Added: 4 years ago
From: BBC
Views: 291,934
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:

All Comments (525)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • Asking a black performer to explain his creative use of the word nigger is not offensive, it is interesting, and to the people complaining, this is what an adult conversation looks like, but what would most americans know about that

  • Nigger is a derogatory term, used to insult our ancesters, i suggest you remember that for next time Mr Worm...

  • @PraxiisFett Nothing in this clip is being used in an insulting manor. He is asking chris rock if there were any repercussions by using the word 'nigger' on stage, (see; Black People VS. Niggaz).

  • This is a British show. this show airs past 'watershed' 9pm. Which means you can basically say anything on the television. Even before 'watershed' it's okay to say words like 'Arse' 'Bastard' and 'Wank'. But not words like 'Fuck' and 'Cunt'. Americans commenting on this page about how Johnathon Ross said 'Nigger' need to get a grip and lighten up he didn't say it to be offensive he was asking a question.

  • "Go on Tom thats hear one for the team" lmao so funny!

  • Tom Hanks is a legend

  • 0.13

  • Chris Rocks.

  • @gewoonayoub true

  • nigger is just like any other word, it should only be called offensive when spoken and intended to be offensive

  • Interesting because the BBC would never use nigger today, but they did just 3 years ago.

  • If when called a nigger every black person just looked you straight in the eye and said, "yeah... and" then what do you do? You just ruined any weight that word has leaving the person saying it going, "damn... now what do I say"

  • This is a European show. In Europe we can say swear words on TV, any time of the day. We don't trip all over ourselves and say "the F word", or "the N word". Ross sure said "nigger" in that show, he didn't call Chris Rock a nigger, he was asking him about the word. It's a fucking word, and I don't see why it's a problem for a white guy to fucking pronounce it when the question is about the use of the word itself. American puritanism is sometimes laughably ridiculous.

  • @Wotanraven I just came from another Ross video where they bleeped out the word "fucking" ;-)

  • @Wotanraven Calling it "the N word" has absoutely nothing to do with American puritanism. The word wasn't frowned upon at the height of American puristanism. Its a modern form of political correctness and respect. But hey, its cool that your ignorant and say dumb shit. And no, you don't trip yourselves up with words. Instead you make it a criminal offense to say insulting comments based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. Its sad that Europeans never accepted individual rights and freedom.

  • @TG1212able Considering the alternative, allowing people to say absolutely anything, I'm fine with the way things are in Europe. We don't have people like Sean Hannity who has, within your society, a legitimate show which he uses to spread lies and hatred. The man is a criminal and should be treated as one. A cursory search on youtube will show the many times it has been proven that the man is lying through his teeth, yet millions believe him. That is what your version of freedom of speech means

  • @heyzoos420 Its really sad if your society denies the freedoms of the masses because a few misuse it. We don't limit ourselves to the standards of the lowest and are damn proud of that.

  • @TG1212able Stop fishing.. Of course I didn't mean the religious puritanism of "yore" (:p), I used the word as an expression. This case is similar to all these videos called "someone used the F-bomb on live TV", and people make a huge deal about it. It's ridiculous. Also, I'm against these anti-racist laws in Europe, absolutely against - they're also very recent btw. But this isn't the subject is it? We can still pronounce a damn word when it's not meant in a derogatory sense.

  • @Wotanraven I think you would find that the people that go crazy over "fuck" or "shit" or the occasional breast are a very outspoke minority. Often those videos appear on youtube because its funny if a reporter says it because its out of character, not because its offensive. The self-censorship comes from not wanting to deal with the hassle. And its not like we don't have different standards on what can be said depending on the time and station. Is it wrong to not want profanity on a kids show?

  • @TG1212able you two are just as bad as each other. you go on about individual rights and freedom yet you generalize eauropeans and americans etc. everyone is different deal withh it

  • Jonathan Ross = super giga mega racist. Before anyone replies saying "Oh, black people drop the N Bomb all the time", I'm not ok with that either.

  • @andyrevell be quiet please,

  • @Mazo711 I'm entitled to my opinion. Dolt.

  • @andyrevell But you make fuck all sense in your argument .

