Thursday, March 12, 2015

What Is In A Word

I can't do it again.  I just can't throw up my arms in indignation every time a white person says the N word. Not any,ore.  An old white woman says it a few dozen times while singing along with a rap song, gets captured on camera, and a while later when the film leaks out we all are supposed to shriek in indignation or shudder in fear.  Well, I'm sorry, but I won't be joining in and I'll have a hard time taking you seriously if you do.  I understand the history of the word.  I tried to understand why it would be OK for Black Americans to use the heinous word themselves ... sort of a victory over it and it's past through appropriation. I almost did.  I do not, however, understand how you can put it in a song, sell it to white folks, and then howl in indignation when they sing it out loud.  If you want to howl, that is your right. But, if I were you, I would save my howling ... for there are real injustices out there that are deserving of noisy protest albeit harder to capture on film, set to music, or profit off of.