Black leaders: End N-word in entertainment

it always baffled me that african americans despised the word, but go ahead and use it themselves to greet each other. it doesnt make any sense.

miller8966 wrote:

Whatever happened to freedom of speech?

There is no supression or censorship of speech here. It is simply a good suggestion by Jackson. You don't really think this is a first ammendment issue, do you?

Jesus...if you want to give your ancestors a present, how about turning your back on the demands you're making of other people's behaviors and freedoms?????

Goddamn it! Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies.

This will get complex. As Collin was hinting, Dave Chappelle uses the word all the time, yet he uses it in a celebratory way, reclaiming it in the context of black culture, with the attitude that "It's okay when we say it because we don't mean it in a racist context, and we're using a degree of irony."

Also, I think of great literature such as the Caribbean poet's Derek Walcott's "The Schooner Flight". He uses phrases such as "red nigger", which are steeped in all sorts of nuances that don't add up to anything like white on black racism, or even black on "red".

So, in these case, the word is used in a different context. One doesn't have to be a deconstructionist philosopher of language to work out that words don't have fixed meanings and can change according to when they're used.

However, this is beginning to give me a headache because it sounds like I'm saying: if a black person uses the word in context, it's free speech, and if it's used by a white person, it's hate speech. Well, how about when a white writer who understands black culture tries to use the word, in the context of portraying black characters? Are they to be banned from doing so? It gets very confusing.

I also think that banning words is no solution to ending racism. I'll use one of my usual analogies: it's like trying to ban skyscrapers by banning the word "skyscrapers". Changing the socio-economic structure of society, which causes racism in the first place, will be far more effective.

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

This will get complex. As Collin was hinting, Dave Chappelle uses the word all the time, yet he uses it in a celebratory way, reclaiming it in the context of black culture, with the attitude that "It's okay when we say it because we don't mean it in a racist context, and we're using a degree of irony."

Also, I think of great literature such as the Caribbean poet's Derek Walcott's "The Schooner Flight". He uses phrases such as "red nigger", which are steeped in all sorts of nuances that don't add up to anything like white on black racism, or even black on "red".

So, in these case, the word is used in a different context. One doesn't have to be a deconstructionist philosopher of language to work out that words don't have fixed meanings and can change according to when they're used.

However, this is beginning to give me a headache because it sounds like I'm saying: if a black person uses the word in context, it's free speech, and if it's used by a white person, it's hate speech. Well, how about when a white writer who understands black culture tries to use the word, in the context of portraying black characters? Are they to be banned from doing so? It gets very confusing.

I also think that banning words is no solution to ending racism. I'll use one of my usual analogies: it's like trying to ban skyscrapers by banning the word "skyscrapers". Changing the socio-economic structure of society, which causes racism in the first place, will be far more effective.

But maybe a movement to try and stop using it serves some symbolic purpose. Blacks acknowledging that they still very much don't like hearing white people usinging, and at the same time agreeing to stop using it themselves.

Sure not using the word in itself will do nothing.. but trying to work together as individuals to end what has been an issue for a long time might be a good thing.

Ahnimus wrote:

Why is it bad for a white person to use it?

Think about it, if the only reason it's bad is because the person saying it is white. Then that's not a very good reason to dislike the word or the person. It actually fits into racism.

I didn't say anything was bad.

However if a person routinely uses a word like that - when they know it is offensive - and there are plenty of other works to get their point across - if their point was not racist.. then perhaps it is wrong.

chopitdown wrote:

I don't htink I want the word banned (meaning legislatively) but I think they should try to get people to stop using it, if it truly is an offensive word.

I thought they were going to try to ban it from tv. My bad.

chopitdown wrote:

that's exactly what my thoughts on it were. To me if something is offensive it shouldn't matter who is saying it.

Here's an analogy:

My friend's brother has cerebral palsy, which makes him do weird movements. We have a word in our language of which I don't know the English equivalent, but you could say it means 'spastic person.' Now, if my friend uses that word and calls his brother that, his brother doesn't mind, he doesn't mind when his best friends use it but when somebody else uses it, even if they don't mean it in an offensive way, he says it hurts and he really hates it. The reason why he doesn't mind when his brother or best friends say it is because they know him, love him, care about him and know how hard his life is...