  • @andyrevell where is the bit where he was racist? He was asking Chris Rock about his comedy routine.

  • dumb asses on here, he said "nigga" not nigger

  • @quimixipilli It's the same fucking thing.

  • Just ask Stan Marsh from South Park

    /watch?v=N6F2Dd_TLGo

  • Go watch Louis CK explain why journalists saying "The N word" is bullshit.

  • WTF JOHNATHON ROSS SAID NIGGER

  • Well, Tom Hanks will be starring in a new movie called " The Last Nigga on Earth " which will be directed by Paul Mooney

  • If its racist for a white person to say nigger. That in itself is racist as its basically saying "you cant say that word because your white". And dont try and tell me black people dont have words for white people. Free speech for everybody :D

  • @MetalFan10101 That's not the definition of racism, but did you even watch the video? Chris Rock didn't say it wasn't okay, so what is the point of your post anyway?

  • @spxeli yes i did watch the video, but did you know your not allowed to say nigger in front of a black person because its racist? That in its self is being racist against whites, and THAT was the point of my post. Any more questions?

  • Comment removed

  • @spxeli Dude its pretty well known that black people find whites saying nigger offensive. They say its racist towards them and really it shouldnt be, its racist for them to say we cant use it cause we are white, we dont tell them what words they can and cant use. If you dont know that then damn you must be living in your mothers basement.

  • Errm why does the top comments sound like my college professor wrote that?? + Like if u noticed how shocked Chris was when jonathan said "niggas"

  • hhahaha i love them both.

  • LMAO Tom Hanks wants to die when Ross drops the N-Bomb.

  • How did i get here from skyrim?

  • Nigger is only a derogatory term when used in a derogatory way. I find it strange when I hear white Americans say "the N word" in journalism. Its childish, immature, and gives the word much more power than it deserves.

    Chris Rock's segment about black people and niggers was iconic, and will go down as one of comedy's great pieces because of course it was funny, and his presentation was impeccable....but most of all because its true.

  • @AziMeX Everything you just said I completely agree with.

  • @AziMeX

    Absolutely 100% spot on.

    "The N Word"...as if the universe will implode if you add the other 5 letters! IT'S JUST A WORD. Like every other word ever written or spoken, it is entirely dependant on context and usage. The notion that the word itself has some kind of voodoo hex on it, and every time you say it bad things will happen, is beyond stupid. Nigger. Nigger. Nigger. My god, we're all still breathing!

  • @AziMeX

    The great Lenny Bruce did a routine about the power and offense of the word 'Nigger' in comparison to the fact it is a word composed of letters and sounds which was superb. And that was done way back in the early sixties. George Carlin did a bit about the word 'Nigger' too which I also recommend.

  • @AziMeX get over yourself man

  • @AziMeX well i dunno if u could throw that word around in a mainly dominated 'white press' washington but yea its derogatory if intended - bit like 'paddy' only us Irish can call each other it but if an english person says it ooohhh thats a paddlin' :)

  • @AziMeX

    Indeed. I like how black people can call American white people "crackers" and the white people are supposed to just take it. But when a white person says "nigger" the black person is ready to fight and pissed off.

    Whatever happened to, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?

  • I dont are if someone says nigger. As long as its in not the racist context.

  • Lmao the brits can get away with anything in that accent

  • So what's the problem to say a nigger? For me, definitely not. Europeans and pendejos robbed Africa over the years, now they all feel ashamed, don't them? Of course, Chris Rock is not that nigger, because he looks like a good guy, but an N word suits the best for those who sland crack and don't work .

  • @jimbobfreddiewilson1 some of us white people do to. When I hear that word it's a slap in the face to me because it was used to demean, degrade, and subjugate an entire segment of the human population based solely on ethnicity. Just because I'm white does not mean I can't feel the shame in that word.

  • @rachiti Why, are you responsible for the racism of others? Take a self righteous whip to your apologetic back sometimes you self flagellating fool.

    Some black people use equally derogatory terms aimed at white people. Does that make black people who don't responsible?

  • @Maxshard I'm not responsible for the racism of other except for every human's responsibility to STOP racism in it's tracks. The WORD's connotative meaning resounds with shame - not my personal feeling for it. There are no equally derogatory terms for white people said by black people regarding connotative historical meaning within US society because white people in the US historically had power over black people. Regardless, race-based derogatory words should never be used.

