I’m so tired of hearing every radio station, every newspaper, magazine and media outlet talking about Michael Richards and his "meltdown." He obviously has issues, but I really don’t care. "Nig*er" is just a word that small minded people and media-types use for shock value.
I have NEVER said the word referring to anyone. It isn’t part of our lives here in the late 20th century. I don’t personally know anyone who actually had a slave growing up. That era is loooong past! It’s a generational thing. It’s a word that may have meant something 50 years ago, but today, it’s a word that black comedians use because they can get away with it. It doesn’t mean anything to me, or to any people I know. Me and all of my friends have friends who are black. Black people haven’t been slaves for a LONG time…
But, here’s the REAL problem… the word won’t lose its meaning as long as people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (and others) continue to make the word mean something. In this day and age the only reason "Nig*er" still means anything is because so-called "black leaders" have decided to use it as way of staying in the spotlight, a way to make money, and a way to get attention. That’s it. I don’t use the word, I don’t think the word, I don’t reference the word. Why? Because IT DOESN’T MATTER! And I do NOT believe that it has TRUE meaning to black people under the age of 40. They were never slaves. They didn’t live during slave times.
Yes, I’m sure there is still racism out there, but it’s not JUST towards blacks. There are people who don’t like Hispanics, Jews, Asians, Mormons, Indians, Homosexuals and even whites! So why haven’t people freaked out when rappers refer to "cracker cops" or "white devils"? I’ve never supported anyone who spoke or acted that way (although I don’t know that I’ve ever KNOWN anyone who openly thought that way!)
Here’s the point… If you don’t let the word mean anything, it won’t. Years ago, you couldn’t say the word "pregnant" on television. You had to say "in a family way" or "with child." The word "pregnant" was a dirty word. The word doesn’t mean anything now. Why? Because it stopped meaning something. And yes, I am saying that the word "Nig*er" shouldn’t mean anything. And anyone who disagrees, WANTS the word to live on and be a negative thing. Just let it go. If people didn’t make a big deal about it, in the next 20 years, it would mean even less. And in 40 years, it would mean almost nothing. And in 60 years, it could mean something completely different than what people THINK it means today. But, that’s only IF the big mouths of television and media would quit making it a big deal.
(And guess what? I couldn’t even post this without changing "the word" because it’s considered profanity…)