Am I being racist.....?

Question

If I use the term *********?
Some segments of the population are more ********* than others.

I have gone through and minimized the ignorant responders....those who do not know the meaning of the word. They were certainly not ********* with their responses! When I viewed the responses that showed some sense of comprehension about the subject I was left with a lot of fair colored avatars. This is certainly a shocker for me!! Perhaps if those people who were ignorant of the subject were not so ********* with their attention and time during school....they would have known the true meaning of the word niggard.

Answer 1

No, just mind your diction, though.

(The illiterates will surely not be STINGY with their comments)

Answer 2

No and Yes,
"********* is a word synonymous with stingy and miserly, and a niggard (noun) is a miser. They are both derived from the Old Norse verb nigla, meaning "to fuss about small matters". (The English word "niggle" retains the original Norse meaning.) The word is not related to the word ******, though someone unfamiliar with the word "*********" might take offense due to the superficial phonetic similarity between the words."-Wikipedia

But your use seems contrived to be an offense. You use the phrase "Segments of the Population" implying segrigation of some sort. That combined with a racist-sounding word, makes you intentions seem quite racist, whatever they truly are.

I would say you could apply it to a single person not a group. Also you should only apply it to Norwegians, to avoid confusion. I'm from Minnesota though, and I think most of them would be quite upset if you called them "*********".

It's archaic for a reason. Most people would want it dropped out of use.

I don't like a bundle of sticks being called a "******" either. The word whatever it means makes me uncomfortable when straight people use it. I would imagine blacks would feel the same way.

Answer 3

No, and people who do think it is racist don't understand the word. The word is not the same as the n-word, has a completely different meaning, and a completely different root.

That said, and assuming you are not just trying to make a joke with this question, many people are going to misunderstand if you use the word "niggard" or "*********", you might be better of using "miser" or "stingy" and avoiding the entire situation (unless you know the people you are talking to understand the difference).

If you don't believe that the word is inoffensive, look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*********

You choice of an example is also a poor one (I hope the 'certain segment' you are referring to isn't Jewish). Perhaps a better example is "My father was so *********, he would never buy us anything we wanted".

Answer 4

********* is a word synonymous with stingy and miserly, and a niggard (noun) is a miser. They are both derived from the Old Norse verb nigla, meaning "to fuss about small matters". (The English word "niggle" retains the original Norse meaning.) The word is not related to the word ******, though someone unfamiliar with the word "*********" might take offense due to the superficial phonetic similarity between the words.

It's not racist

Answer 5

No, the word isn't racist at all and has nothing whatsoever to do with race. (But I am sure you knew that already and are as amused as I am at the other replies.)

For those of you who don't know what the word means (and yes it is a real word and it isn't slang), it means reluctant to spend money. So if I call Uncle Scrooge *********, I am calling him miserly.

Answer 6

Not if they know the meaning of the word, which most people don't care any ways.


Main Entry: ***·gard·ly
Pronunciation: -lE
Function: adjective
1 : grudgingly mean about spending or granting : BEGRUDGING
2 : provided in meanly limited supply
synonym see STINGY
- ***·gard·li·ness noun
- ********* adverb

So the answer to your question would be no.

Answer 7

Best rule of thumb, if you have to ask the question, then don't use the term.

Funny thing is, it really has nothing to do with what you would think. Look the word up in the english dictionary and it says this:

niggard /ˈnɪgərd/ Pronunciation[***-erd] N : a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend A: Stingy; miserly.

Answer 8

********* is defined as:

1.) reluctant to give or spend; stingy; miserly.
2.) meanly or ungenerously small or scanty.

So, no, you're not being racist. Yet, given that there are many ignorant people that would take the word the wrong way, it's likely to get you in trouble if you use it out in public.

Answer 9

The meaning of the word actually means ,stingy,or complains about small matters,but because of the beginning of the word it might sound really racist to a person,especially since the way you used it here it does make it seem ,like a made up slang word...go to wikipedia ,and read up on it.

Answer 10

Um yeah.
1. I was raised being told that there are no stupid questions. Thank you for wrecking sixteen years of teaching, dumbass.
2. To further prove that you are a moron, I'd like you to know that all racist people are narrow-minded. If you stereotype or use horrid words like that to disgrace the English language, you have earned the right to be shot by anyone and everyone you piss off in a city that will not tolerate your pathetic attempt at speech.
3. Even if that word wasn't racist, it sucks. =)

Have a nice day,
Chandra

Answer 11

Yes you are being racist. what the hell does that even mean? what the **** is wrong with you? are trying to offend people with this stupid as question? I guess by cursing your dumb *** out im acting *********? Dont be ignorant. You know when you asked this question what the answer is.