Answered "Nigga" to say? or not to say?

So recently, i posted this picture in the shoutbox.


I was warned not to post it, because it contains offensive language. This raises a question. Why does @Highwon have a song on the server that uses the word nigga quite profusely? I take that as a direct confirmation that highwon doesn't mind the word, or think it should be banned.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dmx/wherethehoodat.html

If nobody is offended, should moderators "feel offended" for somebody, and not let us use this word? If used in a context that is not directed at anybody or used in a negative way, is it considered a racial slur? Some mods don't care, some mods do. I've been getting mixed messages from the staff. 100% of the time i am warned, it is because the mod "was told we weren't allowed to say that", not because anyone in particular was offended.

I feel that if I'm not allowed to use the word nigga because it offends people, we shouldn't have songs on the server that promote such a word.

 

I think you're giving this too much thought and should just drop it.

 

Moved to Q&A.

Tagging @Darktooth and @Disruptionz to give the final say on this.

Personally;
The rule states if someone is offended by the said word, it's not allowed. I got a PM saying "did silent really say that lol" so I took that as a sign you offended somebody so I warned and I feel uncomfortable when a white person uses the word themselves.
Just my opinion though.

Please wait for the leads to respond.

 

Im also curios.
The server has music with designated word in it, and he didn't use it in racial context, yet he was still warned.
White people shouldn't be offended by this anyways
Also I'm sure @Mr. Rogers will be interested

 

If what you say creates a hostile environment or makes someone uncomfortable, it is considered harassment.

I'm personally not a fan of either versions of the word and don't care about the context. The root of the word is what makes me uncomfortable; knowing where it stems from. I also have the end round music disabled.

 

While there is no rule about saying this word in itself, we have two rules that cover this case, which are harassment and spam. If an individual, regardless of race, is using the word and offending someone, they will be asked to stop, and a user that is spamming this word will be asked to stop, as well.

While I'm on the server, the word isn't allowed, simply because it does bother someone: me. It's a derogatory word that has no meaning other than to insult people, and it adds no value to any sentence. Why there's a song with the word in it, I can't say for sure, but the word itself isn't simply banned or anything, as long as it doesn't bother others.

 

As far as the rules go, if no-one is offended, it isn't harassment. If someone is offended, the person saying this will be asked to stop.

I don't personally see the harm in someone using this word, as most of the time it isn't in an offensive manner, and is legitimately the way some people speak to their friends. I personally only warn if the more offensive counterpart is used, however, others may feel differently.

I personally don't know why this user was warned in this case, but that part's in the past.

 

I hear mods say "Nigga" all the time...... Now I have read and people need to be offended..

What if I am offended about the song? Are you guys going to remove it? You can't warn it for harassing. I shouldn't need to mute it, because others might find it bothering.

Why aren't you guys talking about the point he made about the song lyrics?

I do know that people claim they're offended, that's fine, I respect that. But if they are offended about Guy A saying nigga and not the guy in the song then what the fuck? That seems trollish.

Can someone explain why the song is FINE if there's probably 10+ people who are offended of the word nigga in the servers?

Also, this ain't an answer to the thread. I am just tying to avoid making a new Q/A post.

 

If you hear a moderator in game using derogatory slurs, and people are offended, this isn't the place to make it known. Message their admin, and it will be dealt with.

My stance on this is that the song is simply that; a song. It's not addressing someone, using the word to target someone, and it's simply pop-culture. It may be a bit vulgar, but we're not necessarily a PG community. The round end songs are toggle-able, and you aren't being forced to listen to them. If you don't like it, you have the ability to mute it, and move on.

Usually when the word is used on the servers, it's directed at someone, which is why it's a bit different than the song's use of it.

Basically what I said above, the song is simply a song, and isn't targeting anyone or using the word directly towards someone. I don't like the use of the word, but if it's in a song, I really don't mind as it's not targeting someone, and it's simply pop-culture. It's not necessarily comparable to a user speaking in the servers. You can toggle off the round end songs, but you can't toggle off user's speaking unless you mute them entirely.

 

A song doesn't direct it's lyrics at a player to create a personal attack.

Personally, the only thing that bugs me about this word is the argument that changing the "er" to an "a" at the end of the word somehow makes it completely different.

If it's not directed at anyone it's not really harassment. However, we don't allow racist remarks on the server so the context of how the word is used can determine if any warnings need to be given for its use.

In short, by posting/saying either forms of the word, you put yourself at risk of someone taking offense.

