It does sound like it's gained that connotation though.

 

That's really the only point Chip is trying to make and he is trying to make people aware of this assumed connotation and trying to get people to recognize it and then try to stop. I'm with him.

Do you know Corey? He made a huge mistake and served his time. Plenty of bad guys that played for Huggs. Some would fully qualify as thugs. Corey isn't one of them in any fashion outside of trying to take the quick way out after a bad business deal cost him a decade plus worth of NBA earnings...

 

I posted this earlier "Couldn't one argue that the reason that these individuals/groups are being called thugs is because they are doing stupid/illegal/wrong things? Not because of race. In fact if they did not do the stupid/illegal/wrong thing they would not be labeled/called a thug?"

 

Didn't Corey get convicted of having 29 pounds of weed? How is that a bad business deal? Again, if he hadn't have done the illegal activity........

I posted this earlier "Couldn't one argue that the reason that these individuals/groups are being called thugs is because they are doing stupid/illegal/wrong things? Not because of race. In fact if they did not do the stupid/illegal/wrong thing they would not be labeled/called a thug?"

 

Didn't Corey get convicted of having 29 pounds of weed? How is that a bad business deal? Again, if he hadn't have done the illegal activity........

 

He did. He was also given the "thug" label 15 years before he committed said crime.

 

The bad business deal was losing all of his NBA savings in a large real estate investment that sank in the economic bust. His major mistake was trying to correct that by taking a short cut that landed him in jail. Zero excuses for what cost him dearly.

 

Point is, he was given the thug label 20 years ago. You were quick to jump on that by bringing up something that went down long after the situation at hand in this thread was stamped simply because he was a black athlete playing for what many vilified for nothing more than a good number of black guys on the roster were from junior college...

I don't see it as racial. It doesn't matter if you are black, white, green, yellow or orange. Thugs come in all colors and sizes.

:thumb: From another thread.....a Thug is a person that you cross the street to avoid passing

Athletes labeled thugs:

 

Black athletes with bodies covered with tattoos.

Andrew Bynum

Matt Barnes

JR Smith

Rasheed Wallace

Dennis Rodman

Anthony Mason

Larry Johnson

Stacy Augmon

Joakim Noah

Corey Brewer

Antonio Cromartie

Cam Newton

Kevin Garnett(though his reputation amongst blacks is that of a studio gangster)

Rick Mahorn

Charles Oakley

The kid that played for Tubby for one year and went in the game and reused to shoot.

 

That's just off the top of my head.

 

Only one white person comes to mind when it comes to being labeled a thug:

 

Bill Laimbeer.

 

 

Feel free to add to the list.

 

Marty McSorley

Bill Romonowski

Lyle Alzado

Tie Domi

John Matuzak

Andre Roy

Zdeno Chara

Claude Lemieux

Todd Bertuzzi

 

I understand that most of those I listed are hockey players. That's kind of my point. The majority of the players in the NBA are black. The majority of the players in the NHL are white. The proportion of those referred to as thugs in a particular sport is proportional to the number of those of a particular race participating in that sport.

Marty McSorley

Bill Romonowski

Lyle Alzado

Tie Domi

John Matuzak

Andre Roy

Zdeno Chara

Claude Lemieux

Todd Bertuzzi

 

I understand that most of those I listed are hockey players. That's kind of my point. The majority of the players in the NBA are black. The majority of the players in the NHL are white. The proportion of those referred to as thugs in a particular sport is proportional to the number of those of a particular race participating in that sport.

 

 

Absolutely. The problem is that hockey isn't as mainstream as the NFL, NBA or college basketball. Only those clued into all sports and not just a few even know who half your list is. Nobody is denying that there are white athletes that are labeled as thugs. You just never hear it as frequently as you do about black athletes and part of that is because of the proportions that you mentioned but also in how mainstream that sport is. Even the NFL players you mentioned are long retired or even passed away. Randy Moss has been called a thug.(:lol:....not even close) The word is thrown around so loosely that it doesn't take much from a black athlete to garner that label.

