A glorious day when no one says this word (may be offensive to some)

[The Straight Story]

Note - I did not edit the writers' text to block out the N word.

MIDWEST VOICES: A glorious day when no one says this word
By MELVINA YOUNG
Special to The Star

I have a dream that one day on the plains of Texas the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will join together in righteous anger to protect the right to say “nigger.”

To paraphrase “Sesame Street”: One of these dreams is not like the other.

As unlikely as it seems, that is exactly what happened last week in Brazoria, Texas. The mayor, supported by black ministers, proposed a ban on uttering “nigger” in an offensive manner in a public place, punishable by a fine of $500.

....

Let’s be clear: Some protesters worried about the effects of such a ban on free speech. Others wondered why the proposal would ban “nigger” but not other racial epithets.

However, others showed up to defend their love of that word. One of the most startling moments came when a young black man stepped from the crowd to proclaim: “Please don’t do this to me. I’d probably be the first one you’d lock up. I love that word.”

And for me, that was the crux of the matter. That moment was beyond irony.

Issues of free speech and the undesirability and probable unconstitutionality of such a ban aside, what has happened here that a black man so loves “nigger” that he’s willing to let white people keep it and all the things that it means to some of them, too?

Over years of teaching black studies, I’ve talked to enough young people to know that to many of them the word has been “taken back,” emptied of hatred and reimbued with meanings that defy white ideas of black inferiority.
....
There is seductive power in that argument. But I ask: Can you really drink fresh water from a poisoned well? Can you really “empty out” a word crammed with centuries of murder, rape and the literal theft of black labor, children, bodies and souls, and claim it’s something new by dropping an “r” and adding “my”?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=389

And to answer before I am asked: "Why did you post this?"

I have been trying to post something each day in honor of black history month (each month has a designation of which I have a list, so I am trying now to at least one post a day for the topic of the month).

I came across this and it really got me to thinking. One, I don't like language bans, period. Two, it is interesting to note that a white mayor and others want to make it a crime for black people to use a word that obviously quite a few still use (and I hear the word pretty much about 3-5 times a week at my local UDF when I go into buy beer, etc. Ok, no etc, just the beer. I am a minority where I live - and I sure as hell am not going to tell someone they cannot use a word - it would be like a black mayor telling me I can't use cracker or honkey.)

So what say my fellow liberals on this whole idea? Outlaw it?

ON EDIT: the list of celebrations per month (in case you want to use it as well):
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fb/yr06calendar.asp

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. We will know we have truly reached racial maturity

when this word is not banned, but no one uses it.

[Catch22Dem]

2. Richard Pryor has a great "comedy" bit on the use of that word

You should try to find it. He talks about how he used it all the time until he realized what he was saying and never used it again apparently. I don't know, maybe I'm full of shit, but I do remember him talking about it.

ON EDIT: I put quotes around "comedy" because it was on a comedy album, but it was one of his very serious on-stage moments. It was great stuff.

[The Straight Story]

3. You are correct

I saw a link to that on DU one time during a discussion of same topic (same, except for the part about a mayor making it a finable offense).

[mcscajun]

7. I saw that bit as well. It's also detailed in Pryor's autobiography

"Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences"

You have to imagine Pryor's voice in your head, speaking very softly and in measured tones when you read this: "When I was in Africa, this voice came to me and said, 'Richard, what do you see?' I said, I see all types of people.' The voice said, 'But do you see any niggers?' I said, 'No.' It said, Do you know why? 'Cause there aren't any.'"

That moment of revelation was what turned his head around on the use of the word.

[Marnieworld]

8. It was after Pryor's trip to Africa

where he had this epiphany. It really is a beautiful piece. He was amazing.

[Bonobo]

4. I say keep the word as long as there are some black americans want to use it.

I think you were right on when you said:

"over years of teaching black studies, I’ve talked to enough young people to know that to many of them the word has been “taken back,” emptied of hatred and reimbued with meanings that defy white ideas of black inferiority."

If it is within the power of black americans to take the word for their own and feel that they own it, have transformed it, then that is enough for me and the well is not posioned.

That does not mean that it does or even CAN mean the same thing when white people use it. Indeed, it is only BECAUSE white people do not have the moral right to say the word that I believe black people feel that they are empowered enough to "make it their own". Finally, the word is SOMETHING they can own and which is beyond the reach of white people and that must go a long way toward cleaning the poison out of their own well.

When white people use it, all bets are off though and the word invariably takes on an unacceptable meaning.

[MadHound]

5. I am against limiting free speech

Besides, one can learn a lot by the speech a person uses.

[ima_sinnic]

6. ridicullous! I am a white person who hates that word & would never

use it, but the implications of making it "illegal" to say are staggering:
-- unconstitutional, to begin with, as it is a clear violation of the right to free speech
-- an "illegal" word is far far more alluring than an ordinary safe old word, so just like banned books, it would be used far more than it otherwise would, simply because the speaker could "get away with it," because I believe it is simply human nature to resist a foolish law.
-- the dumb@$$ public debate that would arise as a result would overpower seriously pressing issues such as unwarranted war/invasion/occupation, corruption in Congress, lack of affordable health care, crumbling educational system, etc. etc.
-- the precedent would be huge: from then on, any word that "offended" somebody could tie up the courts for equal-opporunity banning
-- rather than allowing the power of the word to die, as appears to be the case among black youth reclaiming it--a theoretical process that I think is meritorious--it would be revived as a significantly loaded epithet; this "law" acknowledges its perceived power and would set back the couple or 3 decades of progress that have been made in unloading it and resinstate that power.
-- those who have the word "nigger" in their hearts will not be changed by a dumb law like this, they will just grow more hateful.

In other words, I think this is one of the stupider ideas to be waved around and I predict it will die quickly.

[The Straight Story]

9. Excellent points, especially:

"-- the precedent would be huge: from then on, any word that "offended" somebody could tie up the courts for equal-opporunity banning"

That would indeed be crazy.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. If people are worried about racism...

why don't they clean up the criminal justice system instead of making dumb new laws?

[The Straight Story]

11. Cause people are lazy and want feel good laws

instead of doing the hard work it takes.

Damned shame.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Because people only want to look like they care about racism.

[The Straight Story]

13. Indeed - see my earlier post this am on that

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x198345

I was trying to reach out to the idiots on the right...probably not worth my time though...