The n-word double standard… racist noun or endearment?
ARE THE EDUCATED, PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL SPREADING MORE BIGOTRY OVER THE AIRWAVES?
Many people are up in arms about the recent Dr. Laura Schlessinger on-air incident. In the midst of the proceeding ruckus both on and off the airways, the obstinate “Dr. of the airwaves” announced that her radio show will end when her contact expires at the end of this year so she may practice freedom of speech without without fear of reprisal. For an educated and professional marriage and family counselor, she used very poor judgment in how she answered a concern by a caller on radio. The call in to her national syndicated radio show was placed by a wife in a mixed marriage. The wife’s husband has friends and family members who were making racist comments around her. Her husband chose to ignore those comments, and it hurt the feelings of the wife.
Dr. Laura amongst other loud mouth and uncouth radio talk show hosts have “jumped the shark” a long time ago… I say let her get off the air, make her fortune through her diehard fans buying more pointless books or paying to hear her on the chicken dinner lecture circuit.
I do believe Schlessinger was attempting to make a point about using that particular noun (media refers to it as the n-word) which is a very offensive word. It comes with a set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another. While the n-word appears by a few to be acceptable or an endearment in jokes, songs, or movies when voiced by one race but if other races choose to voice it publicly, that is deemed racist. The repetitive use of the n-word in her advice to the wife is what set off anger for many who listen as well as those who heard the comments from another source. The audio and transcript of that particular call can be found at http://mediamatters.org/blog/201008150006
Regarded as well educated, former President Clinton used the term “cracker vote” which aired on the Larry King show. Clinton said that offensive term as he remarked to the Larry and the viewers about gathering votes for President Obama from white voters (regarded as having a bigoted attitude) living in Florida.
I don’t particularly want to be called “european, honky or cracker” either because this is racist. For me, the n-word is racist rather the tone used is humorous or serious. Those belittling words used in any conversations describing white people are far more acceptable when one is referring to a crisp flour wafer cracker, when -tonk is added to honky as in hony-tonk that is referring to a wild saloon, or saying the term european in a conversation referring to people from the continent of Europe. Go figure that out and then explain it to me like I am a five year old.
That being said, we must keep washing those mouths out with a bar of laundry soap for anyone who uses racist remarks even when it is acceptable or an endearment. One day, those freshly clean mouths of bigots and ignorant amongst us will finally start thinking, stop before saying those terms in private and public conversations, in written statements and on the airwaves.