  • @rachiti You have no idea what racism is and see it as a one way street. In Africa, they call it tribalism. Don't waste my time with your self righteous, left wing, bleeding hearts rubbish.

  • wats this arrow to the knee shit?

  • The thought of Tom Hanks screaming the N word at Chris Rock as he walks into a building makes me laugh.

  • @Filmzie lol tom hanks is too nice and sincere of a guy to do that, look how bashful he was being during this interview

  • @Filmzie see my vids&learn herbs like kelp,kale,coriander,cayenne,da­ndelion,dock ETC

  • @jimbobfreddiewilson1 Or maybe you could get over your neurosis about a word that doesn't even apply to you.

  • @jimbobfreddiewilson1 They care because it was used in a time when black people were considered sub-human, tortured, and used as slave labour until their premature deaths. The prejudice they still face in society in the form of verbal racism is a remnant of that time...no one needs to be reminded of that you ignorant pr!ck. Black people use the word because in using it they have made that word their own and diluted it's message.

  • @dchalf10 I'm offended when I hear it from ANYONE regardless of race. If black people use it and have the notion that people of other races cannot use it...then it is using it with a sense of entitlement. Also I know some black people who find it offensive even when other black people use it - so it's STILL offending them. Either everyone uses it as a non-derogatory word or nobody uses it. The LGBT community did that with "queer" and it totally works because the INTENT is the key.

  • @dchalf10 I do agree with the rest of what you said though - Every word has some form of connotative (implied meaning linking it to other things) and denotative meaning (actual/direct). That word has zero positive connotative meaning.

  • @rachiti Are you trying to say that there is an heap of positive detonastive meanings? I don't think so! It means "That black man over der", in detonated form. It also means "Black man", which is a very dividey, tribal thing to say, if you'll pardon the pun, as the schoolmistress said to the gardener.

  • @WhiteTreeTop I'm not even sure how to reply to this because your grammar/spelling is such that it's rather incomprehensible. From what I can make of it though - you're assuming that my focus on connotative meaning implies that I do not think the same of the denotative meaning.  You are incorrect. It means simply that the connotative meaning is the stronger of the two, and the primary reason for emotive responses to it - thus my focus on it.

  • @jimbobfreddiewilson1 connotations my friend

  • @jimbobfreddiewilson1 Dude, you have no clue.

  • And thus starts the long search for majesticmaniac's comment.

  • The word nigger originally just referred to a black person but I guess the way it was used, especially about slaves, made it offensive to some. I personally think when black people refer to themselves as nigger it diminishes the word so it's not as 'powerful' when white people use it. Same as when people call themselves fat or whatever, it's hard for others to use it as an insult when people already call themselves it!

  • @crazypianolady it originated from spanish for black which is neegro

  • @Neall07 Yes that's what they used to call them. Then 'coloured' which is silly cos whites go through more colours (red when embarassed, blue when cold lol). My Grandad still calls black people negros actually :S

  • Chris Rock is a LEGEND!

  • Comment removed

  • @npgfunk yes it has something to do with the topic. u said the word nigga is a term of endearment amongst black people. the word nigga is offensive and so is the word cunt so u wont find us in the future referring to a woman in a positive manner as a cunt wud u!

  • WHat I find so funny about the N-word debate is the need that some whites feel the need to use the word. Why must they ask if it is ok for them to use the word when the context in which most any word is used is what matters? I think the question to this debate for whites is this: ask yourself why you want to use it? Would you want to use spic in reference to a hispanic person or chink in reference to an asian person? Do you ask why you can not use those terms?

  • @npgfunk the thing i find most weird is that its frowned upon as a white person to refer to a black person as nigga, but a black person uses this term in every other sentence. if it was so offensive, why do they use it so often. think the world has gone mad, people call white people honkys, gingers everything, chinks, pakis, just a slang term!

