This Week in Blackness - The N Word

Last week for the first time I shared with you Elon James White's hilarious take in a video series he calls, This Week in Blackness.  This week, he takes on Dr. Laura.  Before you start to grown about the fact that you are sick of reading about this and hearing about this, I really think you should listen to what Elon has to say on the N word.  He points out that one of the issues Dr.Laura's tirade raised, was who can say the N word. We all know that Blacks say nigger every single day.  Sometimes it is used as a term of endearment and sometimes it is used for the purposes of derision.  It's regular usage is enough to give bigots like Dr.Laura the feeling that they are being excluded, because many oppose her use of such a hateful slur. However, what Dr. Laura ignores, is that even as there are some Blacks who routinely use this word, there are many, myself included, who would never dream of using it in casual conversation.  I don't believe a single member of my family uses the N word casually and I have a lot of family.  I have never had a single Black friend use this word casually.  We can step out of my circle and look at famous Blacks like Oprah Winfrey, who has on many occasions spoken quite forcefully of her hatred of the word.  There is no universal agreement on the word nigger, despite what bigots like Dr. Laura has to say.

When Whites were enslaving, raping, beating, murdering, over working and under educating Blacks, nigger was the word on their lips.  I positively fail to see why one would to celebrate the terrible history of such a word, by keeping it in the popular lexicon and therefore; it is my opinion that when White people complain about the inability to use the word nigger without receiving a negative backlash, their concern is about a reduction in social power and the decline of White Supremacy.  One of the largest manifestations of power, is the ability to act without impunity and if Whites must now in some instances be held accountable for their actions, it means that people of colour have made some positive gains.  Today, the word nigger is about the maintenance of White supremacy and it is mendacious to suggest that a failure to allow White people to use such a word is a symbol of social inequality, when the word itself is designed to exclude Black people from the human race.

WIthout further ado, I bring you Elon James White and his thoughts on the Dr. Laura and the N word.

Transcript:

Hi my name is Elon James White and you are now watching This Week In Blackness. What is going on folks?  We are back, episode eight, season three of This Week In Blackness.  We here at This Week In Blackness like to believe that we listen to our viewers.  When you guys asked for a t-shirt, boom we made it -- we were on top of that.  When you guys asked to be able to download This Week In Blackness on ITunes, boom you can do that to. Don't worry about it. We're giving you a little bit extra okay. When you're in the middle of a weird conversation about Blackness or race or something like that -- you can stop in the middle of this and say, oh Blackness there's an app for that.  Introducing the new This Week In Blackness IPhone and android app.  You can carry Blackness in your pocket all day long.  Just like pull it out and boom Blackness.  Can you handle this?  I don't think you can.  I swear to God, I only had the application made, simply so that I could say Blackness, there's an app for that -- that's all I wanted to do.

Immediately after we dropped last week's This Week In Blackness, there seemed to be another blacktastrophe.  It seemed the universe was sitting around going mmm does Elon have a topic for next week?  Boom, crazy republican chick, noted republican talk show host Dr. Laura, decided to  exercise her right to use the word nigger on air, all the while minimizing a Black woman's feelings about her White husband's friends saying things that she considered to be racist. The thing I kept seeing all over the internet was, why was a Black woman calling Dr. Laura and asking her for advise?  Answer- Black people are allowed to be  dumb ass too you know.  They can listen to stupid ignorant shit as well. That's not like a White's only thing okay.  Engaging in dumb shit is really one of those things that really is equal opportunity -- like all around. Back to Dr. Laura, actually you know what?  Dr. Laura can go fuck herself.  She is not the most important thing here.  It's not like this is the first time she's said some outlandish nonsense. She's been anti-gay; she's anti-woman.  When someone is insulting other minorities, I am always aware that Black people are not too far behind. The interesting thing about the dumb shit that she said and did, was that it brought up two different discussions.

1. Who can use the word nigger and how can it be used?
2. What's up with that thought process that because of Obama, Black people have to shut up and stop complaining.

This episode, I think I'll deal with the nigger situation first.  I will fully admit that I was not actually that offended by Dr. Laura. saying the word nigger.  I wasn't ecstatic about it, like yeah she said nigger whooo. I just wasn't mortally wounded by her dumb assness.  What Dr. Laura is suffering from, is something I like to call Edgy White Person Syndrome okay.  That's when someone White says some really racially insensitive nonsense right, and then everyone else in the room around them goes uhhhhh.  And then they feel even more embolden to continue saying this nonsense, out of a sense of pride or a misplaced understanding of humour, or irony, or wit.  Just a shout out to all you edgy White people.  I've never heard someone White yell out the word nigger or something equally as racially insensitive and go, man that was witty holy shit. That was amazing, you can totally get away with that, you are so down.  It's just literally never fucking happened.  You're not that cool.  Listen, I'm not saying that White people can't say the word nigger okay.  What I am saying, is if you say it, I can also hate you okay.  I can mock you. I can not buy your product. I can ask for your firing, and write letters, march, chain myself to shit.  I can do that, but you, you can totally say the word nigger - go for it. 

Hey Elon, why is it so bad when White people say it okay?  Black people say it,  Black comedians, Black rappers. Why is it only bad when White people say it?  That's a very interesting point and the answer is: it just is. Deal with it.  For hundreds of years, this word was used by our White oppressors and detractors okay.  It was used to subjugate us, demean, treat us as though we were less than human. So now, now you can't use that word. I'm sorry okay.  Listen you're White, you can do a lot of other things to enjoy yourself; listen to Greenday, go splunking, go enjoy White privilege. What the.. why do you need this?  This isn't that important, you don't need this okay.

Why can't White people use the word nigger?  Come on man.  Even I have caught flack for using the word okay.  One time I got yelled at for using the word nigger in a conversation and listen I'm Black, I know the way the word is supposed to be used okay.  You know Black people, we know how to use the word okay.  I used it with hate.