discourse.
  • #51


Jordan Joab said:
Now what?
Well, if you just want to think about it, honestly that would make my day ! :cool:
 
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  • #52


humanino said:
Well, if you just want to think about it, honestly that would make my day ! :cool:

I can think about it all you want but that's not going to erase how I was raised nor radically change my belief system. I'll grant you that ignoring someone due to their skin color is idiotic but so far it has worked for me and I don't intend to change that anytime soon.

Let me give you some unnecessary background info. I was raised in a upper-middle class Dominican family that did not encourage learning our African ancestry (just like Dominican culture in general). Matter of fact, one of my aunts is undeniably of sub-Saharan African descent. Matter of fact, Dominican culture ignores most of it African heritage. So, to me ignoring a black person is not a big deal.



Jordan.
 
  • #53


Jordan Joab said:
I can think about it all you want but that's not going to erase how I was raised nor radically change my belief system. I'll grant you that ignoring someone due to their skin color is idiotic but so far it has worked for me and I don't intend to change that anytime soon.

Let me give you some unnecessary background info. I was raised in a upper-middle class Dominican family that did not encourage learning our African ancestry (just like Dominican culture in general). Matter of fact, one of my aunts is undeniably of sub-Saharan African descent. Matter of fact, Dominican culture ignores most of it African heritage. So, to me ignoring a black person is not a big deal.



Jordan.

I'm curious what you mean by "ignore." Do you mean race doesn't matter to you when you meet someone, i.e., you ignore race and just judge the person on the content of their character? Or do you mean you ignore a person altogether, because of that person's race?
 
  • #54


lisab said:
I'm curious what you mean by "ignore." Do you mean race doesn't matter to you when you meet someone, i.e., you ignore race and just judge the person on the content of their character? Or do you mean you ignore a person altogether, because of that person's race?

Bingo.

If a person approaches me and the first thing out of their mouth is "I am black/white/yellow" I will treat that person how I think "black/yellow/white" should be treated. If someone approaches me and they are not self-conscious about their skin color I will treat them like normal people.

I am prejudiced against black people. I am not prejudiced against people. I see Elijah Cummings as a man whose arguments should be respected. I see Al Sharpton as a black person I should ignore.



Jordan.
 
  • #55


Jordan Joab said:
I am prejudiced against black people.
Maybe it would already help if you said
Jordan Joab said:
I am prejudiced against people calling themselves black.
To which I should say I rather agree. We had a woman candidate for president last time in France. She kept saying "I am a free woman" to which I could not help but think "she is the one being sexist". I can't really keep my nerve in front of people calling themselves woman. True. But sure enough, I still like being around ("normal") people of female sex.
 
  • #56


Jordan Joab said:
I can think about it all you want but that's not going to erase how I was raised nor radically change my belief system. I'll grant you that ignoring someone due to their skin color is idiotic but so far it has worked for me and I don't intend to change that anytime soon.

You are acting like a child.
You don't yell out everything that comes in your mind :smile:
I also discriminate a lot and once made a mistake of yelling that out:
"I hate all humanities/arts people".
It's natural to discriminate but you cannot optimize your life if you let it get in your ways ... What if you get a black boss who can pay you far more than any other person.

I must say that your words might be offensive to many people.
 
  • #57


You have to understand the Dominican Republic. I understand what Jordan is saying. Learn about where he's from and the hispanic/black culture there.

I'm not saying that I condone racism of any kind, I spent two years here fighting daily to get racist threads stopped. But we also need to know something about the world. Do you know that the Dominican Republic and Haiti are the same island culturally split in two?

You have to understand before you can hope to change.
 
  • #58


This world is going mad.

What's next? Anything color black or uses that term is racist now or what?
 
  • #59


BryanP said:
This world is going mad.

What's next? Anything color black or uses that term is racist now or what?

Some people can't let go.
 
  • #60
Like this person...


Atlanta Stripped of 'Men at Work' Signs After Complaints of Bias

Political correctness rules the road in Atlanta — which is replacing all its "Men at Work" signs with gender-neutral ones after a women's magazine editor complained of bias.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,379842,00.html
 
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  • #61


rootX said:
You are acting like a child.
You don't yell out everything that comes in your mind :smile:
I also discriminate a lot and once made a mistake of yelling that out:
"I hate all humanities/arts people".
It's natural to discriminate but you cannot optimize your life if you let it get in your ways ... What if you get a black boss who can pay you far more than any other person.

I must say that your words might be offensive to many people.

You are misunderstanding. I have nothing against skin color. I simply discriminate against people that self-consciously describe themselves as member of "X race" as if they were different from you.

The second you hear someone saying that they are offended by the words "black hole" you can figure out how their world is structured and how they interact with others. This self-identity of "black" tells me that they consider themselves different from the rest of us Humans and I consider them inferior to Humans.

People that identify themselves as black, white, yellow, etc. are inferior to me. Call me racist all you want.



Jordan.
 
  • #62


Evo said:
You have to understand the Dominican Republic. I understand what Jordan is saying. Learn about where he's from and the hispanic/black culture there.

I'm not saying that I condone racism of any kind, I spent two years here fighting daily to get racist threads stopped. But we also need to know something about the world. Do you know that the Dominican Republic and Haiti are the same island culturally split in two?

You have to understand before you can hope to change.

Wow, someone that knows! If people in the U.S. are shocked when they hear Don Imus say something "racist" on radio I wonder what they would do if they lived 1yr in the Dom. Rep. where racism is culturally and socially "accepted."

