{N-word} Please!

I've always been fascinated with words and languages in general. When I was taking a German class in college I mistakenly substituted the German word for cocksucker in place of vacuum cleaner in a sentence I was using. I never would have known the difference had the instructor not enlightened me. The experience taught me one thing: there's far too much emphasis put on words being "bad" vs. words used with bad intent.

Just because I, and probably most people, would never use the word "cocksucker" in front of my mother, or at a church potluck, I would never support any attempts to ban the use of that word, or any other. Faggot included.

Now there are other words with double meanings and I really love those: pussy, cock, dick and ass immediately spring to mind.

I belong to the George Carlin school of semantics when it comes to words. They're just words: a combination of letters, and when spoken they are just sounds. Many words sound unpleasant to some people. My mother never cared for the word funk. Not that it's a "bad" word (although it's just one consonant away), she just doesn't like the way it sounds, and therefore she never uses it, despite the fact that very few other people would find it offensive. Such was never the case with the word nigger.

To be honest, my parents didn't use the word that often. I heard it far more frequently elsewhere. But I did hear it in my home on many occasions. For a good portion of my childhood, I honestly thought that was the proper term used for black people. I don't remember when I first heard someone correctly pronounce negro, but it was long after I had grown accustomed to the sloppier rendering.

What is far more interesting to me is how I absorbed the intention behind the word. It was hardly ever uttered casually in polite conversation. There was always an underlying anger embedded in the use of it. And that's what made me uncomfortable rather than the word itself.

Racism can be masked behind any words, or no words at all. Imagine a white woman saying, "I used to feel really safe in this neighborhood until that black family moved in next door."

That is offensive and blatantly racist. And still quite common. And she didn't even use the n-word. She didn't have to; the intent is what I find objectionable.

I have used the word, or variations of it, usually in a music context (like when I'm drunk on tequila and listening to N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton cd, but that's another story) and intended as a mockery of something my father said to me over 30 years ago regarding my music preferences. I'm verbally rubbing his nose in the fact that these black folks, to whom the word was so often addressed, have my utmost respect for their struggles and accomplishments. The stark contrast of a word which has been used for decades by racists who believe black people are inferior serves as a shocking reminder to me when used in the context of expressing my love for black musicians who were the inspiration for virtually all popular music today.

And I still get bitterly angry when I am reminded that some early black singers and musicians were not allowed to sleep or dine in many of the hotels or other establishments where they entertained.

This is a rather long-winded post leading up to a NY Times story today about efforts to ban the "n-word."

The New York City Council may vote on such a proposal by Wednesday; Paterson, N.J., and Westchester County recently approved bans unanimously.

The measures, which describe the forbidden word as an “ignorant and derogatory” insult toward blacks, try to sidestep First Amendment questions by calling for “symbolic” bans only, meaning they do not have the force of law. Because they are largely aimed at blacks who use the word among themselves, the proposals have revived a debate over whether minority groups can co-opt epithets and make them empowering.

Empowerment is something you feel; it's in your head. Derogatory insults are a malicious intention. Words are merely the transportation system. And what the hell does a "symbolic" ban accomplish? Why not just pass a "symbolic" ban on all derogatory insults and leave the words alone?

“There is a swelling population of black youth that use this word as if it is a term of endearment,” said Andrea C. McElroy, a black councilwoman who sponsored a ban on the racial epithet in Irvington, N.J., that was passed this month.

Umm, did she ever consider the possibility that it is a term of endearment in the manner in which it's being used by the individuals using it? She doesn't have to like it or use it. And I would certainly never criticize her decision to refrain from using it, or for despising it. There are millions of people who have been hurt by racism -- many of them physically, and many have been killed. The n-word has certainly been utilized in most of those situations. But words don't kill.

The sponsors of the bans on the epithet say that education is precisely their mission. Clinton I. Young Jr., who is black and who introduced the measure that passed in Westchester, said the legislation he drafted was meant to raise awareness about the painful history of the word.

He and other legislators said their goal was to create more programs like the one in Mr. Young’s district at Ossining High School. That program, called Project Earthquake, exposes black students to the origins of the word through lectures and documentaries, challenges them not to use it, and encourages them to dress professionally for class.

Dress "professionally" for class? In a high school? What does that mean exactly? Wearing the attire which evolved from their white oppressors? {n-word} please! Get a grip on yourself.

It's sad really that in the 21st century a word can still cause so many adverse reactions. And it's more disturbing to see all this energy directed towards banning a word when clearly there are serious race issues which still exist in America. Yes, let's educate our youth (and adults alike). Let's try and understand why white flight is still common, and why whites might be more likely to get a better deal on a loan. And where's the outrage over suppression of the black vote? What about the shameful lopsided rate of black incarceration in our fucked-up prison system?

Banning the n-word isn't going to accomplish a damn thing when it comes to solving real issues.

For those of you offended by the n-word, you might want to skip this Dave Chappelle clip. It is one of the funniest skits I've ever seen and there's no way I'd do a post this long and difficult, on this subject matter, without using it:

I'll leave you with a memorable quote from a 1969 episode of Star Trek, The Savage Curtain:

Abraham Lincoln: What a charming Negress. Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know in my time some used that term as a description of property.

Uhura: But why should I object to that term, sir? In our century, we've learned not to fear words.


Crossposted at Big Brass Blog.