From: asndstrm@renews.physics.mun.ca (Arved Sandstrom)
Newsgroups: sci.military.naval
Subject: Re: Adrift in Annapolis (long)
Date: 3 Apr 1996 08:54:53 GMT

In article <4jsqb3$e64@cronkite.seas.gwu.edu> wayneday@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (Dwayne Allen Day) writes:
>Arved Sandstrom (asndstrm@renews.physics.mun.ca) wrote:
>: >: Clark Cliffords, Lyndon Johnsons.  Geez, they are even afraid to prosecute
>: >: Farrakahn (sp?) because he is a nigger and are afraid of the ramifications.
>: >                                  ^^^^^^
>: Ahh, Dwayne, have you ever considered that he was in the forces too
>: long?
>
>: Almost every black guy that I was buddies with used the word "nigger"
>: from time to time, usually in conversations with other blacks. This may
>: be difficult for you to understand, but it was a completely innocuous
>: word when used that way.
>
>: After a while, this usage sinks in, and everyone (including the whites)
>: starts using it. If it doesn't offend you too much, we called white
>: bigots "niggers", too.
>
>Do you use that today?  Do you use it when you meet a black person on the 
>street?  If you have any black friends, do you commonly refer to them 
>with this term?
>
>This is not a matter of political correctness.  It is a matter of racism.
>
>D-Day

In case you were wondering, we _never_ called a black buddy a "nigger".
They didn't call us "honkies" or "white boys" either.

The term was used solely for blacks _or_ whites who had bad attitudes,
and were in fact racist.

In case you're wondering, I work with 4 other people in my office. The
guy that sits right next to me is Chinese. There is one other Caucasian
in there, from Australia. Another fellow is Hindu, from southern India.
And the last guy is black, from western Africa. If _I_ was racist, I'd
last about 5 minutes.

To mention one cruise, I spent the best part of 8 months on the Raleigh
in a 40-man troop compartment with the Mortar Platoon. Half of them were
black.

When I still lived in squadbays, we'd be asshole to bellybutton with
whites, Indians (we even had a Sioux), Hispanics, and blacks. _24_ hours
a day, you'd be living and working with these guys. You think a racist
is going to exist long under these conditions?

I'm probably the least racist SOB that ever walked the earth. I don't
judge assholes by the colour of their skin, just by what they say.
-- 
Arved H. Sandstro"m                       |     YISDER ZOMENIMOR
Physical Oceanography Group               |     ORZIZZAZIZ
Dept.of Physics, Memorial Univ. of NFLD   |     ZANZERIZ
asndstrm@crosby.physics.mun.ca            |     ORZIZ