Sillakh said he had to fight as a kid because he was called n****r

[Light_Speed]

Before the Kovalev fight there was a feature on Sillakh's childhood, he said he was picked on because he's half black and other kids called him n****r, so he got into a lot of fights. He grew up in south eastern Ukraine where people speak primarily Russian.

So people need to stop with this "the word is not offensive in Eastern Europe" bull****.

[jas]

Isn't kovalevs trainer a black guy?

[takingaim]

Shut the **** up.

[PainfromUkraine]

It isn't USED as an offensive term because there are basically no blacks in these countries, so no-one is there to be offended by the use of the word. However, if you were black, or part black like Sillakh, then I understand how it may offend you. Maybe his father taught him that the word was offensive, even if it most likely wasn't used as an offensive term intentionally. In any case, these are little kids - you gonna call them racist? Imagine there is a school in an African country which is 99.5% black, and there is 1 white kid - the kids will treat them differently or call them something, not even something offensive but maybe something to distinguish them.

As I said in another thread, this word or usage of such to describe blacks is much more prevalent from the Soviet era population, it is then passed forward to these children and they just use it as a word for 'black', not something to offend with. Whatever connotations are behind that are up for debate and probably vary from person to person.

[Light_Speed]

Isn't kovalevs trainer a black guy?

I'm not saying Kovalev hates all black people, I don't even know what goes through his head. But this is for all the dumbasses who said "the word doesn't mean the same thing in eastern europe, it's normal over there". Then why the **** did Ismayl get offended?

[Light_Speed]

It isn't USED as an offensive term because there are basically no blacks in these countries, so no-one is there to be offended by the use of the word. However, if you were black, or part black like Sillakh, then I understand how it may offend you. Maybe his father taught him that the word was offensive, even if it most likely wasn't used as an offensive term intentionally. In any case, these are little kids - you gonna call them racist? Imagine there is a school in an African country which is 99.5% black, and there is 1 white kid - the kids will treat them differently or call them something, not even something offensive but maybe something to distinguish them.

As I said in another thread, this word or usage of such to describe blacks is much more prevalent from the Soviet era population, it is then passed forward to these children and they just use it as a word for 'black', not something to offend with. Whatever connotations are behind that are up for debate and probably vary from person to person.

If the word is not offensive in the culture, then somebody who's part black will not get offended when he hears it. Ismayl got offended. Put two and two together.

Black kids in the US don't get offended when they're called black or african american, so obviously it's not the equivalent.

I trust Ismayl's reaction over yours.

[Russian Crushin]

I'm not saying Kovalev hates all black people, I don't even know what goes through his head. But this is for all the dumbasses who said "the word doesn't mean the same thing in eastern europe, it's normal over there". Then why the **** did Ismayl get offended?

It doesnt mean the same thing and it is normal over there

[Russian Crushin]

If the word is not offensive in the culture, then somebody who's part black will not get offended when he hears it. Ismayl got offended. Put two and two together.

Black kids in the US don't get offended when they're called black or african american, so obviously it's not the equivalent.

I trust Ismayl's reaction over yours.

Lol seriously? Yes they do. They phrase African American was created to replace black because people were offended, even tho most blacks in the US have no relationship with africa

[SharpBoxer]

[PainfromUkraine]

If the word is not offensive in the culture, then somebody who's part black will not get offended when he hears it. Ismayl got offended. Put two and two together.

Black kids in the US don't get offended when they're called black or african american, so obviously it's not the equivalent.

I trust Ismayl's reaction over yours.

I don't know, I didn't grow up or live in Ukraine past me being 6 months. However, just because someone get's offended, that doesn't mean the other party is trying to be offensive - imagine you were in Sillakh's situation, you would be the only kid of colour in your school, and other kid's would be poking fun at you or saying something about you because you aren't the same as them - regardless of it calling him a negro or just 'different', or anything, obviously it's easy to be offended if you may feel you are so isolated. In the US they won't get offended as that's a politically correct word to describe the ethnic group - in countries like Ukraine the ethnic group of Africans or Blacks doesn't exist, so it hasn't evolved from the word 'negro'. Similar to the other countries where they are not a significant part of the population.

And what do you mean - my reaction? I don't have a reaction, but I do understand Sillakh's potential one...