Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) Questions For Germans

Last year in my German Class my group had a skit, and we used a CD from B-Tight, titled Der Neger in Mir. I read online this was equivalent to the N-Word in English.

But this year we are listening to EAV songs in class, and I was just translating the song 'Afrika' (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cEAnDgJe7ug for reference) and they used 'Neger' several times.

I also heard my teacher say that Schneewittchen was nicht so schwarz wie ein Neger.

I'm very confused: is this taboo (bad) or no?

Thank you for any clarification.

While there are people trying to work on the banning of the word "neger" but to me it's useless really. The word "Turk" is also used a bad name, while it's only the name of the people from Turkey. If the word "neger" would be banned, what else can you call a black person? After all, we call ourselves "white". Or shall we start calling the black population "African-Belgians"? Or "African-Germans"?
Lews, you're pointing to a fairytale about Snow White, that story is been written 100 years ago, do we really have to check all the stories to correct them?
Then we have to replace all the names on shoe polish as well, cause all the black shoe polish is called "negro"
Darn, I hope we don't go through with this. If you ask me, the word "neger" is not meant as a bad name at all.
I hope I made sense here though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

- EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung" - can be roghly translated as "First General Embarassement" or so) is a highly satirical and *very* funny band. What thery sing is mostly satire and joke. In THIS sense, it can be used - often combined with irony.

- Otherwise than in this field, the word "Neger" shouldn't ne used, as it can be seen as an insult. But very old people still might use it - because they have learned it when they were young.

- There is an older book called "10 kleine Negerlein", which is about 10 young kids with a darker skin who go away from the initoial group of 10 during the book. This is a widely-known title, and as it is a *title* , I don't think that many people won't say much against it.

- There is also a book called "Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger", which is the autobiography of a German with a darker skin during the Nazi regime. Yes, he *is* a German (I think he even lives now), AND he lived during the Nazi time, which might've been somewhat hard for him. But I must admit that I havben't read the book so far.

- Schneewittchen had a black hair colour, if I remember correctly.

- The word "Neger" was decades ago often used as an implicite reference to a dark colour - Schneewittchen and the above mentioned profession of a "Schornsteinfeger", who always wears black clothes plus he (or she) is often blackened because of his or her work. (Schornsteinfeger = chimney cleaner.)

- I don't know that person called "B-Tight", but I assume that his (?) words can be seen as a kind of cynism, irony or even kind of a "trade mark". Sometimes, peoiple from lower social classes *d+* explicitely use swear-words or names used as insults to identify themselves and to put themselves aside from other groups. Like I often use as my "home location" the sentence "Old Europe".

- As a rather historical note, an *very* old term for black-skinned people is the word "Mohr". I don't know where it comes from, but the title "Mohr" is rather ancient, hardly ever used today, but also has no feeling of insulting in it. It is completely devoid of negative ressetiments or feelings, as I see it.

However, there also is a cynical saying that goes like this: "Der Mohr hat seine Arbeit getan, der Mohr darf gehen."
This saying means literally (roghly translated) : "The person has done his/her work, the person is allowed to go."
The implicite message of this saying is that someone acts towards the Mohr as if he was no free person, but instead kind of a slave and easily disposeable, almost like some sort of waste. This is a *heavy* criticism towards people who act as if they were the center of the world (or even the universe) and regard *everyone else* as inferior and easily disposeable.


All in all, it really depends on the CONTEXT. I can't stress this enough, because the context is everywhere important.

As a general rule, you should better NOT use the word "Neger" in German language.

Like the English equivalent "negro", German "Neger" once was a standard term for black people, but may often be considered offensive these days. Some people (especially elderly ones) still use "Neger" without any negative connotation. In the EAV song, it is used on purpose to characterize stupid white tourists.

Thank you for the help. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I think I get it better now, it can be seen as offensive, but its not as offensive as the English versions, and it should not be used. Older people just use it to mean black people, not in a racist sense at all.

Ty. galadriel I wasn't suggesting that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> I was just wondering if it was politically correct to use the term or not.

B-Tight is a Black German Rapper.

Partly depends on the people, of course. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

*Very* old people can also be still racists ... And you can't tell by just looking at them.

I know Lews, I tried to explain it but I failed. Anyway, I hope you're better helped with Alrik's explanation <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

*Very* young people can also be racists ... And you can't tell by just looking at them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

In France the word négre/nigger means black.
It can be used to name a colour.
But if it is used for talking about black people, it caries a very racist sense.

In the old times, France had colonies in Africa and for the white people, the local population was treated worse than our pet animals.
The niggers were considered as inferior and stupid people, just good to be slaves.

At the present time, nobody (old or young) in France uses the word négre except for the colour.

I lived in South Africa for a time, and that was a very racist place when I was there.

So Alrik what do Germans call black people? Schwarzer? lol

Lot's of white kids, at least in the upper/upper middle class, use the N-Word to act cool, or just for shock/funny value. Not in a racist sense.

In principle yes, but that's not too polite, although it's used - *when* it is used at all - mainly without any negative "background thoughts" other than that is the colour of the skin itself (although "black" isn't really right ... It's rather bronze or brown or so, I'd say.)

To make it short, "Schwarzer" ist rather commonly used.

To say he or she is an African is more polite, although this also implies the problem that people from the Carribbian, for example, might also look so, at first glance.

So, in principle everyone should be named according to his or her origin, not the colour of his or her skin, but the problem still is: How do we know that ?

Since you're in Germany they're most likely Germans... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

It's a problem everyone has. What do we call other people/races/w/e.

I just call white people white, black people black, and Asian people Asian. I hope no one is mad at me. =/

And I don't really talk about them... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

I'm sure no one is mad at you, we all know you're not saying that in a racist way <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
I think it's funny though, we call black people black, and white people white, but why don't we call Asians yellow and Native Americans red? When I was very young, there was a brand of clothing called Redskins, took me years to get the meaning of that brand, you don't see that nowadays anymore, prolly cause of the name.
And I don't it's fair that black folks among eachother can use the word "Nigger" while they find it offensive if a white person uses it.
Also, I found the term to call a white person "Caucasian" I think I heard that in a computer game and also in CSI if I'm not mistaken <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

The Mexicans call us "white people" "Gringos", I heard.
They don't like Gringos very much. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

I guess there are no african people and no asian people in sweden.

No.

Only Swedish people.

Not even Aliens.

I think its stupid they call themselves that, and then get mad when we do it as well...

Yeah white is technically Caucasian.

Sure there is. But if we meet (and I rarely meet new pepole in general, and most of them are "natives", so to speak) I try my best to treat them as pepole and not as africans or asians.

Übereil

I don't understand this question actually... why don't you just say "black people"? I know, a few people regard that as racist, too, but it's much, much better than "negro" or "Neger" in German.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but generally "Neger" in German is negatively connoted and shouldn't be used. "Schwarze" instead of "Neger" is a perfectly acceptable expression in German.