Worst insult?

[Sohan]

I was training in our dojo by myself one Saturday afternoon (our dojo is part of a city rec center) and three young african-american boys of about 10 (I am white) came in and began climbing on the equipment we have in the room. I politely said to them that they weren't permitted in the room unless a class was taking place and that they needed to get down from the equipment. The boys complied and slowly exited the room. As they were leaving, I heard one of the boys mumble something just before he disappeared out the door. The last boy turned to me and yelled, "He called you a cracker!". I just smiled and said to him, "It takes much more than words to hurt me." He looked at me in disbelief (I guess he expected a reaction) and left.

As I continued my workout, the comment began to gnaw at me. The word cracker is certainly not as damaging to me as the N word would be for an afro-american, but it bothered me that a child would so easily respond to my polite refusal to use the equipment with the worst racial slur he could imagine. I suppose if an adult had called me that I could have easily shrugged it off. But to have a child use a racial slur towards me brings to mind the young German children in the 1930's who were brainwashed by their parents and leaders to believe that Jews were vermin, as well as southern white children of KKK families who grow up thinking of black people as animals (I knew children like this growing up in Mississippi). It is disturbing not as much that the child used the term (he probably didn't have a clue of the origin of the word) but where he got it from. For the next week, every person I saw I wondered about in the back of my mind "what are they REALLY thinking?"

I am in a biracial family with an Hispanic wife and son. I have always been sensitive to the power of language and its effect on other people. It disturbs me the hate that parents are teaching their children behind closed doors, and it is occurring everywhere, whether white, black, hispanic, etc.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[SamuraiDave]

An ex-gf once told me I was so ugly my tears ran down the back of my head because they were afraid to run down my face. I thought it was funny and she was just kidding (I hope!)

[Kieran-Lilith]

Hmmm...worst insult....I suppose the standard are those nasty, bad words parents teach their children never to say (or to say all the time...). But those kids who use them use them so much it means nothing to me.

I'm fairly certain the only insult that ever really has gotten under my skin, and the only one that continues to get under my skin, is being called a freak. It's a very small, low level word, and it wouldn't bother me if people hadn't used it as my name for several years in school.

Thankfully, most people these days are too busy trying to be big and bad and use nasty words to ever think of something so small.

Oh, and how I react....I blank out all emotion on my face, stare at them, and then usually come up with a smart alec response that's none too nice. And then I walk away.

[SamuraiDave]

I have quite a few friends that would be classified as "freaks." Most of them take it as a compliment. One of them, Rosemary, even has a bumper-sticker on her car that says, "God Bless the Freaks." It cracked me up.

[younwhadoug]

hearing a group of punks say sexual things to my wife in front of my kids at the gas station.... i handled it with violence and would not change a thing... actually i would permanently disable the punks given another chance... broken legs beyound repair..... gouge an eye out... something along that line.... i wouldn't mind tying them to the back of my van for some road rash theropy either

[KarateK]

It disturbs me the hate that parents are teaching their children behind closed doors, and it is occurring everywhere, whether white, black, hispanic, etc.

Respectfully,

Sohan

I am in 100% agreement there. Racism, ageism etc absolutely infuriates me. I overheard my Dad saying horrific things about other races when I was little. I could have turned out a lot worse if I had listened to him.

I am determined that my daughter will be respectful of all people regardless of age, race, gender. I think words can cause pain lasting pain and children should not be taught to hate based on appearances.

[MizuRyu]

I'm a caucasian guy who grew up in a poor neighborhood of color... so I got a whole lotta crap. After a while none of it bothered me, but I'd say the most hurt I've ever been by words was when a kid attacked my mother.. quite harshly, and needless to say, being a kid, it got really ugly really quick. I kind of regret it but what he said was way outta line...

[cnada]

For me, it would have to be 1 of these 2 things...

=>Stupid

or

=>being treated like I'm still a child. (Sometimes I feel like my mom is the only relative I have who sees me as an adult. It's VERY annoying.)

[Sohan]

For me, it would have to be...being treated like I'm still a child. (Sometimes I feel like my mom is the only relative I have who sees me as an adult. It's VERY annoying.)

Isn't it past your bedtime, young lady?

Respectfully,

Sohan

[cnada]

Hey, Sohan?

I'm 25, so I can stay up all night if I so wanted. So there!