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=389And 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