Why does "the blacks" remind me of "Democrat Party?"

[last1standing]

Maybe I'm being sensitive but whenever I read "the blacks need to..." or "the blacks are...." it reminds me of when republicans say "the Democrat party needs to..." There's just enough insult in the way it's expressed to make sure the group it's aimed at gets it but not quite enough to rile up the casual reader.

Does anyone else hear a dogwhistle when they hear/read that?

[matthews]

1. No. Some people just don't know any better. nt

[X_Digger]

2. Around here, it's frequently accompanied by "the facebook" or "the google"

I don't know if it's an age thing or a southern thing.

[last1standing]

3. Maybe it's because I grew up hearing things like...

"The blacks need to stop being so lazy" or "The blacks overran Detroit." Still, lumping "the blacks" all together always as 'the other' doesn't sit well with me. But since no one seems to agree with me, it must be my perception.

[X_Digger]

6. I don't doubt you could find a lot of racist rhetoric using the phrase, but..

some folks (and like I said, I can't seem to pin it down) seem to stick 'the' in front of things that other English speakers don't.

Kind of a, "All squirrels are mammals but not all mammals are squirrels." thing, I think.

[markiv]

4. get a tinfoil hat, they'll block the dogwhistles

that seem to trouble you

[last1standing]

5. Thank you for your rudeness.

n/t

[markiv]

8. i'm sorry

[leftstreet]

7. What is your point?

Yes, 'the blacks' 'the poor' 'the women' 'the...' are phrases of objectification

But I don't see 'the blacks' or 'Democrat party' being on used on DU, so what is the issue?

[last1standing]

9. I have and that's what bothered me.

But I've been told that it's not really a concern so I'm not going to push it.

[markiv]

11. 'Maybe I'm being sensitive'

ya, could be

[last1standing]

12. Responding once wasn't enough?

Maybe you have a bigger problem with this than you're saying.

[markiv]

13. nope nt

[last1standing]

14. This explains why so many of your posts get hidden.

Anti-social behavior appears to be your forte.

[last1standing]

16. Were you the kid trying to be the schoolyard bully?

Be honest, it seems like you still are.

[markiv]

18. is that a paraphrase of

'i know you are, but what am i'?

pretty lame

[last1standing]

19. It would be lame if you were even close to correct.

It's called wit. One can use wit to turn another party's words back on them.

[markiv]

21. 'It's called wit'

oh my, you gave yourself a complement

pathetic

[last1standing]

22. I'll ask again, were you the kid trying to be the schoolyard bully?

You have needlessly tried to pick two fights with me in this thread which is a standard bully tactic. You've spewed insults without provocation. Are you here merely to disrupt or is there a need to bully that isn't satisfied in your personal life?

[markiv]

23. i am sorry

if i got your panties in a bunch

[last1standing]

24. I notice you can't answer the question.

Seems like it might be your panties needing to be pulled out.

But I'll ask again, what makes you need to try to be an online bully? Are you picked on at home? Did you not get love as a child? Are you still a child? I'll try not to judge you.

[last1standing]

26. How sweet, a child's joke.

I think I hit closer than you thought I would. Good night.

[billh58]

39. Congratulations for

standing your ground against petty boorishness...

[last1standing]

40. Thanks. It's not hard, just time consuming.

But I had fun with that one. He was exceptionally easy to play with.

[liberal_at_heart]

35. you are the reason the ignore button was invented.

[Union Scribe]

17. That phrase is pretty sharp around the edges

even if no ill intent goes into it. I don't blame you for reacting to it. I think "black people" would be the better choice there. A lot of people tend to use "folks" after a race (black folks, white folks) and that's another way to go but I personally find it awkward unless that's the way they usually refer to people.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

20. FOX seems particularly hung up on using "the black community"

which is their way of projecting responsibility for anything bad done by a black suspect onto all African-Americans.

[tblue]

27. I don't like "blacks" or "the blacks."

Never really hear those used in a 'nice' way--although I don't think people who say that always mean it the way it sounds to me. But no I don't like that language. It always sets off warning signals when I hear it.

I remember once Billy Crystal said he doesn't like how people say, "Jews" instead of "Jewish people." I completely understand and defer to this input.

[last1standing]

28. Thanks for understanding my point.

I've never heard anyone say "the blacks are really improving this neighborhood" or "blacks are great mathematicians." It always seems to be followed by a negative that doesn't apply to white people.

[brett_jv]

29. Putting 'the' (or 'teh') in front of seemingly random or plural words is a geek-chic kinda thing...

I can't remember when it started, seems like it was about 10-12 years back ... I'm thinking it may've been some movie character that got it going ... kinda like Austin Powers got millions of people (annoyingly) saying 'yeah baby' for the next year or two after it came out.

And for sure the zeitgeist got further 'reinforced' when everybody saw The Social Network, and it turned out that MZ's original name was 'The Facebook'.

So, when you see people using it like 'Yeah, I saw that on (the google, the youtube, the interwebs)', you can be pretty sure it's someone (still) using that vernacular. Many nerds (like myself) have done this for SO long now that it's almost become 2nd nature to them, at least with certain words ... like 'the interwebs' (or for the more politically conscious ... 'the intertubes').

But that sort of context is 100% and totally different from when people say 'the blacks'. The geeks that randomly preface with 'The' are 99% separate from folks who say things like 'the blacks', or 'the gays'.

Although, us geek types may sometimes say 'teh gay', but this is meant to rib the assholes of the world who think of homosexuality as like a disease. When you see that somewhere, it's much like if you saw someone on DU going "Friggin Morans!!!11!!".

Communications on the interwebs can get pretty damn arcane and esoteric is the truth

[PasadenaTrudy]

38. Urban Dictionary

has this:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teh

[Behind the Aegis]

30. It really depends on how it is being used and, in some cases, by whom.

When I see it, I usually see it as a part of a discussion. Though, there are a few times, I know it is much more (usually race-baiting). Out of curiosity, are you African-American? If so, then that also might be what causes the "trigger." Being gay and Jewish, when I see, "well, the gays...." or "the Jews think....", I tend to get edgy myself. Sometimes I have to read the article/post a few times to make sure I reading it correctly and don't pop off for the wrong reason.

[last1standing]

32. Sorry I missed this earlier with the influx of negative comments.

I'm not African-American, I just grew up in an area filled with hateful people who spoke that way and it always bothered me. As you say, the same turn of phrase is used against many minorities.

[Behind the Aegis]

33. That explains the trigger function.

I was lucky, for the most part, I grew up all over the place and rarely was surrounded by hardened racists. I'll admit, there are people (shhhh...posters) who use that term (and the ones I used above), that make my blood run cold because I know exactly what they are. What really burns me up is when they shout "racist" at others or use terms like "dark/brown people" trying to convey racism from an opposing view. To me, I see it as a form of projection.

[David__77]

31. It works like that with "the gays."

Or, my personal favorite as a gay person is having heard the phrase "a gay." "Oh, yes, my hairdresser years ago was a gay." It strikes me as funny and is the source of jokes on my part, but it's the same type of people who talk about "the blacks" and "the Jews."

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

34. "The Blaecks"

You gotta say it like they do in the midwest.

[last1standing]

36. Ugh! That hits too close to home.

n/t

[HiPointDem]

37. it reminds me of southerners in the 60s.