Many years ago I taught young black kids in an inner city. I acquired a profound contempt for the kind of culture, or lack of it, that I encounterd there. I learned a contempt that I never experienced from viewing poor urban America at a distance. The worst of it was a poverty of spirit that was greater than the physical poverty.
But I've never seen a reason to use that word. Whatever your feeling about black people generally, these people are our neighbors. Nothing will alter that fact.
We don't live in Yugoslavia or Iraq. We live in America, and I believe that we can find a way to live together without nursing this poison in our hearts.
I regard the use of the word nigger like I regard the use of pot. When used in the first instance, no immediate measureable harm is done to the person. But both of these practices are daggers aimed at our liberties. The long-term, wider consequences of using them provides the PTB ample ammunition to restrict our freedoms.
Personally, I don't deny anyone the right to use pot or to say the word nigger or any other word that suits them. But I don't use pot or call folks nigger out of principle. I ain't playing either game.
We don't live in Yugoslavia or Iraq. We live in America, and I believe that we can find a way to live together without nursing this poison in our hearts.
We need to bring them here, it's called Multicultural Diversity and best I can tell it's some sort of new religion. Let's sell them some crackers, right?