We Can't Hide Behind the 'N-Word'

The ‘N-word’ has been in the News over the past week or so with two BBC presenters being called to account; one for muttering it under his breath and another for playing an old version of ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’.  The famous TV personality got his knuckles rapped; the little-known local radio presenter got sacked (although the BBC later offered to reinstate him once it realised that he had not known that the offensive word was part of the original lyrics).

The word is now deemed to be so offensive that it cannot be uttered or written and must be substituted in conversation by ‘the N-word’.  Is this an over-reaction or a necessary guard against incipient racism?

I general, I am in favour of free-speech and take a dim view of people taking offence at robust language, but I do believe that certain lines ought to be drawn and not crossed.  Some words have a history that makes their social use equivalent to assault and ‘nigger’ is one of them.  Their use ought not to be permitted any more than a slap to the face ought to be dismissed as a mere ‘domestic tiff’.

The term, when used by any white person cannot be divorced from the appalling legacy of slavery, humiliation, discrimination and oppression that black people suffered for generations.  It does not matter if, had the tables been turned, black people might have treated white people in a similar way; the facts are that history happened the way it did.  In our culture, it is essential that the history of black-white relationships is not glossed over.

The truth is that only a few decades ago it was acceptable for ‘back and white minstrels’ to appear in prime-time TV shows, for the word ‘nigger’ to guarantee a laugh when slipped into a flagging sit-com script and for children to be treated to a ‘white-washed’ version of slavery in Disney’s ‘Song of the South’.  Gibbering and cowering black men were ‘humorously’ contrasted with courageous whites in comedy horror movies and it was thought to be hilarious to throw bananas at black footballers (the banana throwing continues, but no one pretends that it’s funny).

I sympathise with the hapless local radio DJ who did not preview a song that he was going to play, but careless (never mind intentionally offensive) social use of the term is dangerous.  Even deliberately satirical use of the term ought to be handled with care.  Racism lurks at every white person’s door; just think of why (if you are white) you might want to put ‘the other side of the argument’ to this article.  I do have a problem, however, with the use of ‘the N-word’; ‘nigger’ is an ugly, destructive word and its use ought not to be sanitised…..ever.