  • @jamiegregg90 When was the last time you heard someone refer to whites as honkeys?? Have you been asleep for the last 35 years? It is a context issue: when whites use the word, it is in a derogatory and ememaning context. THat is the only reason they would have to use it. SOME blacks use it as a term of endearment. I dont agree with either. White people who want to use it, simply want to call blacks niggers - and black peope know that.

  • @npgfunk u must have been mate, coz its been used in american comedy sketches! yh i agree the word nigga is an offensive term to use, but its no more offensive than referring to sumone as ginge because of their hair or chink because their chinese. it makes no sense to use an offensive word and change it to being a word of endearment to other black people, when they say the word their referring to their skin color as u dont see a black man say, "whats up my nigga" to a white person do u.

  • @jamiegregg90 i simply stated the fact that it is used as a term of endearment.  Being black gives a unique perspective on the matter. I dont like it - but that is the fact. THe offense is where you find it. SOme simply find no offense in the casual use of the word among blacks - thats unfortunate. But it still means something different when whites use it as a weapon on blacks - and it always will. SOrry - thats the real world and I am simply acknowledging that fact - not endorsing it.

  • @npgfunk i dont like all this whites use it as a weapon on blacks, black people are not inferior anymore in the UK OR USA. The word in question should not be used full stop, and black people cnt moan that it stilling being used if they so freely use it. do u not think nicknaming sumone ginger because of their hair colour is on a level with calling a black person a nigga, coz i do!

  • @npgfunk so in 10 or so years time we will be using the word cunt as a term of endearment towards women. i dont think so!

  • @jamiegregg90 I never suggested that. That has nothig to do with the topic. What are you talking about?

  • @npgfunk All the time...

  • @jamiegregg90

    as a black person, it's more of a term that isn't offensive if you're on the outside. For instance, you can pick with your little sibling, and it's all fun and games. But if some douchebag at school wants to start a fight with your little brother, or sister, then shit.just.got.real.

  • @jamiegregg90

    The n word originally wasn't anything offensive at all, and was turned into something negative by white people as a racist slur. Blacks on the other hand when talking to other blacks don't carry the same racist tones with the word since we're all black. So, when we say, "whassup, nigga," or something like that it doesn't mean the same thing.

  • @jamiegregg90

    not saying that all white people that might say "nigga" mean to be offensive when using it, but it coming out of the mouth of a white person sometimes means other things. No black man was ever a part of the KKK or anything, so it just doesn't have the same history.

  • @DarthScorpio11 to me the n word is offensive and the fact that black people still use the word to refer to another black man, notice it is never used to refer to a white person, baffles me. to me, no black person can moan about it as it is still used by them. it either has to be eradicated altogether, otherwise the word will still have meaning and be used in everyday common practice!

  • @jamiegregg90

    rappers called Eminem "my nigga" all the time. Even though he is white, they still refer to him as that. Like i said, all about context, bro

  • @DarthScorpio11 Clayton Bigsby, black white supremacist.

  • Wow why is Jonathan saying niggers? He should just be like "the N word". Be respectful guy.

  • @CBabeey

    He's talking to a guy who did a skit on the difference between niggas and black people and he should not use the word 'nigga'? Seems a bit weird to me.

  • @CBabeey so chris rock is allowed to say it but jonathan isnt?

  • frickin love chris rock.

  • I personally hate the 'N' word, but what can you do when the ignorant rappers and celebrities use it anyway they please. I mean a lot of songs this days has the word in it. So why can't a white person say it, if it is so mainstream?! The N word should be banned. It is a derogatory word and all this stupid ignoramus idiots should desist from using the word.

  • @ohcantona10 yeah banning a word, that's easy to do, very easy for a government to ban something anyone can say

  • @ohcantona10 You can ban all the words you want, but you can't stop the reason why people use those words. The word itself has no meaning, no power, without context. Banning a word isn't going to make people ignore the fear that generates the hate that leads to the use of such words. In other words: You can ban racist terms, but that in and of itself won't stop racism.

  • @ohcantona10 "The N word should be banned". It's impossible to ban a word. You can make certain words socially unnacceptable... but the notion of banning a word is ridiculous.

  • @wurble I'm with you mate. NOBODY but NOBODY should own ''Language''. Nobody should tell ANYBODY what they can or cant say. Keep speech free I say.

