I think it brings up a really interesting question. I don't know if I agree with Richard or Steven, but I do understand what he is saying. For those a bit left out in Sherman's Presser yesterday he said;
"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.
Later, Sherman explained that the term was especially troubling given that it's something he's endured his whole life.
"I know some 'thugs,' and they know I'm the furthest thing from a thug," Sherman said. "I've fought that my whole life, just coming from where I'm coming from. Just because you hear Compton (Calif.), you hear Watts, you hear cities like that, you just think 'thug, he's a gangster, he's this, that, and the other,' and then you hear Stanford, and they're like, 'oh man, that doesn't even make sense, that's an oxymoron.'
"You fight it for so long, and to have it come back up and people start to use it again, it's frustrating."
The word Thug has been used in different ways. Originally it was a real guy named Thug who was a mass murderer. The word became a synonym for other mass murderers and eventually in the the early part of the 20th century used to describe cold blooded or callous killers. More recently the word has been used in hip hop culture. Individuals, Acts, and albums have all used it in various ways. It is used more to describe lawlessness, or gang culture. An anthology of writings about Tupac's life was entitled Tupac: A Thug Life. The word, for better or for worse was now not being used to describe mass murderers. It was now being used to describe people most often portrayed in hip hop culture, young black gang members.
So fast forward to Sherman's comment, he says "...it seems like..." He is not trying to redefine the word but pointing out that to him it seems like it already has been.
Deadspin says the word thug was uttered 625 times on television the day after the 'hawks won. How do you think the word was meant to be used? To describe a 17th century East Indian Mass Muderer? To describe a cold blooded killer? Or to describe a young black gang member? I know what I think.
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 10:32 pm