 

I've seen a case where a guy started singing the song after it played on the servers, and a mod had to mute him for offensive language, even though it wasn't directed as discriminatory to anyone.

 

These are things that can be brought up to their respective admins if you see it happening.

 

What if I like the other songs a lot but I'm offended by that song only?

 

Okay, I'm not trying to fight, but was it directed to anyone? Because saying "YO NIGGA, SUP" Just in shout box to be funny isn't directed towards anyone. And since someone was "offended" why would he need to stop? Since he wasn't directing it to anyone then you know...

 

Well, my original post is similar to the song lyrics because it's just a pop culture reference, not directed at anyone. I think it's rather harmless. Now, If i posted a pic that said something like "man, all those n*****s are dumb", I think that's a completely different story.

 

I'm going to completely agree with Silent Rebel and state that a warning for saying "Sup nigga" wasn't appropriate as he used it completely innocently. I was there at the time when he posted the picture and he was warned about a second later for just saying the word as if it was banned. If he was told "this picture offended somebody, could you not post things like this again? Thanks." That would be a completely different story, because as Muffin has stated:

I feel that asking somebody to stop because somebody got offended, and straight out warning them what they did was wrong are two different things. As in this case, what this user did wasn't wrong and wasn't worth a warning for harassment. But that's not something that needs to be dwelt on.

I personally never ask somebody to stop saying "nigga" unless I got contacted by a player saying it offends them, which has actually never happened, to me at least.

 

I really learned a lot today. I hope the leads @Darktooth & @Disruptionz can plot out something.


Thank you, staff for your input!

Although, I wouldn't mind a final say from a lead.

 

Please don't allow this kind of behavior. I just came from the awful GFL TTT server where people kept harassing others & being racist all the time and admins don't even bother to mute them. I really enjoy this community because it's very family friendly, don't let it change. <3

 

Hello,

I'm not fond of discussing highly debatable topics (such as religion, politics, etc.) but as a staff member I felt inclined to respond. I feel there has been an imbalance with how we enforce our freedom of speech rulings. We express that we're perfectly okay with our players trash-talking and speaking how they feel is comfortable to them but then turn right around and stop them when they use certain words. Granted, harassment is a real thing and there are words that have been used to label and discriminate against people for years. These words brought fear to those who were labeled as such because they feared that not only themselves but also their loved ones could potentially be harmed for such a label. These words shouldn't ever be used.

However, I feel that that words and their means can change. For example, the word awful means "Very unpleasant" but it used to mean "Inspiring"; same with the word manufacture, it currently means "To produce on a large scale via machinery" but it used to mean "To make by hand." As you can see words change. None-the-less, can a word change enough in the last 300 years since the words original usage? Perhaps not. Nigga and Nigger are both the same word, the former being a mispronunciation of the latter. Anyone who says either is being racist.

I understand that such words could offend you as an individual because of your own personal reasons (you or someone you know being hurt by these words), however, please let's be realistic with what our medium is here. We are, by all means, on the internet. Hub to the most under-censored media known to man. Some countries have taken actions in attempt to censor their internet media available to their citizens, but internet users around the world mock the government who issued the attempt at censorship (i.e. the Putin memes). We cannot filter everything. That's why I propose a somewhat of an ultimatum. That we only ask our players to stop using the word (nigga) when it is used in excess, and not when a player has a problem with it for simply being used. Before you get filled with rage that I would even recommend such a treacherous thing, hear me out a little bit more. I recommend we don't step in as staff members if the word nigga isn't being used in excess or targeted at a player (you're a nigga - shut up nigga) in hostility. The word is far too common in popular media all around the world. Yes, those use the word are rather immature, but people will speak how they wish. If a player is being harassed with it, we'll step in.

Nigga with a hard R though, still bad, never use it.

So to answer your question, @Silent Rebel , it's actually not allowed and other words vary on a staff member to staff member basis. Like I personally don't find the word "retard" offensive, but others who have family members with mental illnesses or have been called retarded to hurt them in the past could have a problem with it. That is ultimately where we're at with this sort of grey-area ruling.

 

Would it be a viable option for staff members to formulate a list of commonly agreed upon words that are considered harassment, as sort of a precaution. As it seems to be commonly mentioned, it is an issue that varies from staff member to staff member, but it such a list could be made, it could be referenced for players, both old and new, to try to streamline the process in explaining this problem. The idea of "racial slur", or even "offensive", isn't necessarily as clear-cut as it was say, fifty years ago, and though some words should be pretty obvious to avoid, others aren't quite at that level. Maybe that's something that is easier said than done, but it seems like a possibility?