Another moment to take a stand and shine has come and passed, with little fanfare. With laws against booing [in the state of Washington] keeping the masses occupied New York City dabbled with an issue that affects roughly 15% of the nation. Take a moment and think if you have any idea what that might have been.
What came to your mind? Something on immigration? Maybe a thought on politics? Well you would be completely off the mark. I’m speaking about the use of the N-word. It’s an issue that deeply affects me, and millions of others of many races. As I’ve stated before that word is the single most offensive word in the English language, untranslatable and unchanged in the centuries of it’s use.
But the City Council of NYC had the chance to make a statement. They considered making a ban of the N-word, setting the stage for reforms across the country and providing an excuse for entertainers and celebrities (not to mention teachers and parents) a forum to discuss or investigate why the term is so wide-spread in its use today. Knowledge is the key to everything in life and this was a chance to educate the ignorance held by so many today.
I know, there are those readers and others out in the world that think I’m over reacting. The word is not a bad thing anymore. Its power has been taken back, changed and made something else now. The last 2 decades have given rise to new meanings and that is what has gone around the world. I say to that, “Take the wool off your eyes.” If any comment is more foolish than this I cannot imagine it, perhaps with the exception of the Native American Indians saying, ‘Hey, who are those guys? Maybe they need help and will be our friends?’ or perhaps, “What’s that big brown thing rushing towards me? I think I will call it ground. Maybe it will be my friend.” [Yes it’s not an exact quote but Mr. Douglas Adams would forgive me I think]
Obviously the City Council of NYC agrees with the view held by me, as does Mr. Michael Richards [doesn’t that prove the point right there?]. Their ban on this word was passed, and you may wonder why less time was spent reporting this than Ms. Rosie O’Donnell’s depression. Because it was a bunch of hot air. The usefulness of the ban rates on par with releasing known illegal immigrant child molesters on bail and expecting them to show up to court (as happened in Vermont not long ago).
The ban has no power. No fines, tickets, jail time, nothing. It’s useless. And the City Council of New York City wants to go to the Recording Academy to get the Grammy’s to ban nominating artists that use this word an the basis of the power contained in this fluff. Can you guess what the response will be?
Forgetting the naïveté of the youth of today, there is no question of the power of the word and its meaning. Considering that why make a pointless ban that serves no purpose than to give a small group of local politicians a talking point for their re-elections? As you can tell this situation has annoyed me.
This is what I think, what do you think?
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