“Street Smarts” is a racially charged phrase?

At least old school affordable unlike real school these days, where everyone supposed to come out rich like a billionaire, all the while history says they are high skool or college # ups.

It like God himself came down from heaven, and showed humanity the way.

Ain't no school like it, all the while graduates from the school of hard knocks ether ended up dead or shoveling manure.

originally posted by: Buvvy
If I inadvertently offend someone and they bring it to my attention - I will apologize and I will attempt to modify my behavior so that I don’t offend the person again. As a result I learn that what I did or said was offensive...this is a beneficial and educational exchange.

Yes, and it is beneficial for both/all parties involved. All can learn and grow from the experience and the perspectives of the others. The person who made the "offensive" statement will learn how and why it can be offensive, the "offended" person can learn how and why the other person understood and intended the statement, and all can learn to talk and work things out rather than just "cancel" someone for real or perceived offenses.

Resigning from a job because you said something that offended someone...especially when what you said is not commonly known to be offensive??? What kind of precedent does that set? Where is the opportunity to apologize and learn from your mistake?

I suspect "commonly" is the operative word here... it may not be "commonly" known as offensive to you and me, but maybe to others? I really don't know. I've always understood "street smarts" to be the counterpart to "book smarts," so basically college educated vs real world educated. Even Urban Dictionary defines it as such. A part of me wonders if someone didn't want this guy out of his job, and this is how they made it happen...

IMO Judge Carney is very aware that he is setting a precedent or a standard that others will be held to.

He must know. How could he NOT know?

Street smarts is related to intelligence, not race. It depends on what a person desires as to what direction he takes. People with street smarts would be like Einstein and Tesla. Street smarts is a sign of intelligence, just not the direction that consensus of the day dictates as appropriate for the middle class. Tesla did not bow down to consensus of the time, neither did Einstein. Same with Gates, he never finished college he had street smarts and was bored with the slow pace technology was heading in.

So this guy resigned because he called someone intelligent? You do not need a degree to be intelligent, some of the smartest people I know work regular jobs where they have a lot of diversity in knowledge, like Maintence men at factories and farmers that have to work on everything they know. I know about five trades well, another three about as well as anyone working the job for maybe a year knows. But I also know a lot about stuff like food science and pharmacology now. Maybe I am just instructing my son in law and grandson in law to R&R a roof, but I still have to climb the ladder to do some of it and teach it, I do not go on roofs anymore, a seizure or dizzy spell is not what you want on a roof. But I can still do something. Unloading the truck full of shingles at the dump sucks though.

a reply to: rickymouse

I always thought street smart was the same as common sense.

And also why I said he never should have called that bimbo smart.

a reply to: Necrobile

Yeah, I honestly don't remember where I first read that "y'all" is racist...

That reminds me of when I would hear that foods I'd grown up with and enjoyed all my life were "soul foods"... and/or "Black" food and could have a negative connotation. I didn't get it. At all!!!

Things like fried chicken or biscuits and gravy or black eyed peas or simple greens. Or watermelon. Watermelon!!! Who doesn't love cold watermelon on a hot summer day??? My mom always grew watermelon during the summers. It was a staple. But somehow that was supposed to be a "Black" food but if you associated it with "Black" people then it was bad. Which of course begged the question "then why does anyone associate it with Black people to begin with?"

I do understand now why it was long ago associated with Black people, but still don't understand how it turned negative.

That's ridiculous. Book smart or street smart never meant anything racial.

originally posted by: blueman12
That's ridiculous. Book smart or street smart never meant anything racial.

Correct, it is ridiculous.
But we have entered a place and time in our history where ridiculous things are looked at as valid.

One less Judge overseeing a corrupt Judicial system...no loss.....America's had its day....

hahahaha

I'm guessing that rap music will now be screened, filtered and pasteurized for all to enjoy.

Oh...wait

a reply to: Buvvy

In my life street smarts was used to describe what people who have hard poor lives learn.
You have to be cleaver to survive a hard life.

It was used to describe criminals a lot as well. Criminals and bad guys had street smarts. Being clever was not always seen as a positive trait.

Was never used to describe a specific race though.
But I can see how in a majority black area full of poor people how they might feel like people are taking down to them when they use that term to describe them.
Really any word (sound) can be used as a racial slur depending on context and how you are thinking when you say it.
But no i don't think street smarts should be added to the list of racial slurs that are racial regardless of context.


shrugs* If someone doesn't like me saying that word when I'm around them then I wont say it or I will choose to not hang around them.

originally posted by: TXRabbit
I'm guessing that rap music will now be screened, filtered and pasteurized for all to enjoy.

Oh...wait

Well, with the Simpsons and Family Guy animated TV shows making sure that white voice actors do not perform as characters that are of another race, I don't suppose we will see the cast of 'Hamilton' changing colors.... will we?

No mistake about it, it is a one way street.

a reply to: Buvvy

That isn't a racist statement unless you are talking to a black person I guess.

See, I always thought the blacks called "street smarts" as "street cred" at least in my area they do.

But "street smarts" has been a term I have heard over the last 50 years and it was never a racist term.

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: blueman12
That's ridiculous. Book smart or street smart never meant anything racial.

Correct, it is ridiculous.
But we have entered a place and time in our history where ridiculous things are looked at as valid.

Yea unfortunately, the legitimate claims of racism are being diluted by the stupid claims of racism.

That just doesn't make any sense. Street Smart generally means the person has practical skills and knowledge and is able to apply them to real life situations. It's separate from Book Smart which is knowing how to do things from rote and use polysyllabic words but usually lack the ability to apply such skills in real world scenarios.

It has nothing to do with race and I've only ever heard it used as a compliment.

a reply to: Boadicea

It makes one wonder how many times each day White people are judged "racist" for saying something that has absolutely no racial connotations to them, but the Black person has been taught it's "coded" racism or some kind of "dog whistle".

I never considered this.
I think you just found a big piece of this puzzle.
This right here is a conversation the country needs to be having.

a reply to: Buvvy

Resigning from a job because you said something that offended someone...especially when what you said is not commonly known to be offensive??? What kind of precedent does that set? Where is the opportunity to apologize and learn from your mistake?

I've seen a few stories and thought why in the world would that person resign over this?
Maybe the economy is worse or will be a lot worse than it is and the top business employees and owners know it.
Maybe some of these people were already getting ready to take all their saved up money and get out anyway. So when this comes up no reason to fight it. You are getting out the way you wanted to anyway and looking like you care about whatever issue.

a reply to: LSU2018

Most of us grew up in a time that if something offended us, we sucked it up and let it roll off of our shoulders.

Who's to say if that was right or wrong?
That's not the world the young want to grow up in apparently.
And lets face it, once us old people die this will be their world.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

I never considered this.
I think you just found a big piece of this puzzle.
This right here is a conversation the country needs to be having.

I agree... but I'm not sure how many people want to have this conversation.

For those who like to be perpetually offended, they don't care.

For those who like to be perpetually offensive, they don't care.

It's just the rest of us who want and appreciate civil discourse and a fair and respectful society that care.

How about the offended just make a list of things that are "Not" racist and or otherwise offensive?

That list will undoubtedly be shorter.

a reply to: Buvvy

Meesa thinks he does not know what street smarts is.

It can apply to any minority, street smarts is just that. Whether it be shoplifting food the survive without being caught, knowing when you are about to get mugged; here's a tip muggers work in pairs, one is the talker the other the heavy and the latter will try to flank you, and using streetlights to see if there are any shadows trailing you... those are street smarts.

I don't know how this can possibly be racially charged, however a judge using the phrase 'street smarts' is like listening to a rapping granny.