  • @wanderer1955 ok..so y dont u go on tv n scream fuck u fuck u fuck u all day and label it free speech then see what happens!!

  • @MegaWezt Its already been done mate. Just watch the Jerry Springer Show.

  • @ohcantona10 The reason we can't say it is probably coz we haven't used it properly in the past . . .

  • You can tell by the reaction of the Americans Chris and Tom that's it's a delicat subject for them.

  • Chris Rock, always funny.

  • Louis CK gets it. Jonathan unfortunately doesn't. The word is not a pun, at best it's a setup. To a real point. The point that racism has "grown up" and is sneaky like that. The only time you might need to use the word is when a person was the victim of a crime with racist motivations and you're a cop taking down witness statements. The other time apparently is when someone makes very good coffee, but you'll have to watch Louis' standup to know what the hell that means.

  • @accordingToSpecs Jesus, watch the full interview (it's also on YouTube) if a "real point" is what's important to you. This is a 56 second clip. The point that Jonathan tries to make was that, did Chris Rock find that he offended people by using those sorts of phrases in his stand-up, and where there any subjects that he simply refuses to touch (to which CR responds, "Oprah -- why go after the world's only black billionaire?" Brilliant).

  • @BlackAcesBlackEights Alright, you do have a point that this clip is taken out of context. I just thought it was a bit careless. :)

  • I got here from ponies.

  • I used to be an N word, but then i took an arrow in the knee...

  • @pepomk123 hahaha skyrim lmao

  • @pepomk123 TO the knee.

  • @lllmrsdarcy4everlll IN the knee

  • @pepomk123 SHUT THE FUCK UP IT'S NOT FUNNY ANYMORE

  • @pepomk123 Maybe you should take some originality to the humor...

  • @rockmanpunkman Yes,yes.. And maybe you should shut up. It was long time ago, it was still funny then. Also whipping knee jokes is so last year...

  • @pepomk123 Big man troll ohhh scared.

  • @rockmanpunkman troll? 

  • @rockmanpunkman You sir are the one that does the trolling around here.

  • @pepomk123 joke is getting old you stupid dickmouth tool.

  • @Robby303 Read the comments you illiterate prick. Hope you don't kiss your mom with that mouth.

  • @pepomk123 i did. the arrow to the knee joke is only for tools like you.

  • @Robby303 Funny how no one complained a month ago. Not only that, it got rated as the top comment. Have fun bashing it now, for it will get old too...

  • chris was in disbelief for a sec there, when he actually heard a white person saying it :P

  • Redguards........tsk...tsk...t­sk

  • @Tokareka1 Actually now it's Redguards and Nords, Imperials, Bretons...(^_^)

  • I <3 Chris Rock!

  • I used to like Chris Rock like you, but then I took an arrow in the knee...

  • Oh man. If Tom actually said it I'd have died laughing.

  • i think everyone should be able to use it or no one if it comes to "poetry" or music or whatever.

  • "go on Tom lets hear one for the team" lmfao

  • @0jrhindo Nigeriens

  • Tom Hanks reaction is hilarious.

  • Who cares? it's a word that has been given too much power. to me it's weird, i don't see it as calling someone homeboy or homie or whatever slang you use for a friend. I think it has mutated into something that is too overly complicated and honestly not the worth the time to mention. why do white people feel so compelled to use it anyway? i mean, what? you don't say it means you're not a friend?

  • Nigger can have two opposite connotations. One as a term of insult and another as a term of endearment. At least that's my understanding of it.

  • u know words can only be effective if u let them,

    its the receiver who gives the words power, not the sender,

  • I miss the beginning of this obviously. why is tom so embarrassed by this conversation? did he say something earlier on the show or were they just picking on him??

  • @DINOLOVER6717 The word "nigger" is more of a taboo in the UK than it is in the US, and Tom was just embarrassed that Jonathan had used it.

  • @OneWayRoad So it's 'bullshit' to say "There should be no racial exclusivity to 'Nigger'"? is it? Wearing your racism a bit thick there; try re-reading my post and thinking a little before you reply. There are plenty of sensible black and white people (and all others) who take a mature view of the word Nigger. They can see that respectfully using the word to ask questions about it's meaning and usage is fine. But using Nigger to abuse is wrong. Reasonable people can see this distinction.

