Comments on: Chicanery and Foolishness: Huffington Post Calls Sasha Obama “SASSY”

By: InformedPerson

InformedPerson — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:46:52 +0000

I am a white male in my 30’s, and I had no clue that “Sassy” was an offensive word to say about black women. In context to little girls, I have heard Miley Cyrus be called sassy as well. I didn’t write the article but I am pretty sure they weren’t being racial in using sassy (give people the benefit of the doubt).

By: cassandra steen

cassandra steen — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:34:06 +0000

The Obama ,
Family has a call to serve we as American
citizens should first respect our new leader,and be thankful that he has not only awife but a God fearing spirit within himself
and for his daughters lets not loose focus on what his role is HE IS THE PRESIDENT! Please allow these girls to grow and mature to become great women one day ,and not pull down to the lowest factor ,where others are pulling from to minimize what President&Mrs.Obama have worked to do by teaching ,vision ,morals,character in their childrens lives.
Lets focus on being a diversified nation ,worring less on trivial things and focusing daily on doing one positive thing for someone else NOT YOURSELF and we will see how much progress will come from that

By: admin

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:29:37 +0000

@laurie Why the repeated calls for “calm” nobody is angry or upset or heated. It was an observation. The word has a history and multiple meanings. Words have power.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:59:19 +0000

Here are 3 definitions found on Dictionary.com:

sas·sy 1 (sās’ē) Pronunciation Key
adj. sas·si·er, sas·si·est

1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent.
2. Lively and spirited; jaunty.
3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat.

Please note: I am an African American woman. I’m sure #3 was how the word was being used. Sometimes it can be so petty to always look for the negative. I do realize that the word ’sassy’ has been used to mean being rude, ’sassy-mouthed’, etc., and particularly in our community historically, but I have heard it used a zillion times in a positive light, and I have heard it used regarding girls that have a lot of spunk and confidence. It is not a universally negative word, though it has been used negatively often and for a long time. Though I understand that the word has been used negatively, sometimes I feel that we are so quick to get pissed off about something. It’s like we are just waiting for a chance to raise hell! Sasha looks ADORABLE in her shades, and I’m confident that this is what the writer meant. So everyone calm down, continue to feel the positive force that is in the air with this election, don’t always let what others have to say ruffle your feathers, especially about something like this, always check your facts and definitions, and let’s continue to bask in the beauty of having brown babies in the White House!

Have a positive and great night.

By: lenise

lenise — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:56:37 +0000

while as a 40 year old black woman, i understand the pejorative meaning, but nowadays when i use it among kinfolk, it usually describes an individual who has a little spunk, a little fire, a little more personality and boldness, maybe even a little smart mouth. back in the day we understand the connotations of slavery as a disrespectful n*****, but in the non-offensive sense of my understanding, it does seem to adequately reflect the child’s temperament … malia seems a little more relaxed and languid in personality. hopefully being in the spotlight at this phase is a fun adventure that won’t warp them…miz michelle has her hands full in that regard!

By: Dee

Dee — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:47:54 +0000

UrbanbyDesign, it was the “Sasha stepped off the plane a new woman” sentence that caught my eye, also.

Add this to the use of the word “sassy”, and for me, personally, I was left wondering whether the HuffPo writers temporarily forgot that they were in fact referring to a sweet little girl, and not an MTV video vamp who’d just donned her shades ready for “lights, camera, action” or a beach bound Samantha from Sex In The City.

I’m in full agreement that the media is getting creepier by the day….

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:09:12 +0000

While ’sassy’ is one of those words that I initially look at with suspicion, I find that today, most of the time it’s used with no racial undertones. What disturbs me is that it’s just not a term for a child. Our world culture seems to be intent upon sexing up our children and with the just-won’t-die sexual stereotyping of Black females, our daughters are especially vulnerable. That’s just the plain truth. HuffPo does need to be checked, precisely because of their previous treatment of Bristol Palin. It all seems innocent now, but these little remarks nudging the girls into the popular-news arena is setting the stage for more serious attacks in the future. Sassy begets sexy, which moves quickly to slutty (Miley Cyrus, anyone?).

And Anne – a list of 50 or so ’secret’ words that offend Black folks would end up being more hilarious than instructive. In most cases, it’s not always what you say, but how you say/mean it. If you like the word sassy, by all means use it. You now can see that it has alternate connotations, but so do 80% of words in the english language for all cultures/races/genders/etc. Just use your common sense when communicating, if your intent is good, then you should have little to worry about. And please stop apologizing.

By: admin

admin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:38:30 +0000

@Mthomas Who is fighting? What battle? We’re commenting on a blog. Nobody is fighting? There clearly are a large number of people who share my concern about their use of the word “sassy.” There are people who disagree. That is their right. The post was put up for discussion and that is what is happening. There is no battle.

By: LaJane Galt

LaJane Galt — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:19:27 +0000

What do her glasses have to do with SASSY?

why not stylish or fashion-forward?

As she is a child, why not “cute”. I suppose because sassy is grown up and we all know that black GIRLS are just really short women.

How can so many people be so damn obtuse? How many sassy sidekicks do black women have to be on tv?

By: Mthomas

Mthomas — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:09:55 +0000

Choose you battles!!!