I grew up in an environment where I was strictly forbidden to go out with any girl with a dark skin color. That's pure garbage right there.



Jordan.
 
  • #63


Jordan Joab said:
The second you hear someone saying that they are offended by the words "black hole" you can figure out how their world is structured and how they interact with others.
Independently of the fact that I have no idea on your background, that was indeed my first thought when I saw this discussion.

I have been aware of Haiti and Dominican Republic from my childhood. A close friend of my family has devoted his life to helping them. He raises founds locally in France. Strange christian guilt, but he his a great man.

Long deep stories
 
  • #64


Jordan Joab said:
You are misunderstanding. I have nothing against skin color. I simply discriminate against people that self-consciously describe themselves as member of "X race" as if they were different from you.

The second you hear someone saying that they are offended by the words "black hole" you can figure out how their world is structured and how they interact with others. This self-identity of "black" tells me that they consider themselves different from the rest of us Humans and I consider them inferior to Humans.

People that identify themselves as black, white, yellow, etc. are inferior to me. Call me racist all you want.



Jordan.

Yep, I agree with you :). I was posting it when you posted that previous one so I didn't see that.

I am also a racists but it sucks because misunderstandings and rumors grow faster than anything else (I blame this to people whom I hate). So, I always think thrice before I say anything before those people.
 
  • #65


George bush and Humanino hates black people.


kanye-west-400a071107.jpg
 
  • #66


rootX said:
Yep, I agree with you :). I was posting it when you posted that previous one so I didn't see that.

I am also a racists but it sucks because misunderstandings and rumors grow faster than anything else (I blame this to people whom I hate). So, I always think thrice before I say anything before those people.

Now hold on buddy, you still need to be careful. Being racist is not something anyone should be proud of since you are still dealing with people. However, I don't hold my thoughts in front of people that know me like a co-worker of mine who claims everything bad that happens to him is because he is "black."

Man, that gets old quick.



Jordan.
 
  • #67


How can the term "black hole" ever be considered racist?

Doesn't everyone have one?
 
  • #68


Jordan Joab said:
Now hold on buddy, you still need to be careful. Being racist is not something anyone should be proud of since you are still dealing with people.

oops, I wasn't precise in my language. I wonder if I ever will be so I quit!
I was referring to those artsies for people whom I hate.
 
  • #69


He should have referred to it as an "African-American hole".
 
  • #70


Borek said:
That's in a way close to the story I heard about a politician visiting sewage treatment facility. Person showing the facility told the politician that they are able to get pH of the leaving water down to 7. "Why don't you get it down to zero?" was the answer.

It is also not far from the Aliso Viejo case, where city came close to banning styrofoam cups because dihydrogen monoxide was used in their production.

Stupidity and lack of knowledge are eternal. Racial connotations are new.

Is the term "black body radiation" racist as well?

That reminds me of the petition to end women's suffrage:
 
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  • #71


Jordan Joab said:
People that identify themselves as black, white, yellow, etc. are inferior to me. Call me racist all you want.
Given that you've now changed what you are saying, I think we can only really call you inconsistent, and walk away deciding to ignore any Jordan Joabs that we come across.
 
  • #72


Gokul43201 said:
Given that you've now changed what you are saying, I think we can only really call you inconsistent, and walk away deciding to ignore any Jordan Joabs that we come across.

Who? Never mind; not worth my time.
 
  • #73


Gokul43201 said:
Given that you've now changed what you are saying, I think we can only really call you inconsistent, and walk away deciding to ignore any Jordan Joabs that we come across.

I'll agree with that--

--(and, paraphrase Dorothy upon landing in Oz, "Jordan, you should have a feeling you're not in the Dominican Republic anymore")
 
  • #74


Math Is Hard said:
That reminds me of the petition to end women's suffrage:


Now that's funny.:smile:
 
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  • #75


B. Elliott said:
Now that's funny.:smile:

funny?--that's NOT funny!


-I don't want to see ANYONE go through any more suffragation!


(did I just quote something that Bush said already?)
 
  • #76


I dislike and avoid or ignore white people who are proud of their skin colour and feel they are culturally superior. I don't like white people who shun people based on the colour of their skin and demean and blame them for all of their problems.

I think most of us would agree with the above statement even though it is exlcusionary and seemingly racist.
The funny thing is that you can switch out the word 'white' for any other colour or race and it is no worse yet people will view it as worse. For every iteration added to the first the more logical and fair the position becomes. But for some strange reason many people will only take a dimmer and dimmer view of it as if somehow people who are not white are exempt from the disgust associated with racism and showing disgust for their racism somehow becomes racist in and of itself.

The only thing I disagree with Jordan on is dislike for persons who take on a cultural identity. Perhaps though in his experience it goes hand in hand with racism.
 
  • #77


Gokul43201 said:
Given that you've now changed what you are saying, I think we can only really call you inconsistent, and walk away deciding to ignore any Jordan Joabs that we come across.

Ah thank you! Much easier to pay attention to people that classify humans into sub-groups that make no sense.

Edit: I wonder who's more racist, the guy that supports a caste system or the guy that hates the castes and wants to do away with them?

~J
 
  • #78


Jordan Joab said:
Edit: I wonder who's more racist, the guy that supports a caste system or the guy that hates the castes and wants to do away with them?

~J

The white guy.
 
  • #79


WarPhalange said:
The white guy.

The irony.


~J
 
  • #80


Ok, I think this is just going to continue to go downhill. Closed.
 
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