  • @t5kcannon1 why has my comment disappeared? did the bbc delete it? yes its bullshit, i believe white people should just avoid saying it because there is no need for it, no matter the intent. nigger is a very serious insult and its shouldnt be said by a group that used to use it to oppress the other, whether or not they are being "mature" or "sensible " about it now

  • It's progress to see someone white use 'Nigger' in the context of (behind the jokes) a serious question. We need to make a distinction between using 'Nigger' in an abusive way, and in an enquiring way. There should be no racial exclusivity to 'Nigger', since that goes right against equality between the races. To try to understand is right, and we should ask, but to offend is clearly wrong. Now, lets see a USA chat show host do the same.

  • LMFAO!

  • The thing is though, Jonathon Ross is a Bad Ass Mother Fucker for dropping the N bomb. I love Jonathon Ross and Chris Rock, full stop.

  • Is that ghett's =O lol.

  • tom hanks facepalm roflroflrofl

  • Arkwaaaard haaa

  • Tom Hanks is so sweet :)

  • as a black person the n word shouldn't really be an issue the moment we started saying certain people cant use it is when it became a problem because it give the word power.

  • @sTreek90 It kind of had power already, though - that's *why* black people generally feel white people shouldn't use it.

  • @sTreek90 My take is that everyone is different. Some people use it and some people don't. So, you have to mold your language based on who you are talking to.

  • @sTreek90 Completely agree man, as soon as you get everyone saying it black, white, asian etc with no offense being taken on any side you completely remove the power from the word. I also think that it depends on the context a word is used in and whether or not it is being used for offense. As soon as you don't let a word offend you it just becomes another sound like the rest of them.

  • @sTreek90

    Except it already has power. It's history.

    And yes, white peope can't use it because it fundamentaly dosen't mean anything to them.

    That's not even getting into the fact that most of them wanna use it as an insult.

  • @plaparen Saying that most whites are racist didn't make you look like a complete racist fool there, well done backing your point up.

    Words such as nigger, honkey, gook or any other insult based on race only have power if those who they are used against take offence to them. If nobody took offence to these words they'd become slang, rather than insults. Call me a honkey all you like, it won't upset me or offend me, sticks and stones.

  • @sTreek90 Here's the truth! The way the word is commonly used has a certain meaning and conotation. It's pronounced differently and if it's not delivered "properly" (with a "typical hood" accent) you can sound silly. I've heard Jamaicans, Africans, and other blacks say it and it doesn't fit, BUT I know they're most likely NOT saying **NIGGER**. If you're white you run the risk of being misinterpreted, even Tiger Woods would get a funny look. SOME "wiggers" get a pass with no fuss though.

  • @sTreek90 i find it incredibly ignorant that if a white person says nigger as an insult a black man would get offended but then he could then turn around to his friends and start saying shit like '"whats happening nigger" and then it is all of a sudden not racist

  • @sTreek90 2 things one you are correct and second i had a syrim though word of power COME ON did no one else think that?

  • @sTreek90 This is true. You either kill the word entirely and say no one should say it, or you say its ok for everyone to use it.

  • @rorshachfan You can't intentionally kill a word. It will always exist, and the more taboo it is the harder it dies. Make it obsolete or nerdy or out of date is the only way.

    The whole nazi/hitler thing is supposedly 'banned' in germany but people will still use it either way.

    Look at vanilla ice and try to imagine the last white person using the same phrases.

  • context. 

  • I think chris was shocked because , everyone he's come across who has ask him about his material has probably been to afraid to mention it incase it offended him , i don't think he was offended at all.

  • Tom Hanks is so adorable XD

  • jonathan ross is insane..only he can do it with out offending chris lol.

    they should fire the idiot at the bbc who took him off the air..

  • OMFG cant believ jonathan ross said that did you see the look on chris rocks face as if to say "did he just say what i think he did" lol great comedian chris rock is true legend!!

  • The N-bomb was drop ladies and gentssss

  • @chrlskrkl in the usa you cant even say shit its bull

  • I actually don't know any black person that is offended by the 'N' word.