Did Gary Payton use the "N" word last night?

[RAcker]

Yeah, I hear it all the time from whites and blacks, so I guess the word is now okay?

Chris Rock has a famous bit about the difference between *ger and *gah  ... You can find it pretty easily on Youtube. 

But yeah I mean... it's all about the context. 

Bottom line:  I think if anything the NBA would be far more concerned about cameras picking up Kevin Garnett screaming motherf**er a couple times a game... than Gary Payton muffling some common slang at midnight on a TNT broadcast.

As a white guy from Alabama (southern accent) I'm pretty sure that whether I say *ger or *gah at the end won't matter a lick in downtown Birmingham.  I'm sitting a few blocks away from the 16th Street Baptist Church as I type this and I have enough sense to respect the history of where I was raised and the people whose lives were affected.  It is a double standard...period.  Both white and black should avoid any form of the word.  Chris Rock made a mistake doing that bit in my opinion.  Mother-F has no history of belittling an entire race of people like what we are talking about.  If I run outside onto the streets of Birmingham and yell Mother-F, I might actually get some laughs.  That's a silly argument...sorry.

[LarBrd33]

Celticmaestro... all due respect... you're one of the posters on here that I like a lot... 



Come on, man.  Just admit you have it out for GP.  You made your anti-GP stance clear when you called him out on his joke about redheads

Generally, I don't think a comment like this should be taken offense to no matter who says it whether he be black or white. However, in Payton's case, I don't think it was a joke. While I'm not offended, I think this is reflective of his ignorant mindset and I have little to no time for him.

In the name of consistency, I'd like to see him reprimanded for this. Wont happen, and I wont lose sleep over it, but certainly should happen.

You essentially say, "the redhead comment isn't offense at all, but... Payton should be reprimanded for it, because well... he's Gary Payton!"...  That's just silly.  I'm sure you can understand why I doubt the credibility of your outrage over Payton using common slang.   

Like I said... it's nothing we haven't heard Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, the majority of hip hop artists and countless other black celebrities say.  No big deal.  Moving on.


Edited> Lar even if u use the smiley face thats rude
as rude is to call people girls or sissies even if its a joke
remember what its in the rules about the subtle sarcasm is
I dont want this thread goes somewhere else so please dont.

Edgar

I don't like him, that part is true. But if it was Chris Webber - who I like a lot - or Kenny Smith I'd have said the same thing. It was unprofessional. There's a time and a place. I'm not black, but I think that a word that was used as a derogatory term for so long, now to be used as a term of endearment is silly. And to say it live on air with millions watching? That's just beyond stupid.

nah dawg you're just givin the word power

Heh...  I mean... we really don't have to get into this debate, because I find it hard to believe that anyone would be sheltered enough on this forum not to hear the slang used daily on TV, the radio, people you know... whatever.  A lot of black comedians have explained it simply as refusing to let a word have that much power over them.  They stole it for their own.   It's to the point now where one of my friends (asian) friend will greet me (white) in a friendly way by saying "sup mah ___" ... and it is what it is.   

Anyways... this could turn into one of those useless threads that usually gets locked on this forum... so I'm out.

[EJPLAYA]

All good points, and especially those sentiments by drza44. That definitely puts some perspective into the discussion, however I would argue that repetition allowing it to desensitize the hurt of it really isn't effective. Yes you control how you react to someone and should maintain your power over their ability to control your reactions, but if it is said in the manner we all would rather it isn't then it is still horrendously offensive. I don't like when people use the F word profusely, but everyone running around using it doesn't make it feel better. It just means we as a society have lowered our standards and have less class than before. The meaning is still the same. I WANT the F word to be offensive and off limits for everyone just like I WANT the N word to cause that same reaction because it shows you the true character of those who use it. When celebrities like GP use it I think that tells you something about him as well, and he should be fired for it. There is no place in society for that word.

[Amonkey]

The things about words are that they are completely meaningless.  What gives words meaning is how people react to it, how people respond.  That was a tidbit from my interpersonal communication class.  But basically, we can't really argue about the meaning of such words because each person have their own personal meaning.  That word means completely different to a caucasian farmer from Dakota then a New Orleans African American.  We give each meaning and we accept it.  (or something like that, we haven't gone through the whole chapter yet)

Anyway, this word shouldn't be said on national live television by anyone period.  It's like swears.  Why aren't there swears in regular cable television?  Because it may offend the audience.

