It seems that people have added "Racist" to the nickname of "Dog", The Bounty Hunter. For those of you who aren't familiar with Dog The Bounty Hunter, I'll attempt to brief you on this individual. He stars in a reality TV show in the A&E network where he catches the most wanted criminals and turns them into the police. He is a real life bounty hunter and by the nature of the latest news reports, you should have guessed that he is not black. Now, this is where the drama begins.....
Dog the bounty hunter (whose real name is Duane Chapman)particpated in a telephone conversation where he used the N-Word (If you do not know what the word is....look it up!)when discussin his son's black girlfriend. A recent new report on Yahoo stated that the this telephone conversation where he used the N-Word was posted online by the National Enquirer. Apparently, Dog the bounty hunter was trying to get his son to end the relationship with his girlfriend. I watch few reality TV shows, but have checked out a few episodes of this A&E program over the last year. The TV show is interesting, but this recent "racial slur" news has not been much of a concern to me.
Maybe I am desensitized to certain behavior that many news outlets, TV fans and other citizens tend to find shocking or newsworthy at the minimum. I can understand how some comments that are deemed inappropriate or offensive would set people off in a frenzy. However, I am not concerned about this statement because it isn't surprising. Every single time that we hear news about someone using a racial slur such as the N-word, people are either in an uproar or on the defensive side. It never amazes me how our society can act like things are so different now and we accept each other and are mature individuals. Do not think that the landscape has changed much just because it's 2007.
Widespread racisim was in effect only 40 years ago. People are no different now just because we may be living in "different times" as some may say. Now, that is not to imply that Mr. Chapman a.k.a Dog a.k.a The Bounty Hunter is a racist. I and many of the people who appear to be offended by this matter or even on his side do not even know him personally. We live in a country that allows its citizens to live and they please. Therefore, we must respect the fact that he has his own views and opinions, whatever they may be.
What really caught my attention were the comments that were left on this Yahoo article. It helps to make good points about how to view this situation. By the way, A&E has cancelled the show, although Dog the Bounty Hunter has apologized.
John C. writes "...It was a private message, never intended for the public."
There is a good point in this particular comment. However, does that mean that racisim is ok as long as it is kept in private? It would probably be better if all of our views and opinions were out in the open. That way, we do not have to tip toe around each other like everything is all good when it is NOT. Closet racists are the worst because they fake the funk and act and hide their true feelings. That is probably one of the reasons people get so upset nowaday when there is any indication of potential racisim. We aren't used to it, but that is because people are sweeping it under the rug. That does not do any good.
There were also some comments Yahoo from various people with the claim that black people use the N-word and even toward each other, so there shouldn't be a problem with someone of another race such as Dog the Bounty Hunter using the word. Since I do not use the word toward my friends or anyone for that matter, all I have to say about these comments are that if you are reading this and you are African American, take note. Everyone is watching and what you do will be repeated. If you do not respect yourself or your own race, no one else will.
The "Golden Child" is not making matters any better African Americans or any other race when he writes "lets get this straight all you white people out there nigger is different from what we say. we say nigga. we took a word what you called us and made it into something positive to say between us and only for us. and just because it was on his phone doesnt make it right. if he racist he should let us know and stop hiding it. you cant be christian and hate black people. and for you white people i like some of you but i cant stand some of you too. ottom line you shouldnt say the word anywhere!!! becuse 9 times out of ten you will see a black person and you will have to face the consequences of your actions....... "
Damn, where do I begin? The N-word is offensive no matter when it is said or how you use it. There is NO difference just because you replace an "er" with "a". It is NOT something positive. None of my friends are addressed that way and I would not be friendly with anyone who talks to me that way. This is where we have to get things straight in our own communities, much like the young girls and even adult women who call each other "Bitches" as a matter of endearment. It is disgusting. To top it all off, the Golden Child displays his own prejudices which does nothing but keep the intolerance going in our country. There is nothing more to say about that or the rest of that particular comment.
The Bottom line is that if you have a problem with what Dog the Bountry Hunter said, so what! Here is a solution to your issue....Do Not be his friend, Do Not watch his TV show, Do Not try to date his son if you are around the same age and Do Not allow your daughter to try to date his son or any of his other children. There, problem solved.
Otherwise, do not blow something out of proportion because of a private telephone conversation that he had with his son. If you feel that the public needs to know what goes on with him or any other celebrity, that is just plain nosey.
The nosey people would be very angry and having a fit if someone recorded and posted their telephone conversations for for the public's knowledge. If you are one of those nosey people, I wonder what it is that you are talking about on the telephone on any given day of the week. I am almost certain that you would not want everything aired on national TV, online or radio stations. As far as the TV show goes, Dog The Bounty Hunter should not have been cancelled as a result of the star's private conversation.
You are welcome to voice your opinions on this matter by leaving your comments below.
Source: Yahoo and Messageboards
Technorati Tags: Dog+the+bounty+hunter, Dog+the+bounty+hunter+racist, Dog+the+Bounty+Hunter+Racial+Slur, The+Bounty+Hunter+N-word
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Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 7:44PM 
