The Attempted Murder of the N-word

There is still racism and hate speech in the news; I wonder if we will ever be totally free of it. Just last week, Duane Chapman, star of his own show, Bounty Hunter on A&E, was caught on tape, expressing his disdain for blacks, using the N-word and other offensive language, while trying to get his son to break off his inter-racial relationship with a black girl.

But wait! I thought the N-word was dead? Wasn’t there a funeral, with a coffin and thousands of witness, not to mention coverage by mainstream media? To me, a funeral implies certain death and the absolute end of life. So unless we are to believe in the resurrecting power of this word, I contend that there was no funeral, only an attempted murder. The N-word then laid low for a while, recouped, and is now back terrorizing the lives of blacks everywhere.

Was the NAACP a little ambitious in its attempt to bury this word? I’d say so. Since we have freedom of speech in this country, we can never ban a word no matter how offensive. Holding a ceremony, and inviting thousands of people will get you media coverage, but will not change anyone’s beliefs, or their rights to voice an opinion. I have respect for human rights, and unfortunately that is a double sometimes triple edged sword.

While I don’t agree with using the word, I respect everyone’s right to use it. I always say, white people can use the word, but when they do they run the risk of an ass whipping. The main reason I’m such an advocate, is because I know I say a lot of things that people may not agree with. I would hate to have my voice silenced, to not be able to express myself and so I feel obligated to extend the same courtesy to my fellow Americans.

While we may never be able to bury the beast that is racism, we certainly can combat the symptoms. I will admit that using the N-word is one of the more obvious symptoms; however, I would argue that it is not the most severe. Perhaps because I am a member of generation Y and have never been called by that name, or experienced the hate and malice behind it, I don’t see it’s assassination as one of our community’s most pressing emergencies.

Though I would be offended if I were called a nigger, I know that it’s not the worse thing that is happening to our people right now. As a female, I’m naturally concerned with the objectification of women, but I’d be more concerned if they were being forced into that lifestyle. Since these women are volunteering in drowns, I don’t think it’s too much of a problem.

I’m more worried about the physical effects of racism than I am about the abstract. It seems to me that unequal justice is a bigger symptom of racism in America. Police brutality against minorities and the wrongful accusation and conviction of black people is something this country should be ashamed of.

Minorities are more likely to be stopped by police, especially if driving the wrong car or in the wrong neighborhood. Blacks are also disproportionately represented in the prison systems. The Michael Bell tragedy is just one example of what is happening all over our country. While some are guilty, minorities are more likely to be falsely accused of crimes, and because many of them can’t afford adequate representation, they are more likely to be convicted.

In addition, Black and Latino boys are more likely to be given harsh penalties for crimes committed as minors and adults. According to the Children’s Defense Fund one in three black boys will go to prison in their lifetime. Is that because blacks are more likely to commit crimes, or more likely to be punished when they do? I’ll have to go with the latter.

Also, crimes committed against white people are typically treated with more outrage and urgency, than crimes against black people. Just watch the news. JonBenet Ramsey, Elizabeth Smart, Lacy Peterson, etc., when pretty white girls go missing it’s national news for weeks, even months until they are found.

Erica Pratt, the black girl from Philly who escaped her captors on her own, was only given the standard 15 minutes of fame. Was her story no less interesting, or was it her skin color. Again we can see that justice is not blind. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, 80% of those executed committed crimes against whites, although there was an even number of crimes committed against black and white people.

Looking back in history, the Holocaust, genocide against Jewish people, was a major cause of the Second World War. Now there is genocide going on in Africa, with not so much of a flinch from our government. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in Darfur since 2004, but our government isn’t declaring WWIII. Is the ethnic cleansing of one group of people more outrageous than another? I’ll have to go with no.

Minorities are disproportionately represented among the lower classes. Examining how the government treats the lower class, is an indication of how they feel about our many plights. The gross mishandling of the Katrina disaster is one extreme example. The late response, inadequate supplies and failure to rebuild the predominately black area are the result of an ill-prepared government, not doing enough to help its poor and/or minority citizens.

In addition, Bush has given tax cuts to the wealthiest one percent of our nation, but vetoed the SCHIP bill. The SCHIP bill was designed to help provide health coverage to our nation’s poor children. With the cost of health coverage rising, it is almost impossible for some to keep there kids in good health. It’s clear that our government cares more about helping big businesses, and wealthy contributors than they do about helping the majority of citizens in this country, especially children. The school systems in these poor neighborhoods lack supplies and are not sufficiently preparing our kids for the future. The government’s solution for this seems to be vouchers for private schools.

Unfortunately that would take even more money out of our public schools, which would not be to the benefit of the majority of children. Private schools can deny children for a number of reasons, while public schools are obligated to educate everyone. Public schools need all the money and help they can get, and they need to be free to teach the kids, not just prepare them for standardized tests.

How can we expect the advancement of colored people when there are still so many problems in our society? The way we can help our people is by being active in the community, helping those who can’t help themselves, who are wrongfully convicted or killed for no reason.

By demanding the government provides everyone with an equal opportunity no matter where they live. Though it was a nice symbolic gesture for the NAACP to hold a funeral for the n-word, it doesn’t change anything. If they don’t want people to use the word, all they can do is lead by example, outside of that there is nothing that can be done in that arena.

Whether they are racists, or victims of racism, we can’t change the way people think or feel, no more than we can change the bend of the trees, or the shapes of the clouds in the sky. All we can do is combat the symptoms, and hope that gives us and our children a fighting chance. But please let’s start with the real ones.