Not so clear cut

[Deleted]

Turns out there are 11 places in Quebec that have the N word in the name of the place. Link

The names predate awareness of the incorrectness of using that term and the intent was to recognise Black Canadians in the area. One is effectively a graveyard where slaves were buried until slavery was abolished in 1833, another was to commemorate where a black couple died, another was "named for the large presence of African-Americans along its banks in the early 19th century, according to the commission. The river is believed to have been used by those fleeing slavery in the United States."

The way I see it the intent was/is to recognise Black people in our society, but the term is now considered so offensive no matter what the context. I have mixed feelings about this.

[The Captain]

I don't have a source to cite for this, just remember the words of a Latin teacher I had in HS who studied linguistics.

The Latin word for Black in "Niger".  In Latin the "g" is a soft "g" (Like Nigeria) as opposed to a hard "g" as in great.

So the word "n_____" was obviously coined by some uneducated hick who didn't understand how to properly declensiontionate let alone pronounce the latin root correctly.

Anyone who uses the word thus demonstrates their ignorance on several levels.

Words give others as much power over us, as we allow.  While I find the word offensive myself, I don't understand all the focus on it.

[zibazinski]

Is it negro or worse?

[Waffle]

Do any black Canadians still live in those 11 areas?

[Virgil Showlion]

Aug 10, 2015 13:23:37 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Is it negro or worse?

ibid.:

A stretch of the Gatineau River that has officially been called n_____ Rapids for decades could be renamed — along with 10 other sites in Quebec whose names include the racial slur.

But the provincial body that manages Quebec's place names says there has been little public pressure to rename the sites.

The rapids are located in the municipality of Bouchette about 120 kilometres north of Ottawa. They were named in memory of a black couple who drowned there in the early 1900s, said Jean-Pierre LeBlanc, spokesman for the Quebec Toponymy Commission.

After decades of being known by their informal name by the locals, the commission officially recognized the name in 1983.

"It was meant to describe the people who died," LeBlanc said. "There was no pejorative connotation then as there is now."

Since "negro" isn't considered a slur per se (e.g. "The Book of Negroes"), maybe just changing the name to e.g. "Negro Rapids" is the fittest solution.

Either that or claim the river is a rap artist.

[Deleted]

I do have to admit that if I stumbled up on those places in Canada without knowing the history and the intent behind the names, I'd wonder wtf and feel very unwelcome. It's not something I would ask the locals about lol. I'd just leave, never to return and spend my time or money in that area again. If I were planning a trip to Canada and was researching places to visit, seeing those kinds of names without an explanation would get those places crossed of my list in a hurry.

Surely I'm not the only person in the world that would get the message twisted if they just saw the names.

[Deleted]

I think that it is coming forward for a name change without any kind of protest is pretty good. I guess it does have to change but I think the intent was good at the time and it's kinda sad to lose that history. It's too bad another term wasn't chosen back then.

[weltschmerz]

Aug 10, 2015 9:37:39 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Turns out there are 11 places in Quebec that have the N word in the name of the place. Link

The names predate awareness of the incorrectness of using that term and the intent was to recognise Black Canadians in the area. One is effectively a graveyard where slaves were buried until slavery was abolished in 1833, another was to commemorate where a black couple died, another was "named for the large presence of African-Americans along its banks in the early 19th century, according to the commission. The river is believed to have been used by those fleeing slavery in the United States."

The way I see it the intent was/is to recognise Black people in our society, but the term is now considered so offensive no matter what the context. I have mixed feelings about this.

Do you have a link? I've never seen that. In any case the bad "N" word is English, and therefore, not allowed.

"Niger", as in the country, is perfectly acceptable.

[Cookies Galore]

So the rapids were named for a couple that drowned and N-word Rapids is the best they could come up with?! I get that times were different, but you'd think at some point someone would have learned what their last name was.

[Deleted]

Aug 10, 2015 16:18:22 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Aug 10, 2015 9:37:39 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Turns out there are 11 places in Quebec that have the N word in the name of the place. Link

The names predate awareness of the incorrectness of using that term and the intent was to recognise Black Canadians in the area. One is effectively a graveyard where slaves were buried until slavery was abolished in 1833, another was to commemorate where a black couple died, another was "named for the large presence of African-Americans along its banks in the early 19th century, according to the commission. The river is believed to have been used by those fleeing slavery in the United States."

The way I see it the intent was/is to recognise Black people in our society, but the term is now considered so offensive no matter what the context. I have mixed feelings about this.

Do you have a link? I've never seen that. In any case the bad "N" word is English, and therefore, not allowed.

"Niger", as in the country, is perfectly acceptable.

  link

[weltschmerz]

Like I said, I've never seen it. Are there actually signs saying "Nig*er Rapids"?

[Deleted]

I don't know weltz, I just came across the article I gave you the link to.

[Virgil Showlion]

Just rub out one of the 'g's and all is well.

[weltschmerz]

Aug 10, 2015 18:26:53 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Just rub out one of the 'g's and all is well.

You DO know that Niger is French for Nigeria, right?

[Virgil Showlion]

Aug 10, 2015 18:38:51 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Aug 10, 2015 18:26:53 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Just rub out one of the 'g's and all is well.

You DO know that Niger is French for Nigeria, right?

I did not know that. Also, you might want to double-check it. I was curious about what the French word for Niger is if Niger already refers to Nigeria, and both Google translate and the Collins English-French dictionary translate Nigeria as Nigéria and Niger as Niger.

There once was a woman from Niger
Who rode into town on a tiger
They returned from the ride
With the woman inside
And a smile on the face of the tiger

[weltschmerz]

Meh. Niger is just above Nigeria. Still a country, and still not offensive.

[Miss Tequila]

Lolol. Sorry, but after the shit some Canadians lob our way for being racist, this cracks me up

I'm obviously not black so I don't know how I would personally feel about seeing the signs. I would certainly be taken aback

But Pink is very rational and explains how it would make her feel. I'm sure her feelings would be very common among other black people. I'm actually surprised that this was never an issue. The names definitely need to be changed

[weltschmerz]

I'd rather have a few signs (if they exist at all) than your race riots.

We have riots over really important things....like hockey.