To kill an N-Word
November 1st, 2007, 9:40 am · Post a Comment · posted by fsherman
Two thoughts about the ongoing debate over the use of That Word in FWB High School’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
•Rev. Larry Boldin told the Daily News that when the panel he was on voted to cut the word, it wasn’t a “censorship issue” but a matter of cultural sensitivity.
Sorry, Rev. Bolding, cutting the word is censorship, regardless of your motive. And as a motive, sensitivity isn’t that different from most other censors who worry that someone is going to be offended by something.
•A letter in today’s Daily News grumbles that “I hear an entire race of people calling each other by a word that they deem intolerant when used by others … If blacks are going to refer to each other using the N-word, then I want the opportunity to do the same.”
As the writer John Rogers has pointed out, this would be a better argument if every other word were acceptable regardless of who says it and where they say it, but that doesn’t happen to be the case. Many jokes people might tell during a bar crawl, for instance, would horrify them if someone else said them in church.
Likewise, words we’d use with our adult friends we’d avoid saying in front of children. Phrases we’d use to our lovers will get a very different reaction when used on a sexy married coworker. And I’m pretty sure “I hear Lucy’s boyfriend calling her by that word … I want the opportunity to do the same” isn’t an acceptable excuse for sexual harassment.
Is acceptability of language inconsistent? Sure. But it’s not unreasonable, and I don’t think most people have that much trouble figuring it out.
