- (Thug) historical A member of a religious organization of robbers and assassins in India. Devotees of the goddess Kali, the Thugs waylaid and strangled their victims, usually travelers, in a ritually prescribed manner. They were suppressed by the British in the 1830s.
- A violent person, especially a criminal.
[ mid 19th century: extension of sense
2]
Why has the word Thug become associated with men of
color? May I remind you that the majority of men of color in the United States
(yes majority) are hard working men, often just trying to make it in life, and the
word Thug is not an appropriate description. It seems like every time a man color
does something the media outlets deem ‘inappropriate”, the word Thug is sure to
follow.
It almost seems like the word Thug is being used to
replace another former popular word…
I actually have more respect for those whose racist views
are over than those who use “coded” language and who dissemble when questioned.
What is also sad is that many people do not realize they
are doing it because media outlets perpetuate the image of “the Thug”.
I will use a situation in American football as an
example: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24417234
As Richard Sherman puts it “he was not committing any
crime, he was showing passion on the football field”. Evidently, he went on rant after the super
bowl, and last I checked, all football players tend to be boastful.
“"The
reason it bothers me is because it seems like it's an accepted way of calling
somebody the N-word now," he said. "It's like everybody else said the
N-word and then they say 'thug' and that's fine. It kind of takes me aback and
it's kind of disappointing because they know.”
“"What's
the definition of a thug? Really? Can a guy on a football field just talking to
people [be a thug?] ... There was a hockey game where they didn't even play hockey! (Laughter from the
media) They just threw the puck aside and started fighting. I saw that and
said, 'Ah, man, I'm the thug? What's going on here?'" (More laughter from
the media). So I'm really disappointed in being called a thug," he said.”
“Deadspin notes that the word "thug" was uttered 625 times
on American television the day following the Seahawks' win. That's more than
any other single day in the last three years.”
FYI, I do not know much about football,
and I did not know who Richard Sherman was until this story came out. What I do
know is that he graduated from Stanford with a high GPA and is evidently good at
what he does.
There really are Thugs out there, there really are people
who commit some violent crimes out there, there really are some people out
there who are deserving of our ire. However, we need to skip the racial
bull$#@! and be aware of what we are saying, doing, and perpetuating.
Being a person of color does not equal being a Thug; by the
true definition, Thugs can be found across all color lines.
Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam
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