City On Fire - The Thug Controversy

There's been plenty of side stories in the whole Freddie Gray incident. But, somewhat surprising, one of the things that seems to have people really up in arms is the use of the word "thug". When the Mayor of Baltimore used it during her press conference after the Monday night riots, she was heavily criticized for referring to the rioters as "thugs". Immediately caving in to the pressure, she issued apology after apology. It was quite pathetic to see the leader of a city apologizing for "insulting" the very people who tried to burn it down. (Is it still ok to use the term "people"?)

Even President Obama called the rioters "thugs". This almost caused the liberals heads to explode. I was listening to an interview on one of the national networks where someone accused Obama of a "black on black" crime because he used "the t word". I actually laughed out loud when I heard that one. To Obama's credit, he has not backtracked. Yet.....

From listening to uproar, my understanding is that "thug" is now a racist term. Many have said that it's actually a "code word" for the n-word. So, now we have n-words, t-words, code-words.....I need a f*cking score-sheet to keep track of all this!

I've heard the word "thug" used for as long as I can remember to describe people of all colors and nationalities. My earliest recollections of the word was when it was used to describe mobsters. I'm not really sure why it suddenly became a derogatory "racist slur" against black folks.

So, where did the word "thug" originate? After a quick Google search, it appears that it was a name originally used centuries ago to describe Thuggies, who happened to a religious cult of Hindu and Muslim Indians. Murder and robbery were considered the "religious duty" of the the Thuggies. Hmm, sounds kinda of like the regular "duties" that occur in west Baltimore on any given day.

I find the whole thing to be mind boggling. We've got hooligans (I want to throw that term out there before it becomes racist) running around burning the city down and throwing bricks at the police. But instead of calling these idiots exactly what they are, we're expected to water things down by referring to them as "disenfranchised youths".  That's right folks....remember those guys who just smashed your windshield and cracked your head with a brick? They're not thugs, they're victims. Can you believe this bullshit?

So, unless you happen to be a rapper, expect a beat-down from the sensitivity police if you happen to utter the "t-word". I can hardly wait to hear what the next offensive word will be...

                                                             (to be continued)


kw