The case against Rob Carmona and the employment agency he founded, STRIVE East Harlem, gave legal airing to what some see as a double standard surrounding the word: It's a degrading slur when uttered by whites but can be used at times with impunity among blacks.
But 38-year-old Brandi Johnson told jurors that being black didn't make it any less hurtful to be the target of what her attorney called Carmona's ‘four-minute [N-word] tirade’ about inappropriate workplace attire and unprofessional behavior.
Johnson, who taped the March 2012 remarks after her complaints about his verbal abuse were disregarded, said she fled to the restroom and cried for 45 minutes.
I must say, Brandi Johnson's timing seemed to be crucial to the disposition of this case, strictly speaking from what I've read, of course.
But defense lawyers said the 61-year-old Carmona, a black man of Puerto Rican descent, had a much different experience with the word. Raised by a single mother in a New York City public housing project, he became addicted to heroin in his teens and broke it with the help of drug counselors who employed tough love and tough language.
Carmona went on to earn a master's degree from Columbia University before co-founding STRIVE in the 1980s. Now, most of STRIVE's employees are black women, defense attorney Diane Krebs told jurors in her opening statement.
Now, most of STRIVE's employees are black women, defense attorney Diane Krebs told jurors in her opening statement.MailOnline
26 comments:
Can't wait to hear what Choom has to say.
They old school. They don't understand.
Can't wait to hear what Choom has to say.
Nigga, you canNOT be serious.
So much for Chris Rock's career, eh?
PS: I bet the judge was white.
[Buster enlists in the Army so he might become a man. Our scene is the obstacle course at basic training.]
BUSTER: I can't do it! I can't make my bed and I can't do this, either! Aren't you supposed to yell at me and call me a homo and motivate me over this wall?
SERGEANT BAKER: Um . . . we can't do that anymore . . . um, lawsuit.
Arrested Development, S2:E5 "Sad Sack"
Can't wait to hear what Choom has to say.
Stepped right into it,...
Was she canned or did this supervisor just rant at her? How is being called a name discrimination? If she was compensated for enduring abuse does that mean there's a right to be free of abuse and does that right trump her supervisor's freedom of speech?
Gotta love that Chelsea Manning cartoon there Crack.
ricpic -
hostile environment.
Doesn't have to be fired.
Aridog,
Gotta love that Chelsea Manning cartoon there Crack.
You've lost me - Chelsea Manning cartoon?
Quite apart from the wisdom (or lack) of various workplace harassment laws, the black boss should absolutely have the exact same standards applied to him as a white boss would have.
Reminds me of some girls on the school bus reducing another girl to tears... it was so bad that I actually told the one girl that it was wrong and I usually kept my head down... her defense? "My friend and I call each other a slut all the time."
It's irrelevant who is speaking and what he or she might call a friend in other circumstances if the intent was to be abusive.
Always nice to see wingers comfortable using the word, too.
Crack ... Tits on a Boy in the cartoon is what Mz C. Manning is desiring, now the he's a she in its head.
phx ... you do mean left and right, correct?
Personally, the word is offensive, I was raised to believe it was offensive, and I still find it offensive. That some fools find it hip or amusing or "street" only demonstrates ignorance in my opinion, left, right, black or white.
four-minute ..... tirade about inappropriate workplace attire
I'm sure the boss went overboard, but, judging from what I see around DC, a lot of young women need someone to have that conversation with them.
Many young men do, too, but because they show up wearing garb suitable for cutting the front lawn. The chicks show up looking like exotic dancers on a break from the show.
I'm with you Aridog. I was raised the same way. However, I don't hesitate to use the word now.
Aridog,
Personally, the word is offensive, I was raised to believe it was offensive, and I still find it offensive. That some fools find it hip or amusing or "street" only demonstrates ignorance in my opinion, left, right, black or white.
Not me. Nigger is as American as apple pie and - like the word motherfucker - it's many, many uses proves it. I can be everything from hateful to loving with it and some emotions I can't describe - which my comprehension of isn't a sign of unintelligence.
I understand why these mechanisms have sprung up to neuter our language but, by whites or blacks, I think they're nothing but masochistic displays of self-hatred or loathing.
I accept America - warts and all - so, to me, there's nothing to hide,...
Crack ... see that is what is great about America. You can express yourself in any way you choose and folks don't need to protest it one bit. Same for me, and I choose to exclude defamatory words relating to race, religion, or national origin.
Personally, the word is offensive, I was raised to believe it was offensive, and I still find it offensive.
I feel the same way, Aridog. I do give comedians such as Chris Rock the bye, as they make me laugh. But political pov or ethnicity doesn't carry a pass in itself.
I don't think there are offensive words.
Offensive people. Offensive ideas. But offensive,...words?
Nah, can't see it,...
Phx ... I could care less what others say, I am concerned with what I say and what it reflects back on me.
Crack and Phx ... words have meaning, generated by people and ideas. If offensive people utter those words in a derisive manner, then they are by definition, offensive.
Example: Richard Pryor says "nigger" in his routine, or with others in his circle, that was comedy and understood as such. If Richard Thompson called out to a random passing by black man "Hey, nigger, come here" ... how do you interpret it? Comedy? I don't think so. Other than a likely precursor to a fist fight between me and the stranger? See, in my world, you don't get to make excuses for intentional slurs. You can, however, make apologies. And should.
We have reached a level of de-civilization where what we say is meaningless at times...like defining a "penalty" as a tax" when the former is a fee for non-performance and the latter is a fee levied based upon performance (income, sales, whatever). An allegedly learned Chief Justice made that fantasy fact....though it is still fiction.
Offensive people. Offensive ideas. But offensive,...words?
Nah, can't see it,...
I understand that POV. No quarrel in this quarter.
There are offensive odors emitting from people. Cab drivers in particular.
Yeah, I used a wrong pronoun, me instead of I, no matter, eh...words are meaningless.
Aridog,
Don't read anything into it - I'm laid up with a bi-polar guy assisting me:
Life gets complicated,...
My mother told me to never use that word. This was in Alabama in the 50s. I asked, “Why not, they use it themselves all the time?” She said, “Yes, but we are better than them.”
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