Rep. Eli Crane used the derogatory phrase in describing his proposed amendment to a military bill. Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty asked that his words be stricken from the record.

    • gullible@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Honestly, this has more nuance than you’d immediately think. Dude’s lived through at least a few iterations of euphemisms that turned into pejoratives, and keeping it straight can be difficult. Depending on the time period, negro, colored, African American, and black could all be considered kind or harsh. That said, definitely racist as hell given he continues with…

      “The military was never intended to be, you know, inclusive. Its strength is not its diversity. Its strength is its standards”

      • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Noted. As other posters have mentioned, it carries a lot of historical connotation… I’ve either never run into it or never noticed it before (again, seems benign, barring the historical context). Thankfully I’ve also never used it, cuz it’s kind of a shitty descriptor - not specific at all.