[RickyDavisfor3]

Personally; I don't care because I wasn't watching it...
Having seen the video now, it's nothing out of the ordinary for TV at that hour.

[bdm860]

go to 20 mins to see KG making fun of Sager...again.  Hilarious.

I love KG and Sager, just hilarious.
20:30 to about 21:30 is great.
Lime thong, burn it, lol.

For real, somebody needs to make a mix of just KG and Sager with KG talking about what's Sager is wearing.  That would no doubt be one of the greatest mixes ever.

[KungPoweChicken]

Celticmaestro... all due respect... you're one of the posters on here that I like a lot... 



Come on, man.  Just admit you have it out for GP.  You made your anti-GP stance clear when you called him out on his joke about redheads

Generally, I don't think a comment like this should be taken offense to no matter who says it whether he be black or white. However, in Payton's case, I don't think it was a joke. While I'm not offended, I think this is reflective of his ignorant mindset and I have little to no time for him.

In the name of consistency, I'd like to see him reprimanded for this. Wont happen, and I wont lose sleep over it, but certainly should happen.

You essentially say, "the redhead comment isn't offense at all, but... Payton should be reprimanded for it, because well... he's Gary Payton!"...  That's just silly.  I'm sure you can understand why I doubt the credibility of your outrage over Payton using common slang.   

Like I said... it's nothing we haven't heard Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, the majority of hip hop artists and countless other black celebrities say.  No big deal.  Moving on.


Edited> Lar even if u use the smiley face thats rude
as rude is to call people girls or sissies even if its a joke
remember what its in the rules about the subtle sarcasm is
I dont want this thread goes somewhere else so please dont.

Edgar

You're comparing two comedians to a NBA analyst. I don't see the parallel.

[Andrew Celtic Nation]

Honestly I don't even thing Payton said it...he just is not a good speaker and sounded like he was fumbling for a word.

[BrickJames]

Honestly I don't even thing Payton said it...he just is not a good speaker and sounded like he was fumbling for a word.

he most definitely said it.  24:45.

[Schupac]

I think what drza44 is the most intelligent justification I've heard for the everyday use of the word.  If it is a word made to be horribly offensive to a group of people, than that group of people might be wise to own it and depower it.  The word no longer belongs to the racists, it belongs to their victims.  It takes one weapon out of their arsenal.

That said... as far as it appearing on TV I kind of agree with EJPLAYA, at least for something as family-friendly as the allstar game.  That is watched by children who might not be able to understand the complexity of the situation, and the word.

Similarly, I swear, a lot.  I don't think there's anything wrong with it.  It places emphasis on the point I want.  But I can't do it all the time, or those swears are just more words without any extra meaning.  I want F*** to be powerful when I say it.  If I say it every other sentence, what power is there?  So if people, of all ethnic backgrounds, are inundated with use of the N word, it is no longer the victims word that they own, but everybody's word.  And frankly I think those victims of racism deserve this sort of cultural concession.


As far as GP, I didn't actually see the game (can't watch the video at work now either).  I think GP's "guilt" can be decided by whether or not he was mic'd up.  If he had a microphone on him, he should know in his position he can't say that word.  If it's like the mic's that pick up KG yelling swears in games, it's not his fault.  Don't mic him up.

[dark_lord]

i sounds like he said it.  completely unprofessional to say that on the air, during the all star weekend coverage, is pathetic on his part.  i cant stand him as a whole, but objectively, he showed how unprofessional and unqualified he is to hold that position.  being a great player, doesnt translate to being a great analyst.

[wdleehi]

He said it.  He should know better.



I expect to hear an apology to the audience very soon.  There should not be a suspension or job loss.

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

They edited it out on that video... I was looking for it because I hadn't heard it. They definitely cut it out though... Anyone have a video with it? Either that or I'm just not picking it up.

[Schupac]

He said it.  He should know better.



I expect to hear an apology to the audience very soon.  There should not be a suspension or job loss.

Job loss is excessive.  How would you like it if you were fired for using a word once?  Let's say you are a white male... if you called your friend a honkey at work you should be fired?

Calm down.

[cordobes]

He said it.  He should know better.



I expect to hear an apology to the audience very soon.  There should not be a suspension or job loss.

Job loss is excessive.  How would you like it if you were fired for using a word once?  Let's say you are a white male... if you called your friend a honkey at work you should be fired?

Calm down.

Hum... haven't you misread his post?

Personally, I'm all in favour of the job loss. Not because of this, but fire the guy: he's a bad basketball commentator.