White People! Are you offended being called a "Cracka"?

[Raioken18]

Uhh... I live in Australia and we are pretty lax with any slurs. The thing is sometimes Aussies go overseas and use racial slurs a lot and people assume they are racist. It's like the word Voldemort, by not using it you give that word a power over others.

I refer to black people I know as N-word, Jewish people as J-word, Asian people as Y-word, Arabic people as the A-word... etc.

As a white person I'm most often referred to as Snowy or White, sometimes a Bogan. Frankly I don't mind and as long as that person isn't actually discriminating against me I don't have a problem with it. Actions speak louder than words.

Like one time a Muslim woman fell down on the escalators in a shopping complex near where I live. This asian girl and I helped her up but when she saw I was white she spat on me, then a group of what I'm assuming were also Muslim dudes followed me to the carpark and abused me for daring to touch their women, even though they hadn't offered to help this poor woman. I view Muslim religion as inherently racist, especially considering that they don't allow other races (Non-Arabic) to enter their Mosque even for educational purposes.

 

[Undead Dragon King]

Yes, the work Cracker or Cracka' is offensive if the person it's being directed at knows the meaning. It's a swapped version of using the N-word to refer to a black person.

And now, the origins of the term.

Way back in U.S. history, a lot of white people ran plantations (big farms) by having a lot of black people work as slaves for them. Usually, the plantation owner would survey the work by walking around the area with a whip and slinging it at any worker who seemed to be slacking or just at anyone they felt like beating at the time. This action is called cracking the whip on someone. The phrase was later shortened in slang to calling anyone who did this a Cracker.

In short, calling someone a cracker is the same as calling them a slave driver.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Well done.

 

[Phasmal]

No, why should I?
I would not suffer anything through this kind of `racism` except maybe a hurt feeling.
And probably not even that.

 

[kortin]

Nah, I don't give a shit. It's just a word.

 

[Dendio]

Its all relative to the individual. Some of these racial slurs sound down right silly to me. Others seem very offensive. At the end of the day they are just words, and its up to the individual to determine how they interpret them

 

[Fidchell Attano]

When somebody calls me a "nigga" or cracks a few black jokes, I laugh it off for comedic value as they are only joking, but some people take it a step too far. Some people think black people can only be communicated with through "rap music, grape soda, fried chicken, and watermelon." Some even take it a step above that by bringing the "yo fidchell, why do black people ***** about slavery, I mean its not like they were the only slaves."

Its not so much the slur as so much it is the intention of demoralizing blacks by calling them "******" to remind them "your people used to be this, and your people are still this." and demoralize them.

I wouldn't imagine it being as impacting on white people considering white people were on top and to this day are still on top.

I'm not going to complain about "the struggle" as I am in a first world country, grew up in a good home with good parents and have a good standard of living, albeit I do have my own personal demons to which I will not brand with: "The struggle".

Its not the word itself, its what the word does.

 

[Fidchell Attano]

Its all relative to the individual. Some of these racial slurs sound down right silly to me. Others seem very offensive. At the end of the day they are just words, and its up to the individual to determine how they interpret them

Yet at the end of the day, words still have power.

 

[6urk17s]

Claiming that you can identify someone's "nationality", in fact claiming that you would be a "fool" not to be able to tell the difference between two "whites", one from France and one from Russia is what I took issue with.

Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by nationality, but I can actually tell if someone is Russian by looking at them, at least, those that I see on the street. Maybe not all the time, but still, Russians have a faces with specific features that Latvians don't have, they dress differently as well as they have a different choice of haircuts.

As for the nationality thing, Latvians have two words that translate as Nationality - "Tautība" and "Pilsonība", each with different meaning. "Pilsonība" is something along the lines of citizenship, while "Tautība" is, well, ehh, your ethnic group? For example, You could say that someone from India can be a citizen of England, but his "Tautība" is still going to be Indian. Like, "Tautība" is something you can't change while "Pilsonība" is. Even if you are the third generation living in England, your still going to be Indian, not English.

 

[II2]

A really angry black guy called me a cracka-ass-honkey once and flipped me off, punctuating the display with a 'Fuck you'. I don't even know what he was mad about... I hadn't interacted with him at all until he started yelling at me. It was in the city, though, so there could have been any number of reasons why he was yelling at strangers.

Anyway, the point of this tale is he was using the racial epithphet in discussion and putting some real hard feelings behind it, but it was still more puzzling than hurtful. I think the whole situation tends to lean itself to bewilderment over offense, for anyone of cool demeanor, but it was an interesting show of someone reaching for the most hurtful thing they could think of and the words not carrying much weight.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

As far as I'm concerned, the only people who would be offended by being called Cracka would probably be just as offended by a black person speaking to them at all.

 

[DoctorImpossible]

Not in the slightest. I rise above.

 

[SirPlindington]

Hell no. It's hilarious! Por ejemplo, read this here joke:

Whadya call a restaurant fulla white people? Cracker barrel! lolololol

 

[PrototypeC]

Ha! Are you kidding? I might get hungry for salty foods, at worst. You'd have to be pretty thin-skinned. What does it even mean; that I'm brittle and breakable, or that I go well with soup? Even if it was the former, I can't imagine clutching my chest in horror and rage. I can't imagine feeling like less than a man, less than a human being.

"Hey everybody! Look at the cracka!" <--- Hardly anyone would even turn around to see what the fuss was about, let alone be annoyed, let alone be OFFENDED.

I expect someone else has already posted Louis C.K.'s set on the subject. Even if you don't like Louis C.K., it's pretty clever.

 

[Smeatza]

In that case, I still don't feel it holds up.
I don't think an insult really works if it's trying to guilt someone in to feeling bad.
It'd be like trying to get your opponent to admit that they were wrong at the start of a heated argument.

