As a black man, there are different topics he can joke about and not be judged for and topics he can talk about in different ways. These differences come from the political correctness that surrounds race and what is okay for a black male versus white male to say.
Seaton Smith: Photo By Christopher Andersen
One of the major jokes Smith could make but Mulaney could not was about "all these white people" in the room. He used the fact that there was such little diversity to group all the whites in the room under one category and play on white stereotypes. It ended up being very funny and also interesting to watch.
As he talked about all the whites, white people trying too hard to be black, and jokes poking fun at the black culture it was interesting to observe the audience. At first, people weren't really sure how to take it and you could tell they were laughing out of politeness and uncertainty. As the jokes went on though, the audience began to laugh and truly laugh because the jokes were funny. This happened more and more as the jokes were pointed more at the whites than blacks. I thought this was very interesting to watch unfold. People seemed more okay with laughing at themselves than others.
Smith also used the N-word, which he even said he could say because he was black. When Mulaney came out, one of the first things he said was I use the N-word almost twice as much as Smith so I'm glad to see you weren't offended by it because that word can really backfire at certain venues.
John Mulaney: Photo By Rachel Lovinger
Looking back at this now, I realize I thought the jokes were funny but did not think using the N-word was okay. If you have read any of my posts before I'm sure you realize this is a different tone than I normally take. Most of the time I'm advocating to get rid of political correctness, but in this case, I do not think it is okay to say the N-word, especially if you are white.
I refuse to say the N-word or even write it and I tend to be offended when I hear people say it. For some reason though, it tends to seem okay to me when a black person says the word. I was reflecting on both of these points while deciding what to write about this week and was wondering why this is, especially when I am so against political correctness every other time.
The main reason I am against using the N-word is the awful history the United States has when it comes to race. Between 1525 and 1866 12.5 million people were taken from their homes in Africa and brought to America to be enslaved in a country founded on freedom. Eventually in 1863, to end the Civil War in which the south fought the north, the slaves were all freed by Abraham Lincoln. Since then, the country has suffered major issues with racism. People like Martin Luther King Jr. fought hard for years to remove the divide between blacks and whites.
Many people think the race issues in America have disappeared and we have finally reached equality. However, based on what I have observed race divisions are still a major issue in America. There is still discrimination, a lack of equality, and debilitating stereotypes present in our country.
I'm not saying that not using the N-word is a way to make up for all the awful things that have happened in our country. However, I think using a word that has been used since the 1800's as a derogatory term and that puts a target on people's back is unacceptable. There is so much hate behind this one word which has been used by hate groups and in propaganda against blacks that I just can't justify using it.
Ku Klux Klan- one of the most notorious hate groups: Photo By Thomas Hawk
I'm not entirely sure why it seems somewhat okay to me for blacks to use the N-word. It is mostly because the word has become more of a cultural thing for blacks rather than a derogatory term. Since the word has a different meaning for blacks it is more justified when it is used by blacks than whites.
With this being said, some people think when it comes to race we need to ultra politically correct. They think we must treat everyone as the same and when we really need to distinguish something by race we must say African American instead of black.
Personally, I think we need to celebrate our differences and that it is okay to use terms like black and white. My only issue is using words that have a deeply ingrained hate-filled history, such as the N-word.
So what do you think, is it okay to use the N-word and how about black and white?
Guuurrrrllll, this was pretty interesting and I can understand what you mean from this. Although, as a black I'm on the fence about the topic. In honesty I feel like it's a dumb double standard that one group can use the word while others can't. However I don't think anyone should use the word if it's due to the horrific history. Honestly, my stand point humans are imperfect creatures and have some terrible nuances. However, at one point we will have to accept that slavery happened along with the other horrific stuff the United States was built on. From then, we will have to be better people who work together, informed, respect and see outside ourselves. Maybe then we wont have all these boundaries over a stupid word. Hopefully, in the future we have a country rid of the plague of discrimination and we have a more diverse system. Ghettoes wont be filled with minorities and people wont be saying things like,"but he/she is black". From then hopefully fellow minorities won't fear transcending sociatal expectation for black or whitw people. But we have a long way to go before we achieve that goal. I just hope we learn to look beside ourselves and work together to get there.
ReplyDeleteAs you described, the N-word really does have a horrible history that can not be forgotten, and is completely inappropriate for most people to say. However, when African Americans use the word it does have another connotation as they might understand the challenges associated with racial issues. I have thought that when a white person uses the N-word it evokes the terrible history of the word, but when a black person uses it, it is an effort to almost repossess the negative connotation it has in the past and change it to something more positive.
ReplyDeleteI really love this post because i've struggled with others using the N-word.Honestly, I feel like it's never appropriate to use the word whether you're black or white, because of the deep and hateful history attached to it. Some would disagree and say that we need to stop attaching the word to the history and not let the word hold that much meaning, but it's hard not to knowing where it came from.It's really interesting to read your perspective on it and i'm glad someone gave their honest opinion on it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it is unacceptable to use the N-word under any circumstances. Even if you are trying to use it in the context of a joke, it is still a derogatory word that is offensive to a large group of people. I also think that it is okay to use terms like black and white to describe people because not all black people are African American. However, I think that if someone has a specific preference as to how they would like to describe themselves then we should respect that.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I am at a party, a white drunk guy always call me my nigg*. I mean, I don't care at all, it just depends on the context. If the white person saying it out of spite, then that is when I would be offended. However, if the person is cool and don't use the nigg** version, then that is exactly when he can say the word nigg* to me. I am a pretty chill laid back person so not all blacks going to agree with me, but that's just me lol. Great post though!
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the best ways to get rid of race issues is to stop talking about them. If we stop talking about our differences future generations will not grow up knowing what the difference is between one skin color and another. Yes, they will be aware, but it is not as much of an emotionally driven awareness as just the knowledge of it. Think about it like this, back in Roman times they did not have the word for the color blue, they knew it was different, but when given objects that were blue and green they could only say that the green objects were green. They did not have a word for blue so they accepted it and it remained unlabeled. As for the N-word, well let's stop using it in such a way to define race, rather use it in the way you described it used by black people (culturally) or not use it at all.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely something that's been debated a lot. Where I stand on the issue, is I personally will never use the word, but I can kind of see how it has been assimilated into modern society. This word was used for so long to put people down, and with such hatred. By adopting it into modern rhetoric, perhaps it is taking such a hateful word and reworking it. Just a thought. It's interesting to note, however, that it is never the full N-word that is used, but the diminutive version. If the full word is used, it seems to me that it still holds the hatred and anger with which it was originally used. Anyway, great post on a very interesting cultural/ historical debate.
ReplyDeleteMe speaking as a Black woman, I think it is important to note that I do not think that it is EVER appropriate for a white person to call me a nigg*. Simply because of the history and the reason why Black people use it or are able to use it is because is the act of taking something that was intended to break us and throw it back in their face. Though I think it may be a tad bit overused as people are starting to forget the history I believe that those that would not be affected by the words in any era should not use them. Everything is not for everybody.And some people need to learn to accept that.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the N word is a fairly vulgar world. I do not use it and despise the hatred embedded in its use. However the use of this word in the black community, in music, and also in pop culture only perpetuates the use of this word. If the word is to be ridded from our society, we need to completely stop using this hateful word. For the black community to use a word full of hate, and expect it not to be used from anyone outside of their community is justifiable yet hypocritical. The use of this word needs to be ended.
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