I assumed it was the same word as neger. I am not versed in Spanish. I just googled and found that it originally meant certain ethnic groups, and that it now means something like “little black person”,but I don’t know how that word is used. I am just fairly certain indeed that Cavani didn’t use it in that context as a racial slur.
As for the Norwegian word neger, when I grew up, everyone used it as the word for really black people, changed in the 90s-2000s, now far less people use it and we are being culturally conditioned to stop using it because many see it as hurtful due to historical connotations and so on.
Which is why “We’ve very very sorry, lost in translation, won’t do it again £20K to a suitable charity” etc would have been the infinitely better solution.
Much like the English ‘negro’, it was a loan word from Spanish used to describe people from Africa - and at a time when they were being trafficked as a commodity. So there is rather less confusion about what it means in Northern European languages. But taking that acquired meaning back to the loaning language is simply stupid.
It can cross over in Portugal however you can use alternative words for black in Portuguese.
Have to say hearing it in Brazil was a little odd for a white Northern European. Anyhow I’m learning I’m more open to it’s use than I probably was when Suarez used it, being online he will probably face a 3 game ban which seems the course.
It feels very similar to the origins and now divergent use of the word kaffir. In South Africa it’s long been offensive, in Sri Lanka not at all.
I believe it is originally a Muslim term meaning unbeliever (ie, someone not of the Islamic faith)?
I was told a story some time ago about a high level trade meeting in Africa about 20-30 years ago. A very dark skinned Nigerian and a white blonde-haired South African were introduced. Upon learning that she was from South Africa he quipped, “So I’m what you’d call a ‘kaffir’”…
“That’s right” she replied… [OH SHIT!]
“…I’m a white kaffir and you’re a black kaffir”
I think that was a very fucking dangerous retort but apparently everyone burst out laughing, immediately cutting the tension created by the initial quip.
Although it was a few decades ago and occurred in another continent, the FA are readying charges.
On its own merit, I’d like to see Cavani give a statement saying he didn’t mean it racially, and will agree to attend whatever educational forum might be appropriate, as recommended by FA, and also make a donation to a suitable charity.
I think these things are educational and cultural, so some understanding must be given, and again, if judged in its own merit, something like the above would suffice for me.
However… and it is a big fat HOWEVER…
Precedent. Suarez was hung out to dry. He got a lengthy ban. He became a pariah. There was little to no understanding extended, nor appreciation of culture and the way language is used. As Arminius noted above, Man Utd manufactured a level of outrage over the whole thing that damaged a rival, so there’s little desire in me to extend the benefit of any doubt to Man Utd’s Cavani.
I hope for the same, or close to, what happened to Suarez.
I expect a slap on the wrist, maybe a one game ban, something inconsequential.
The only fact mentioned in the extract you quoted was that Suarez said negro more than once. There’s not one single other fact mentioned, the rest are the conclusions of the Tribunal.
Sure, that the Tribunal rendered a decision is a fact…nicely clutched straw.
I was always under the impression he used the female version, which sort of makes sense considering it was Evra. Which is why I thought the ban was for being considered sexist as well as racist.
You have to love the absurdity of the FA and PFA offering “diversity training” to players arriving from overseas, so that they can be browbeaten into adapting to an anglocentric way of doing and saying things or risk being sanctioned as a racist. That is the opposite of Diversity Training. That is a program to turn Tarzan into Count Graystoke.
There is a real ugly cultural superiority at play here in the way a lot of people interpret this story and those like it. The issue is not that Uruguay is kind of racist and so its people are used to saying things there that do not fly in a civilized country and so need to be educated in our enlightened ways. The issue is this is only racist if you translate the word literally and then apply an anglocentric interpretation of that translation. Viewing this as a case of him having to adapt his spanish so he doesnt use words that sounds like racist English words is peak colonial style racism (without the genocide).