Fair enough, although I think it's more trying to play on insecurity than guilt.
Like if one was to use "big ears" as an insult, the insult would be targeting the receivers insecurity of having big ears. They haven't violated any moral standards by having big ears, it's a vulnerability, a weakness of their self image.
Like being descended from a slave driver.

White people are not in any way shape or form in danger of experiencing the REAL problems of racism unless they troll through a ghetto at 3 in the morning after some black kid gets shot by a cop and acquitted. There's no worries about not being able to get a job because the interviewer thinks you're just going to steal everything. There's no fear that you're having a bunch of kids with different men just so you can collect a bigger welfare check. You don't have to worry about being wrongly profiled by the cops, maybe even being assaulted or shot for the slightest bit of error. There are clearly instances where white people have been the victims of racism, but, overall, it is the absolute whitest thing ever to believe that you've experienced true racism because you were called "cracker" or because you can't say a word.

It depends entirely on where you are.
I imagine there are some places in the world, the Middle East or Africa perhaps, where being white is not an advantage at all. Perhaps even communities within the developed western world where that is so.

 

[ninjaRiv]

Been watching a lot of the George Zimmerman case. Last night I was flaberghasted when Erin Burnette of CNN referred to the word as a racial slur.

I'm sorry, but there is not a world where Cracka or Cracker could offend any white person. Right? I mean I'm pretty sure any of hear the word our minds do not jump to our skin colour but to delicious Saltine crackers. It's like calling someone Spaghetti.

Even honky... If I get called a honky the only thing my mind jumps is the old Jefferson's TV show.

Is there any white slur that has any bite at all? I mean I suppose "You impearalist swine whos anncestors kidnapped and enslaved my ancestors for years and then tried to pull that segration bullshit" but that'd be to hard to say in conversation.

Spaghetti Western was a racial slur used to mock westerns directed by Italian directors.

OT: I personally don't give a shit about names or racial slur. They're about as offensive to me as the word poncho (keeping with the Spaghetti Western theme, you see). It seems stupid that people let these words live and don't let them die out. That whole "we can say it but you can't" culture is counter productive.

But I do find it offensive when people decide "hey, you can't be offended. You're white therefore you've got shit easy." This is also counter productive and stupid.

 

[Muspelheim]

No, not really. Not that much more than if you called me any other old nasty name. I will reguard the person as a smeghead, and I'll make sure to enlighten them about that, but it's less about the slur and more about being insulted in general.

What I do find a bit disheartening is the vague idea of there being some sort of a white world conquest gene, as if the reason why global colonialism with all the horrid crimes it entailed happened is because white people are inherently evil and cruel. It was circumstance. Had they been different, I'm sure another folkgroup would've done the exact same thing at some point. We're all the same, we human beings. Capable of the same things. The rest is up to chance and circumstance.

Hell, if anything, "white devil" sounds vaguely flattering, doesn't it? I'm sure the people believing in the master race fairytales would like to hear that.

(as for the oppression, I do beg to say that the majority of white people in older times were oppressed. It's just that it was done by kings, nobles and clergymen, that is other white people. What it means I can't really say, myself. I still haven't made my conclusion)

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I'm sorry, but there is not a world where Cracka or Cracker could offend any white person. Right? I mean I'm pretty sure any of hear the word our minds do not jump to our skin colour but to delicious Saltine crackers.

Wrong.
It is very much a racial slur.

Even honky... If I get called a honky the only thing my mind jumps is the old Jefferson's TV show.

Yeah... The TV show where the main character used it as a racial slur.

True, but apparently the worst slur for a white guy black people can come up with never made it past 3rd grade standards.

The term "cracker" is actually derived from the slave owners who would abuse their slaves with the crack of a whip. To call someone a "cracker" means they are such a terrible person they would be willing to inflict horrendous abuse on another human being for self serving reasons.

Personally, if the individual was calling me a "cracker" out of angry, I would be offended. Not because of the word itself, but it's meaning. However, I have never been referred to as such and never heard of another person in my social group to be.

 

[Maevine]

Pfft, cracker isn't even a little insulting.

Really want to offend the hell out of a white person?

Call them a racist. Then observe their decay into madness.

 

[ninjaRiv]

I'd like to add my thoughts to the "whites have been slaves, too" argument I see going on: Shut up, cracka! Heh... Anyway, the point isn't that black people are the only race with a history of being enslaved. heck, black people have been slavers, too! No, the point is that it's still used against them. People still believe black people should be slaves. But I should point out that there are organisations of black people who want to enslave or eradicate white people. So really, this is all about the individual. A fat person can face as much as abuse as a black person sometimes. Sometimes, more. Note: I said A black person, not black people. Some black people live very well with plenty of money and respect behind them. Some white people are spat upon and worse. Individuals, man. They all fucked up, yo.

Ramle ramble... Finished.

EDIT: bonus ramble; I have the urge to quote everyone in this thread and say "Shut up, cracka!" That is an odd urge, right?

 

[Traun]

I also mentioned the French and Russians. They're all "white" but you'd be a fool if you couldn't tell the difference between them.

Wow, just Wow.
Talk about bigoted and ignorant.

Are you saying it's bigoted and ignorant to be able to tell the difference between someone from France and someone from Russia?

I'm saying it's bigoted to claim that all members of any nation are the same and ignorant to claim you can tell them apart, the implication of your post was such.

Just so you know, "America" is neither the center of the world, nor is the world one big global America. In most places there is a difference between being a citizen of a nation and being the ethos defining the nation. For the most part, yes, you can tell if someone is Russian or a citizen by Russia by looks alone. The same way you can tell whatever or not someone if French or German or Polish or Greek or whatever...

Telling what citizenship someone has is a different matter all together.