Was President Obama right to use N word?

[gsa]

I just saw this, and thought it was an interesting development:

President Barack Obama used the n-word during an interview released Monday to make a point that there's still plenty of room for America to combat racism.

"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say ****** in public," Obama said in an interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."

"That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

 

[gsa]

Personally, I am glad that the president is not shying away from using forthright language to make the point that racism cannot be disguised merely by refraining from use of racial slurs. A number of times, growing up in the suburbs in the North, I heard people make this distinction, even by those that drew a (racist) "distinction" between "n*****s" and "blacks." These same people, even if they never would dream of using racial slurs, were overtly (and overly) hostile to affirmative action, social welfare spending and any perceived leniency in the criminal justice system.

It is easy to condemn Roof. White supremacists like Roof are vile, hateful and outliers. And even people who celebrate the Confederate flag are endorsing openly seditious symbols that should be as welcome in the mainstream of American life as a Nazi swastika is in the mainstream of German life (and I am glad that Southern politicians are moving away from their depraved support of the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern heritage). The problem for the rest of us is not overt racism, but indifference to racist discourse.

 

[columbus]

"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say ****** in public," Obama said in an interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."

Yes . It definitely was right in the context. No question.
Tom

 

[Lyndon]

I thought any black person could use the n word if they wanted to??

 

[Marisa]

I think he made his point. We're talkking about whether it was proper, right? And not about the bigger issue. *sigh*

 

[Servant_of_the_One1]

It should be made possible for whites too to use N-word to make a point that racism is wrong just the way Obama used it to make a strong statement.



By the way does RF allow the usage of N-Word for educational reason(to battle racism)?

 

[columbus]

I thought any black person could use the n word if they wanted to??

I was told that I am one by an extremely black Afro American. I greatly appreciated it.
Tom

 

[gsa]

It should be made possible for whites too to use N-word to make a point that racism is wrong just the way Obama used it to make a strong statement.



By the way does RF allow the usage of N-Word for educational reason(to battle racism)?

The latter is a good question. I thought about that before hitting publish, but decided that I was just quoting CNN and the American president, not using it myself. If the moderators prefer to edit out the quote they should let me know.

 

[gsa]

I think he made his point. We're talkking about whether it was proper, right? And not about the bigger issue. *sigh*

I think you can talk about the bigger issue as well. In fact, I don't think that the two are separate.

 

[Servant_of_the_One1]

Lately Rappers(both whites and blacks) also people who act "gangster" use the word Nigga.

Can anyone tell me how Nigga is different than the N-Word??

 

[gsa]

I thought any black person could use the n word if they wanted to??

Lately Rappers(both whites and blacks) also people who act "gangster" use the word Nigga.

Can anyone tell me how Nigga is different than the N-Word??

These are side issues. I think that the bigger point is this: What is the educational value of using the slur?

To be honest, as I pointed out, many people associate racism with the use of overt words or overt hostility on the basis of race. But most racist sentiment in America is coded, hidden or even unconscious. By being blunt, President Obama can force people to acknowledge that basic decency, like abstaining from racial slurs, is not equivalent to the absence of racist sentiment or racist practices. And coming from America's first black president I think it is meaningful.

 

[Revoltingest]

Once again, I'm glad that I never listen to politicians.
Right or wrong?
I voted for <other>.

 

[Marisa]

I think you can talk about the bigger issue as well. In fact, I don't think that the two are separate.

Oh they aren't. But I have my doubts as to whether we can talk about it. Too many seem to equate such discussions with having to self identify as racist, thus insuring that we can never discuss where it has prostituted itself into our culture and become institutionalized. Not everyone is as out and proud as a Roof. I hear governor Haley is calling for the removal of the flag, though. Progress? We'll see, and it will have come at the cost of 9 lives.

 

[Koldo]

I just saw this, and thought it was an interesting development:

President Barack Obama used the n-word during an interview released Monday to make a point that there's still plenty of room for America to combat racism.

"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say ****** in public," Obama said in an interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."

"That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

Whenever I read 'N-word' or worse yet when I hear someone outright saying it, I cringe. It sounds as silly as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".

 

[gsa]

Oh they aren't. But I have my doubts as to whether we can talk about it. Too many seem to equate such discussions with having to self identify as racist, thus insuring that we can never discuss where it has prostituted itself into our culture and become institutionalized. Not everyone is as out and proud as a Roof. I hear governor Haley is calling for the removal of the flag, though. Progress? We'll see, and it will have come at the cost of 9 lives.

I started another thread to address this change of heart: Isn't opposing the Confederate flag basic decency?

But yes I see your point. Still, I think it is necessary to have some fairly basic discussions in order to move the bigger conversation along.

 

[Nakosis]

Free speech.

The other issue, you're not going to cure racism. It's up to the government to deal with racial discrimination.

 

[Marisa]

I started another thread to address this change of heart: Isn't opposing the Confederate flag basic decency?

But yes I see your point. Still, I think it is necessary to have some fairly basic discussions in order to move the bigger conversation along.

You may be right. I just wonder how much blood has to spill before we get it.

 

[columbus]

Free speech.

The other issue, you're not going to cure racism. It's up to the government to deal with racial discrimination.

I think the government has done everything it can, and then some.
There are limits to legislating morality.
Tom

 

[Curious George]

I don't think anyone should be censored or chastised for making that statement.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Referencing a term is not the same thing as employing the term as a racist characterization.