![]() ![]() White people need to stop hiding behind the superficial claim that they are barred from using the word – they aren’t – and try to figure out why it’s so important for them to say what Wilmore and Obama did. The funeral is part of the NAACP 'STOP' campaign which aims to eliminate the negative portrayal of African Americans in the media. Adams, on the other hand, initially defended his use of the word, aiming to point out the parallels between struggles oceans apart, before eventually apologizing, likely because the political consequences seemed too great.Ī mock funeral to symbolically bury the 'N-word' is held at the 98th Annual NAACP National Convention Jin Detroit, Michigan. That’s what grown-ups do – they are willing to suffer the consequences if they believe their cause is just. Bruce and Tarantino used the word and created a backlash, but they were strong enough to take it because they believed their underlying message was that important. But should they, and when and how? White people decrying why they can’t use the word are, in effect, seeking the consequence-free use of it. The problem has never been whether white people can use the word – they do. He was reacting to “Django Unchained,” a movie about a former black slave seeking revenge on white slave owners in which the N-word is used relentlessly – a movie produced by Quentin Tarantino, a white man. Gerry Adams, an Irish politician, used the word in a tweet Sunday to compare the plight of black slaves and that of Irish nationalists. White teachers have taught the word when assigning “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Black comedian Richard Pryor was famous for using the word – but so was white comedian Lenny Bruce, especially for his “Are there any niggers here tonight?” routine in which he essentially argued that the way to defang the word was by overuse. I’ve spoken to groups of interracial college students who say their black and white members use the word playfully on a daily basis. White people can speak the word while mouthing a rap by Lil Wayne. ![]() White House Correspondents' Dinner red carpet And some might be trying to create a double standard that benefits them once again. So why the angst over comedian Larry Wilmore’s use of “nigger” at the end of his monologue at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to refer to President Barack Obama? (There was a similar uproar when Obama used the word on a podcast last year.) The answer is that a lot of people are not recognizing – or are refusing to accept – that reality. Remember, the swastika represented “good fortune” and was a symbol of peace and harmony for centuries – until Adolf Hitler adopted it while murdering 11 million people. Words often have multiple meanings and evolve, like symbols do. The only question is where the evolution of this word is headed in a society that will soon be majority-minority and the power structure is forced to consider voices it has long ignored. And during most of that period, it made them stronger, oftentimes (with a few notable exceptions) deepening racial divisions and ratcheting up racial fear in white people’s favor in the process.Įveryone with even a cursory understanding of our history knows this. White people can – and have – used it whenever and wherever they please for at least the past couple of centuries. Warning: This article contains offensive language.Ĭontrary to what you’ve heard, there is no double standard concerning the use of the word nigger. ![]()
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