Sorry but every vehicle in that series of photos was something a man should never be driving.

Me tho thawwy thir!

and lol @ redfist

Uh...no thanks, Michelle Rodriguez.

This isn't a "white purity" rant. Hell, I'm not really that white; I'm Native American and Welsh. However, Vern getting all pissy about the use of the word "wigger" -- as if it's a racist comment. It's not. It may be a form of bigotry (against an ersatz culture) but it's not racist (a prejudice against another racial group). Disliking someone because they pose and act like something they're not isn't racism, Vern.

Don't you dare preach at me about it, either. I'm knee-deep in Black culture. I prefer to date African American women, but don't discriminate based on race. I've lived in Detroit, Michigan and other predominantly Black cities. I am not some middle-class white kid who doesn't get it. I'm here to tell you, Mr. Vern, that there are plenty of wiggers who CLAIM that term, and are proud of it. Still more want to be called "nigga" because it legitimizes their cosplay-- And that's what a lot of this is: Cosplay. This is a lot of white, middle-class and lower middle-class kids dressing like the gangstas they see on television, and pretending they're "from the `hood" when they're really from the burbs. As a white-skinned guy who has spent plenty of time hanging around African Americans, I can tell you that people have a lot more respect for me and my tendency to NOT "act Black" or "dress Black" and be myself, than they do for the little wannabes who play-act like they're ghetto.

I use the word "wigger" rather freely; So do my Black friends. I try not to use the word "nigger" unless I'm trying to make some sort of a point and even then I use it without embracing it. The difference? "wigger" is a word that came about in the early 1980s (near as anyone can tell) and it defines people who PRETEND to be Black. It's not meant to be racist, but it IS meant to be critical of the false nature of these people. "Nigger", on the other hand, is a word that has a very long history of being used as a racial slur, particularly one used by whites against Blacks.

That history is what makes "nigger" a socially-unacceptable word, and the lack of history is what makes "wigger" not even in the same category.

Regardless of that, my Black friends DO use the word "nigger" quite a bit. I do not, because it's a totally different word with a totally different etymology. The meaning is WAY different than that of the word "wigger".

"Wigger" is critical of a clique, not a race. It's no different than the words "geek", "nerd", or "jock" -- it's a descriptor that DOES borrow from a far worse word, but is NOT that word in and of itself.

I'm sure you're having a hard time reading this, Vern, since you're WAYYYY UPPP THERRRE on a horse that's so inexplicably high that you probably need a cherrypicker to reach it, but consider this before you attack people for their use of particular words: You're no better. YOU use words that are intended to be insulting, deprecating, or diminishing. Don't deny it. I've been reading your reviews for ages, and you're quite fond of being snarky. In your attempts at snark and wit, you giggle at other groups of people who strike you as odd or unusual.

Your bully pulpit is facing the wrong way, Vern. You should be including yourself in your accusations.

And let me say this one more time-- A wigger is not "like a n----- only white!", and if that's what you think, then you're pretty woefully ignorant of what goes on in the world around you. A wigger is "a white person who thinks acting like the worst of the African American stereotypes will make him popular and allow him to escape his own mundanity." And there is a BIG difference, my friend.

One is hating Black people. The other is hating white people who perpetuate the negative image of Black people. If you can't see that the latter is worthy of ridicule, then you can just hand in your sense of humor and report to the William S. Burroughs school of dry, unfunny, holier-than-thou wit.

And yes, the whole scene is ridiculous. That's why people ridicule it and use the proper terms.

By the by-- "ricer" and "rice rocket" do not come from the idea of making fun of Asian PEOPLE. They're criticisms of the origin of the cars used in these modifications; All cheap Asian import cars. And there's not a thing wrong with using the term "rice" to describe something Asian, as long as American white people are A-OK with being "Apple Pie" all the time.