When did "monkey" become a racial slur?

[missypie]

I have heard of situations where classroom teachers called the class a group of monkeys (because of the way they were behaving) - directing the comment at kids of all races - then they got in trouble because the African-American kids were offended. I guess if you're a teacher or a coach, you just flat have to take certain words out of your vocabulary.

 

[JoyG]

Ok, so you have two kids playing on the jungle gym in the playground. Both kids are all over that thing like a pair of monkeys.

One kid is black the other is not.

Is still a racial slur to describe the black kids behavior/actions as monkey like?

Just an FYI, I would never refer to a black child's behavior as monkey like.

I have heard of teachers getting in hot water over situations like the one you described.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Ok, so you have two kids playing on the jungle gym in the playground. Both kids are all over that thing like a pair of monkeys.

One kid is black the other is not.

Is still a racial slur to describe the black kids behavior/actions as monkey like?

No, it is only a slur when it is intended to be. Saying that kids who climb around are little mokeys isn't the same thing.

If it is meant to be offensive, as is obviously the case with the sports guy, our outrage and condemnation ought to justly fall on the speaker.

If it is said about goofy little kids, with no racist intent, then there is nothing wrong with it. If someone gets offended because they can't understand the difference, that is their problem. I'd just leave them to be offended.

The phrase, "people of color" is nonsensical. Of course everyone is some color. What people mean when they say, "people of color," is people who are black, latino, or (sometimes) middle eastern. They don't generally count any other caucasian people or anyone at all of mongoloid descent.

Personally, I'd like to see phrases like "people of color" disappear. They do nothing but divide people based on skin color.

 

[Stitchfans]

I had no idea either. never heard anyone referred to as a monkey or cracker. I must be living a sheltered life.

 

[pinkgalYall]

The strange thing is im a teen and never heard that before. Im just as confused as ever.

 

[themarquis]

The phrase, "people of color" is nonsensical. Of course everyone is some color. What people mean when they say, "people of color," is people who are black, latino, or (sometimes) middle eastern. They don't generally count any other caucasian people or anyone at all of mongoloid descent.

Personally, I'd like to see phrases like "people of color" disappear. They do nothing but divide people based on skin color.

In response to the people of color issue raised by you & another poster, this is a somewhat new term that is meant to be inclusive, and is not really considered offensive (to my knowledge). It's very common in academic circles, among other places. The other poster said it sounds like "colored" -- some people are a bit confused by it (I've had some of my students -- college age -- be offended by "people of color" b/c they'd never heard of it and confused it w/ the term "colored"), other people don't like it that much, other people don't care.

In response to it being "nonsensical", i'm afraid that doesn't really work. No terminology for race/ethnicity is sensical (good example "black" people may have a wide range of skin tones, as do "white" people -- neither of whom are, strictly speaking, truly "black" or "white"); race itself doesn't reallly exist in the first place, for that matter (that is, we're all "mixed" if you go back far enough -- other arguments are made for the nonexistence of race that I don't have space to get into here), at least in the scientific sense of the word. But in terms of context -- that is, people's actual perception of others, their desire to belong to a group of people they feel are similar to themselves, their shared social/experiential charactaristics, -- race does exist, and so we need terms for it that will be useful to us but not harmful or offensive.

Getting rid of all terminology, as you seem to want to do, would in fact seem to undermine our ability to tackle or get rid of racism (and cause other problems) -- after all, how can we talk about, enter into productive dialogue about, and make sense of race without using terms for it?

 

[JunieJay]

No, it is only a slur when it is intended to be. Saying that kids who climb around are little mokeys isn't the same thing.

If it is meant to be offensive, as is obviously the case with the sports guy, our outrage and condemnation ought to justly fall on the speaker.

If it is said about goofy little kids, with no racist intent, then there is nothing wrong with it. If someone gets offended because they can't understand the difference, that is their problem. I'd just leave them to be offended.

The phrase, "people of color" is nonsensical. Of course everyone is some color. What people mean when they say, "people of color," is people who are black, latino, or (sometimes) middle eastern. They don't generally count any other caucasian people or anyone at all of mongoloid descent.

Personally, I'd like to see phrases like "people of color" disappear. They do nothing but divide people based on skin color.

Well said. Its amazing to me that people just don't see it this way.

 

[smartestnumber5]

So when I hear trash talk coming out of someones mouth, no matter what color they are, I will judge them accordingly. I don't believe in any of this "reappropriation of words" crap. If you are black or white and use the N word, I won't think very highly of you.
In a polite society, I expect people to have manners.

How can you accuse people of failing to be polite when you only judge them according to your own standards of politeness, not the standards of the communities in which their action is actually taking place? Ettiquette is highly culturally variable. I've heard, for instance, that in some cultures burbing while eating is not rude but is a sign of really enjoying the meal. I assume you wouldn't call those people rude when they are in fact well within the ettiquette boundaries of their communities. Thus, since reappropriation of words is well within the boundaries of much of the black community, the glbt community, the feminist community, aren't you doing the same thing judging them as impolite or having bad character?

 

[Anewman]

No, it is only a slur when it is intended to be. Saying that kids who climb around are little mokeys isn't the same thing.

If it is meant to be offensive, as is obviously the case with the sports guy, our outrage and condemnation ought to justly fall on the speaker.

If it is said about goofy little kids, with no racist intent, then there is nothing wrong with it. If someone gets offended because they can't understand the difference, that is their problem. I'd just leave them to be offended.

Well since we all have the ability to read minds and see what everybodies intent is...

But seriously, INTENT is not always clear and subject to interpretation. Why not find words that avoid missunderstandings? IMO it is not all that much of a hassle.

Take the kids playing scenerio, you do not consider it to have any racist intent. But think about this for a second. An older African American that grew up facing lots of racism and was called that word hundreds of times growing up in a very negative way, will they possibly consider it racist if somebody calls their kid(grandkid) on the play ground the same exact word?
Are you right and that person wrong?

In other words, as this thread shows there will never be 100% agreement on what the intent is/was.

 

[andromedaslove]

Well, I'm sure people are afraid of saying "black person", they may be afraid to say "african american" in case the person isn't of African descent, and probably don't know what else to say except person of color.

I've asked some people I know, and none of them are offended by the term "black".

It's such an eggshell topic.

I have to agree 100%. There is really no right way to describe a person of color. No matter what words you use you risk offending someone. My 5 year old, even though we have tried really hard to correct this behaviour, still calls African Americans "Brown" people. What do you say to that? We tell him it isn't appropriate or polite, but get stumped ourselves when trying to find a polite way for a 5 year old to explain it. To kids it is ALL about the visuals, he can see the difference in skin so that's how he describes it.