When I was very young, my mother explained to me that a rhyming game I was playing, which involved the use of the word "nigger," was inappropriate (she probably used different language) and I should never use that word. So I haven't since, except within quotation marks.
There are several things that are very irritating about the current "controversy." One is that Jesse Jackson, who preaches the public avoidance of the word, uses it in semi-public. He wasn't being broadcast, but he was in a newsroom.
Next, that anyone pays attention to what Al Sharpton says about it. It's akin to listening to what Jamie Lynn Spears says about her motherhood. It irks me that such people get publicity.
Finally, that people don't know the purpose of putting a word in quotation marks. At that point, you are talking about the word as a component of English. You should be able to talk about essentially any word that way, although since there are few legitimate reasons to use George Carlin's famous seven words except to shock and offend, I can legitimately see how they should be kept out of most writing and conversation.
But the word "nigger" is completely different. It clearly does not shock and offend Black Americans, because it is used casually. We are supposed to believe that they are shocked and offended when white people use the phrase, ever, for which reason we are not allowed to put it in quotation marks. We are obliged to refer to the "N-word" as a transparent euphemism.
When some words are so offensive to certain people that they never hear them spoken and prefer that, it's legitimate to shield them with a curtain of polite speech. But when a word itself is commonly used, this doesn't apply.
That Jesse Jackson used "niggers" to refer to American blacks doesn't bother me except for the hypocrisy. If Bill O'Reilly had used the same word in the same context, I would have thought it very bad taste. However, if people are going to get upset because in a blog, discussing the word and its political importance at this time, I come right out and skip the euphemism, then it's an indication of a complete misunderstanding of legitimate words in the language.
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4 comments:
It's all about the context.
I have no idea what the point here is. The link leads to some gentleman who is at pains to point out that people don't like to be insulted. I agree. I try not to insult people.
On the other hand, we're talking about an antiseptic discussion of a word, used without reference to anyone. It is indeed the context, as I said before. It was insulting when Jackson actually referred to NYC as "Hymietown." It is not insulting when I write the preceding sentence.
There are words which some people seldom hear and by which they are offended on every occasion they do. I would as a matter of courtesy avoiding using such words with such people. This is obviously not the case with the word "nigger," which many black people use routinely. I can see no legitimate reason why a discussion of the word has to resort to such a transparent euphemism as "the n-word."
The point is that there's nothing hypocritical about black people using "nigger" routinely yet expecting white people not to do the same. The word takes on an entirely different meaning depending on who says it, just like the word "honey" means something different depending on whether it's uttered by a spouse or a lech.
As for how crackers like you and me dress up the euphemism when conversation demands that we use the word "nigger", I can't get worked up about that. So long as the intent to avoid offense is obvious, the exact wording is just another etiquette problem, and people who freak out about minor breaches of etiquette are dumb.
If "nigger" is acceptable in black on black conversation, then I'm skeptical that the word itself is particularly offensive in white on black conversation. Possibly it's more offensive to say, "You worthless nigger," than to say, "You worthless African-American," but I doubt it.
Regarding "honey," I'm still not seeing an analogy, except in support of my position. I can call my wife "honey" but you can't. OK, but you can certainly call your wife "honey," and you can use the word without reference to anyone.
I oppose anyone gratuitously insulting blacks, with either of the options I mentioned earlier. I also advocate the use of the word "nigger" in a discussion of the word "nigger," and I'm waiting for anyone to make a relevant remark on that position.
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