Posted on 09/22/2007 10:21:10 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Debate Rages On Over Use Of 'N-Word' In Society
(CBS) PLAINFIELD, N.J. -- A New Jersey man is demanding action after paying for a cell phone, and finding a derogatory word with painful racial overtones printed on his store receipt.
Nykii Southerland has been chatting it up as a T-Mobile customer for six years now, but he says he was at a loss for words Thursday after looking at his printed receipt from a US-1 Wireless store in Plainfield, N.J.
“Instead of me looking at the price, I noticed a statement saying ‘good morning my n-----s @ US 1 holla bak,’” said Southerland.
An employee identified as Vinny Vermarco of Brooklyn printed the n-word on Southerland’s receipt along with an otherwise unspecified $25 charge.
“I was offended as a young black American,” said Southerland.
Southerland's parents were also offended after reading Vermarco comments, which were printed in a local newspaper.
Vermarco claims the n-word was an internal memo meant for employees only -- not Southerland.
He went on to defend his actions, saying “Did something happen to them that they had flashbacks or something? I thought this happened in the 1950s, and it was squashed. You go to MTV; they use it all the time.”
Others disagree.
“Something like that shouldn't even be on a receipt,” said Bill Southerland. “Thank you is good enough.”
CBS 2 went to US-1 Wireless looking for Vermarco, hoping he could explain the receipt, but we couldn't find him.
Instead, we spoke with the store's owner.
“I fired him because of what happened yesterday,” said "Victor," the store's owner. “I feel very bad to be honest with you.”
Plainfield residents had a mixed reaction to Vemarco’s firing.
“Me and my friends, we call each other ‘n-----‘ all the time,” said business owner Abraham Sarr. “N---- is like calling you ‘my man.’”
Beverly Jones wasn't buying that rationale.
“It's not OK. They cannot justify that word. That word is insulting,” Jones said. “It should be taken out of society.”
As for Nykii Southerland, he returned the cell phone for a refund, but insists this isn't over. He wants more action taken, and has filed a civil rights complaint with the state attorney general's office.
Vinny is right. That is common lingo amongst them. You could tell it was meant for somebody else as a common, nice gesture towards a friend and somebody else accidentally got the message. Notice it says, “holla back”? He was asking a friend (translated for us non-gangsta wannabes), “Hey, friend! How are you doing? Call me back later.”
My guess is that if you were to do that that you, like Vinny would be out of a job.
Suspect that Vermarco wasn’t using the n word as a substitute for “[his] man”....
**************
Is that a rhetorical question? :)
The MIT student. She's lucky she wasn't shot.
That word has no place in a workplace or anywhere else. And no, I will not defend the rappers and the black kids who use that word either.
That’s an easy one.
Star is at MIT.
Vinny is an unemployed cell phone peddler.
“That word has no place in a workplace or anywhere else. And no, I will not defend the rappers and the black kids who use that word either.”
I’m with you 100% on that. However, the title clearly states “racist remark”, which it was not.
Like it or not, that word is part of the lexicon now. It is nothing more than street talk. It has been used, as a sign of affection or acquaintance, in movies, books, music and in the public sphere. Blacks use it admittedly more than whites but whites do use it in the same way.
One would think you would appreciate the fact that the ugliness is being taken out of that word and being replaced with something at least remotely positive, spanning multiple races, albeit street slang.
There should no restriction on use of certain words based on skin color, regardless of how tacky they may be.
>>He wants more action taken, and has filed a civil rights complaint with the state attorney general’s office.<<
CHA-CHING.
If BLACKS want this word banned, then they had better STOP using the word themselves. Otherwise it’s fair game.
You can’t ban a WORD from one race while the race upset over it, uses it all the time in a comradory way.
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