Just a quick comment.....when and why did the the work "Thug" become so popular amongst a certain segment of the population ?
Delon Stephenson
- Thread starter Tango Two
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Just a quick comment.....when and why did the the work "Thug" become so popular amongst a certain segment of the population ?
The only thing missing is someone challenging someone else to a fight. :boxing:
I might have though differently about this years ago. But as I watch my boys grow up and see things happen (neither one of them are going to be star athletes or brawlers), I see that young people make mistakes, and not every mistake needs to be met with the most severe punishment. Sometimes, when a young person is truly remorseful and they do not have a past history of bad behavior, the strictest punishment might not be appropriate. I don't know Delon Stephenson's prior history, but I don't recall there being any incidents in his past. I also don't know the details of the plea, statements made by character witnesses and the victim, which may have come into play. I suspect some here are angry at Delon Stephenson for making the football program look bad, and they want to see him punished for tarnishing Rutgers' image.
We have seen this before. Philip Nelson, who will be playing next year had a much more severe case. I brought up Corey Clement, where he was the aggressor, and maybe he got lucky because he threw a poor punch.
Perhaps this is because I'm old, but I've never thought there was a racial connotation to "thug." (The word actually comes from India to describe a group that preyed on travelers in the early 1800s.) This tripped me up once when I referred to the Knicks as playing "thug defense." I don't think the world implies an African-American.
Can't speak for anyone else but to me the word thug as commonly used today connotes a violent bully, especially one who accosts strangers. When I need one word to describe the above, I go with thug. I do not imagine any certain race when I hear the word whatsoever. When race is relevant to the conversation, I'll just say their race.
The only race code word I detected in this thread was the guy who said he tells his son not to stand up to "athletes", as dangerous and violent as he assumes "them" to be. When you see "athletes" about, just cross the street and try to avoid eye contact. Look out! That guy is on the crew team! Run!
It was African Americans that made the word explode in popularity and usage. "Thug life" is a pop culture thing now used by African American kids and white American kids too.
No one is calling Devin McCourty a thug. No one is calling Sabastian Joseph a thug, or Darius Hamilton, or Quentin Gause, etc.
Delon Stephenson... thug. If you think that somehow makes me racist, you're an idiot.
The issue is this....when the individual committing the crime is white. The word Thug is hardly used. You can disagree, but, it's true.
I remember the conversations about Phillip Nelson. He was not referred to as a thug until someone made reference to how he was described and then people starting saying, oh yea, he's a thug...it was an afterthought. Once again, he can disagree, but, it's true.
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I'm glad Delon Stephenson is getting a second chance - he made a mistake, a big mistake, and I hope he learns from it and grows. And believe me folks, if he makes another "mistake", he will spend significant time in jail and most likely will get no more chances.
That being said, his second chance should not come at Rutgers. With the changes we've made, our program can't afford to have him back, and I think he would be better served being in a different environment.
And Plum, I know deep down you really wish he had never gotten in trouble (along with the other d-backs), we had had a winning season last year, and Flood had got an extension. But that's the past: time to let go and embrace the future.
That being said, his second chance should not come at Rutgers. With the changes we've made, our program can't afford to have him back, and I think he would be better served being in a different environment.
My feelings exactly. If we are successful, but never reach the heights that Alabama or Miami did because we refused to cut corners or look the other way, I am totally alright with that.
And Plum, I know deep down you really wish he had never gotten in trouble (along with the other d-backs), we had had a winning season last year, and Flood had got an extension. But that's the past: time to let go and embrace the future.
There are a few that use the term thug on the board. I would think a thug is someone that has been involved in criminal behaviors several times.
Agree that Delon should not get a chance at Rutgers.
I'm truly trying to think about this from your POV. I'd acknowledge there is a greater prevalence of the word being attached to black actors, although certainly not anywhere near exclusively. And that is most likely because, as mentioned above, the word was adopted by gangsta rappers in the 90s to classify subject behavior and personalities. Thinking back, the first time I ever even heard the word was in music.
The best parallel I could find to thug as an encoded racial descriptor is hooligans in Europe. Although I most definitely envision exclusively white people when I hear the term.
I hope one day thugs and hooligans can crush and maim people hand in hand, without regard to racial differences. That's when we will truly be able to love each other.
In the grand scheme of things....it's not a big deal. It is what it is. There are differences in how the word is thug is used. No biggie, just the truth.
As adults, No one should get uncomfortable or defensive when these things are pointed out.
If a NB local sucker punched one of our players and broke his jaw and put him out for the season, I doubt there would be many posters calling a weekend jail stint appropriate punishment.
..And people wonder why RU never has a huge fan base... if it was me Id be suing and have reporters living in my house+plus the Rutgers 1000. The team comes off looking real bad-and spoiled.
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