Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum PEI
Just wanted to weigh in on the word 'thug'- I thought Richard Sherman was crazy when he brought this up, but since then I've only heard the word in reference to black athletes and celebrities. I would say it has evolved a subtle racial connotation, though the people who use it may not be conscious of it. Maybe not as bad as saying '######', but I think it is way to disparage someone based on race.
|
Does thug have racial connotations? I wouldn't say no, but it depends entirely on the user. I lose a lot of respect for anyone who argues that the word itself has some sort of subconscious, at least, racist connotation. It's not like it's a new word, thug has meant... well, thug, a lot longer than any sort of argument that it has been used as a euphemism for black male. Honestly, "youth" probably has a much stronger racial connotation than the word "thug" does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nik-
I've never really heard white people referred to as thugs. They can be thugs yes ... I just never hear the term applied to them.
|
Maybe it's a generational thing but, I would say my first thought when hearing thug would be a fat, leather-wearing white biker. My second thought? Unknown-race Foot clan thugs from TMNT. In fact, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) has three people credited as 'thug', all three of them are white (including head thug Sam Rockwell).