I don't know if I'd call reappropriation successful outside of the communities reclaiming the words because there hasn't been enough dialogue on what reclamation is and where its power lies. I don't think people would find the concept foreign if they thought about it.

For example, when talking to family members, all of us are comfortable with using n-5star to refer to each other. The context doesn't matter: anger, camaraderie, jokes, term of endearment, whatever. It's cool because we know what's meant and we don't view it as threatening.

But if someone unfamiliar started calling any of us n-5star, we'd be pissed.

Once, when I discussed this on a different blog with mostly whites who seemed to understand the association, someone came up with the example of siblings who routinely fought each other. For fun, out of anger, whatever -- that's just how those two siblings bonded. Now, if someone else -- another kid, a teacher, a random adult -- started roughhousing and punching your sibling, without any record of familiarity, there'd be a problem.

I think it's a good starting point for understanding because it emphasizes the importance of mutual understanding and respect, but obviously there needs to be more discussion.

you are right that it's not a perfect analogy. but my point is just that if all we hear is the whine, well...

what would happen if the democratIC party, or one of them, identified themselves during a speech as "the democrat" party? think about it. proclaimed it with a swelled chest and a smile and a "i dare ya" twinkle in the eye? and then moved on with the speech?

it would step on that insult is all. would the People care that the "ic" was left off? the slur would be deflated! useless.

Exactly. But everyone likes seizing on little errors to avoid the larger point -- a lack of cooperation between the parties when it's needed. I don't get the big kerfluffle over leaving off "ic" at the end of the party. If we started calling them the "Republic party," would it really matter?

wouldn't work against them, i know that. i've known republicans who love to say "murka is not a democracy, it's a republic." so using "the republic party" makes it sound like it's America's party. Repubs are a bit ahead of the game when it comes to messaging, anyway. they'd know how to flip it without sounding like whiners, i think. they've realized earlier, maybe, how crucial media memes are to public opinion.

these parties will not be "cooperating." they, as always, are composed of many agents looking out mostly for their own cush. when these myriad projectiles of self-interest overlap and appear to be a common cause that benefits cooperation, we'll see it happen. otherwise, they are the Coke and Pepsi of political life and never the twain shall meet! ;)

How about the "Publican" Party. Has a nice Biblical ring to it, no?

jeje...yeah. pub-lickin. the accent should fall on the "lick," methinks.

in all actuality, i think going tit for tat only looks bratty and weak in any situation. the stronger move would be to negate it by reclaiming and using their shortened version, or just ignoring it as if you dont hear them say it. it's all the whining about "Ohhhh MOMMMMMMMM they're saying DEMOCRAT party again! make 'em stOOOOOP!" that i would avoid.

I've seen this whine going on for a while, and I really don't get how it's a big insult. It's not like when George the Smarter was preznit and pronounced "Saddam" as "Sodom". Don't members of the Democratic Party say "I'm a Democrat"?

And I like "Publican" too. It sounds like they run a bar.

I feel—based on one video I should have bookmarked—that bush doesn't even mean the insult, and that's part of what makes the complaining Dems look so damn whiny. He was talking about the principle of democracy as an adjective, and he used "democrat" not even speaking about the party. I was like "hunh..." because it made no sense as an insult there. After that, I feel it is more in line with "nukyalur," at least in his case. Maybe with other Repubs it is meant as an insult, but really. STOP WHINING anyway!

Of course Bush means it as an insult. Back in '04 he'd switch back & forth depending on his audience: "Democratic Party" when he was talking for the news cameras, to show the general populace what a great guy he was, then "Democrat Party" when he was speechifyin' for his wingnut base.

We don't want to reappropriate "Democrat Party" because it sounds fucking stupid, and if we start using it, then we'll sound fucking stupid.

Complaining endlessly about being called names doesn't?

If sounding stupid is my fate, I'd rather sound stupid by fighting back.

Friend, I'm afraid you are missing my point. The "fate" of sounding stupid in this case is losing the vote. Appearing to be a bunch of whiny children with nothing better to assert yourself on but two letters of a word. But if we disagree here, that's okay. Okay?

Anyway, let's just leave it alone. You either don't get my point or don't want to. It's fine. It will shake out in the end.