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Soledad O’Brien lectures ‘naive’ journalists ‘thug’ is the new ‘n-word’ – you can’t use it
BizPac Review ^ | 5/4/15 | Carmine Sabia

Posted on 05/04/2015 11:58:35 PM PDT by Impala64ssa

Controversy over the use of the word “thug” in the wake of the Baltimore riots continued Sunday with former CNN host Soledad O’Brien weighing in to claim the word has racial overtones.

“I can’t think of a situation where there’s ever been a headline or someone has called a white young person who’s in the middle of a violent protest, demonstration, whatever, a thug,” she told guest host Frank Sesno on “Reliable Sources.” “We use it all the time when we’re talking about people in the inner city.”

Sesno pointed out that no racial connotation s given in the dictionary definition of the word and that the word was also used by President Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“Doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have a specific agenda in how they’re using it,” she said. “Richard Sherman who — plays for the Seattle Seahawks, he really said like, listen ‘it’s the new n-word,’ and I think that’s true.”

She added that the word “thug” doesn’t accurately describe events.

“I think there’s violent protesters, I think there’s peaceful protesters, I think there’s drunk protesters, I think there’s angry protesters. I think when you look specifically about how the word ‘riot’ is used, and the word ‘thug’ is used, it’s always used around people of color, specifically in an inner-city context,” she said.

“I can only comment on how I think journalists should think about a word that actually doesn’t have a lot of nuance and isn’t specific, but somehow seems to be used a lot when you’re talking about African-Americans.”

O’Brien repeated her comments on Twitter and was met with both support and opposition.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: racerelations; soledadobrien; thuggery
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To: Impala64ssa

:: I can’t think of a situation where there’s ever been a headline or someone has called a white young person who’s in the middle of a violent protest, demonstration, whatever, a thug ::

Well, Soledad, how many headlines or direct quotes using the word “thug” can you recall from the Berkley Protest era? All those nice white hippies...


41 posted on 05/05/2015 4:23:38 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Alterations: The acronym explains the science.)
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To: Impala64ssa

We gave up “gay”; I’m not giving up “ thug”. From my earliest memories, “thug” meant any violent criminal intent upon mayhem and I refuse to be marginalized. The word is of Hindi origin and no one will prevent me from using it.


42 posted on 05/05/2015 4:24:07 AM PDT by muir_redwoods ("He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative." G.K .C)
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To: Impala64ssa

When did Soledad attain Lawgiver status?


43 posted on 05/05/2015 4:26:28 AM PDT by Flag_This (You can't spell "treason" without the "O".)
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To: Impala64ssa

If you act like one, you are one.


44 posted on 05/05/2015 4:27:25 AM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: Impala64ssa

Rather thuggish behavior by p.c. ninny Soledad to attempt to bully people into not using a very appropriate word.


45 posted on 05/05/2015 4:28:45 AM PDT by Amagi (Lenin: "Socialized Medicine is the Keystone to the Arch of the Socialist State.")
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To: Impala64ssa

You are not suppose to call anyone names. Especially, if you do not have left bonfides.
Otherwise, if you are not a leftist, you should not say someone is a thug.
Even if someone acted thug-like.
You can not call someone the “n’ word
Even if they acted niggardly.
Also,don’t call anyone queer either. Even if they act queer.

Just play stupid and everything will be okay. Pretend not to see what you see. The Emperor has no clothe etc.


46 posted on 05/05/2015 4:36:55 AM PDT by Leep (To put it in laymen's terms liberal/progressive ist coo coo.)
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To: Leep

It is all very much an enigma.

But you can’t say that either.


47 posted on 05/05/2015 4:40:51 AM PDT by Fightin Whitey
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To: Impala64ssa

Now should we just call it “the ‘t-word’”?


48 posted on 05/05/2015 4:46:17 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Impala64ssa

soledad just doing what comes natural... being a thug.


49 posted on 05/05/2015 4:47:08 AM PDT by jurroppi1 (The only thing you "pass to see what's in it" is a stool sample. h/t MrB)
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To: All

I suppose she wants us to call them “rascals” and “scoundrels” instead of what they really are.


50 posted on 05/05/2015 4:55:43 AM PDT by Rodney Dangerfield (Why did Nero fiddle while Rome burned? Because Golf hadn't been invented yet.)
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To: Rastus

The next prohibited word, coming soon: “rioter”. That word will have to become racist.


51 posted on 05/05/2015 4:58:18 AM PDT by odawg
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To: Impala64ssa

As far as I’m concerned, they’re either Americans or domestic black savages....depending on how they live.

And for the black people who don’t know, “negro” is not “the N-word” it’s simply Spanish for “black”.

Don’t believe it? Check out a can of black paint.


52 posted on 05/05/2015 5:00:19 AM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: Impala64ssa

#Blackthugsmatter

Pray America is waking


53 posted on 05/05/2015 5:00:43 AM PDT by bray (Cruz to the WH)
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How long till the word “Teen” is banned because it is synonymous with “thug”


54 posted on 05/05/2015 7:14:05 AM PDT by dsrtsage (One half of all people have below average IQ. In the US the number is 54%)
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To: Impala64ssa

THUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUGTHUG

also time fir tagline change


55 posted on 05/05/2015 7:19:26 AM PDT by goodnesswins (hey..Wussie Americans....ISIS is coming. Are you ready?)
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To: Impala64ssa

Solly Sole -

You’re not going to do the standard liberal language control thing

where, if a word comes to be too “truthy”,
you “ban” it.


56 posted on 05/05/2015 7:20:59 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: Paladin2
She’s too sensitive because of her name
She can always get her name changed to, oh maybe, Attica. Or Alcatraz? Sing Sing? Joliet? Never mind, John Belushi was called Joliet Jake in the Blue Bros ;)
57 posted on 05/05/2015 9:36:52 AM PDT by Impala64ssa (You call me an islamophobe like it's a bad thing.)
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To: Impala64ssa

Soledad = Media Thugette.


58 posted on 05/05/2015 11:28:51 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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