Can I ask this question...are a thug and punk not the same thing?

 

I will admit, I have used the term thug for an African American athlete that has acted a certain way (maybe see Ron Artest). But, I would use the term punk for a Caucasian athete (maybe see Eric Devendorf or the guy we got into a fight with in our Men's league the other night. My exact quote was, "Kid is a punk with a major attitude problem").

 

Now some might say that thug has a much more negative connotation to it and I guess I could see why they would say that. But to me, and honestly, a lot of people I associate with, I feel like the two coincide together. And I really do feel like African American rappers are the reason that people think thug so often with African American athletes who act inappropriately.

 

Am I the only one with this?

Can I ask this question...are a thug and punk not the same thing?

 

I will admit, I have used the term thug for an African American athlete that has acted a certain way (maybe see Ron Artest). But, I would use the term punk for a Caucasian athete (maybe see Eric Devendorf or the guy we got into a fight with in our Men's league the other night. My exact quote was, "Kid is a punk with a major attitude problem").

 

Now some might say that thug has a much more negative connotation to it and I guess I could see why they would say that. But to me, and honestly, a lot of people I associate with, I feel like the two coincide together. And I really do feel like African American rappers are the reason that people think thug so often with African American athletes who act inappropriately.

 

Am I the only one with this?

 

I would tend to agree with this yes.

It is an unintentional racial slur. It's never used on whites. It's like the old black joke about when you see a swollen, ripped up, muscular white guy, you assume he's been working out at a gym. But when you see a similarly built balck guy, you assume he's been working out at a jail.

Wow. Sensitive? I have never heard that one.

Can I ask this question...are a thug and punk not the same thing?

 

I will admit, I have used the term thug for an African American athlete that has acted a certain way (maybe see Ron Artest). But, I would use the term punk for a Caucasian athete (maybe see Eric Devendorf or the guy we got into a fight with in our Men's league the other night. My exact quote was, "Kid is a punk with a major attitude problem").

 

Now some might say that thug has a much more negative connotation to it and I guess I could see why they would say that. But to me, and honestly, a lot of people I associate with, I feel like the two coincide together. And I really do feel like African American rappers are the reason that people think thug so often with African American athletes who act inappropriately.

 

Am I the only one with this?

I think it is very fair point. By definition they are little different.

 

The online dictionary I am looking at defines thug: tough and violent man, especially a criminal; a punk is defined as: an aggressive and violent young criminal.

Wow. Sensitive? I have never heard that one.

Nor have I.

I am not sure where we as a culture are going with racial sensitivity. I know as a white person there is often a lot of hesitancy out of fear of saying the wrong thing. I think every white person will agree with me. That is NOT a good thing. While we do not want to ever say the wrong thing to offend other groups, the quick to jump to the "must be a racist comment" label I think goes a bit overboard. I believe a lot of minorities even realize the fear side of white people of saying the wrong thing.

 

All I know is that BGP is a great avenue to discuss many of these things which we have been doing a lot of lately.

Can I ask this question...are a thug and punk not the same thing?

 

I will admit, I have used the term thug for an African American athlete that has acted a certain way (maybe see Ron Artest). But, I would use the term punk for a Caucasian athete (maybe see Eric Devendorf or the guy we got into a fight with in our Men's league the other night. My exact quote was, "Kid is a punk with a major attitude problem").

 

Now some might say that thug has a much more negative connotation to it and I guess I could see why they would say that. But to me, and honestly, a lot of people I associate with, I feel like the two coincide together. And I really do feel like African American rappers are the reason that people think thug so often with African American athletes who act inappropriately.

 

Am I the only one with this?

 

 

To me a punk and thug are two different walks of life but everybody is different.

Wow. Sensitive? I have never heard that one.

 

Nor have I.

 

 

I have.

To me a punk and thug are two different walks of life but everybody is different.

 

Could you explain, I am curious to hear your differences between the two.