Thursday, July 24, 2008

The use of the "N" word is not and never will be Accetable

I have just finished watching MoreMonmouthMusings's  Art Gallagher interview that has been posted by Jim Purcell over at the Insideclamdigger blog and I just have a few comments about it.

Art looks a little disheveled, like he has just woken up from a long winters nap, and at times he seems awkward while trying to explain his position.  He fumbles over much of what he has to say, much like Don Imus did when he tried to explain himself to Al Sharpton. 

At one point, Art tries to link the controversy around Belmar Mayor Ken Pringle's use of the word "Guido" to describe the bennies that flock to his shoretown and his own ill attempts to address race. Unfortunately I don't see much of comparison in this argument.  

While guido may not have been the smartest choice of words by Pringle to discribe the many tourist that crowd the beaches of Belmar each summer, it is certainly not looked at in the same light as the "N" word.  Is guido offensive to some, absolutely, does it make you want to cringe at its mention. I think not. 

The use of the N-word is unacceptable for use, in any way, inside modern English language. It is wrong because the word represents hundreds of years of oppression by white people against black people. The issue of whether the N-word can be used, or should be used, is being hidden behind a "Free Speech" argument and that is ridiculous.

The N-word as a term is not against the law to use. However, I would hope that no one who is in charge of anything, especially tax money, or the promotion of anyone who is intending on spending tax money, should be comfortable with the everyday use of that word. In particular, I would hope that anyone who is involved with politics would not, as a matter of course, use that word because it is classless, tasteless, hate filled and demonstrates a race agenda by using it.

The N-word is not illegal, and no one is saying it should be. It is just terrible that some people are trying to bring it back into fashion again in everyday language. There is a difference between the First Amendment and yelling 'fire' in a movie theater. The way that so many bloggers, who happen to be conservatives, are throwing this word around and trying to gain support for it, I suppose, is unnecessarily dangerous and wrong.

How this argument could be had in the 21st Century, in the United States, is amazing. That this argument is coming out of the political community in Monmouth County is doubly so.

The N-word is not acceptable speech, has never been acceptable speech by anyone, and will never be acceptable speech for anyone, of any race, political party or consequent to any agenda.

I have no ill feeling towards Art Gallagher and I do not necessarily wish him any harm. The problem is that he is a white, conservative member of the Republican Party, in the mostly white, conservative county of Momouth. He is not really qualifed or respected enough in the community to be expected to bring about an intellegent discussion on race and the use of the "N" word.       


2 comments:

ambrosiajr said...

Mike, as you know, I have not commented on this whole discussion of "race relations" on any one of the numerous blog sites that it has been discussed, since I feel that I an not qualified because I, nor may family have been subjected to discrimination of any type, nor have we been the object of the hatred of years past when, if you were an African American, you had to use your own bathrooms,your own water fountains, your own entrance, etc.

My father would tell me stories of when he was in High School and played 4 different sports at Red Bank High. In the early '40's, Red Bank High was integrated, and the sports teams consisted of both black and white students. But if the team decided to go to the Carlton Theater (now, ironically, the Count Basie Theater), they would make the black athletes sit all the way in the back of balcony. My father told me that the whole team would sit up there in solidarity since they knew that that was just plain wrong, and hell, they were a TEAM. This was not the deep south, this was in Red Bank.

So, again, I am not qualified to know how an African American would feel about the use of the most hateful, vulgar word that you can use in context of and with African Americans, that I don't see any place where,in the proper use of social etiquette, that this language would be remotely acceptable.

You can mask it all you want with using a "stimulated discussion" spin, but in the end, we, as caucasians, have no business talking about, using, or even discussing the use of the "N" word.

Art Gallagher said...

Mike,

This post is pure demagoguery. Reading it, I can understand why you don't think you are qualified to have a conversation about race.

You are also not qualified to make an assessment of me, my qualifications or the level of respect I may or may not have in the community.

I can appreciate Mr. Dangler's upset with my posts. But you are just a blowhard who knows nothing of what you are talking about trying to make a name for yourself. Try Mud Raker.

"The N-word is not acceptable speech, has never been acceptable speech by anyone, and will never be acceptable speech for anyone, of any race, political party or consequent to any agenda."

This statement is simply not true. Do some research lazy boy.

I have no ill feeling towards Art Gallagher Really? I have ill feeling towards you after this post.

and I do not necessarily wish him any harm.

You don't necessarily wish me any harm? That means under certain circumstances you do or would wish me harm! Or are were you just being linguistically lazy again?

To Rick: You post disappoints me. While we have our friendly and occasionally testy banter, I really thought you had a stronger character....like your father, and his team mates obviously did.

To say Caucasians have no business talking about, using, or even discussing the use of the "N" word perpetuates the separatism that is at the heart of the problem of relationships between the races.

A bunch of white guys arguing over the N-word is absurd and I'm working hard to keep this conversation I started from devolving into that. But Rick, you are smart and sensitive enough to know that this conversation is not about the N-Word. It is about race relations, as I have said so many times and as you said in the beginning of your post. You're in one of the races. You're qualified. By the way Rick, you may well be a decendent of slaves, as you might learn reading MMM this coming week.

No that that's off my chest...as I have said numerous times in my posts, I am working to increase understanding and acceptance between whites and blacks. Toward that end, I have spent the better part of the week, and will continue until I'm done, researching the history of slavery and race. I've learned some shocking and disturbing things. There will be a series of posts about what I've learned next week at my place. I've already got posts going through Thrusday. Check them out.