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November 29, 2006 10:06 AM
Kramerology 101: Of the N-Word and Smarm
By PJM’s Media Correspondent Catherine Seipp My sympathy for Michael Richards (a.k.a. Seinfeld’s “Kramer” who erupted in a racist tirade at two black hecklers last week at a LA comedy club), was quite limited to begin with. It shrank even further when Richards appeared on David Letterman the next day to apologize for his obscene outbursts. Not only did Richards seem to think that Letterman’s audience was his own private therapist, but there were moments when he tried to turn the whole thing into a “we’re-all-guilty-it’s-the-toxic-culture” policy statement. Mercifully, Letterman cut the actor off once he started blathering about “countries going to war with other countries” - although not, alas, before Richards brought up Hurricane Katrina. Craig Ferguson had the best analysis on his own show immediately following Letterman, suggesting that the only way Richards could make amends was to sue himself in a court case that could be called “Kramer vs. Kramer.” Serious suggestions after that have been only marginally less ridiculous - ranging from a fine of $500,000 for each time Roberts used the N-word, to a finger-wagging essay in this week’s Time, “The Kramer in All of Us,” advising that “maybe the audience needs to examine itself too.” Maybe, and maybe not. Sure, we’ve all said things in moments of anger that aren’t fit for polite company, but not all of us start throwing around, as Richards did, tirades filled with lynching imagery when offended by people whose ancestors lived in actual danger of being lynched. At least, I never have. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Richards is a worse person than I am, but it probably does have something to do with the fact that, at 57, he’s around 10 years older. A friend (who, like me, is in his 40s) and I happened to be chatting about the Richards debacle. My friend said he thought the N-word will be with us until those who grew up hearing it as a matter of course pass away. He mentioned in particular his kindly grandmother who, when provoked, could let loose with a stream of racist invective that could curl your hair. One of the many ways daily life in American is better now than it was in decades past is that such vile eruptions are now rare enough to be considered newsworthy. This reminded me of my own grandmother, who thankfully never used the N-word. But like most Jews of that generation she always said “schwartzer” - always insisting it was not impolite at all, because it’s just the Yiddish term for black, so what’s the problem? That was disingenious, of course; any insider’s term for outsiders is always at least a little rude. If schwartzer just means black, for instance, then how come my grandmother never said she had a schwartzer cat? I remember once we were all in the car, stopped at an intersection where a muscular black cop in short sleeves was directing traffic. As my grandmother stared out the window, I just knew she was going to make some sort of remark, and, sure enough, here it came: “That’s a good-looking schwartzer,” she announced comfortably. GRANDMA! “What? What did I say?” I’ve never used “schwartzer” myself, but I still prefer it to “African-American,” a flakey genteel affectation that’s always struck me as filled with more than its fair share of smarm. Somehow, deep down, I think most people know this - even when they’re always careful to use African-American instead of black themselves. If not, then why all the snickering when Richards misspoke his regrets about insulting those “Afro-American” hecklers on Letterman? And why all the jibes about it in the media analysis after? I suppose because Richards was using a passe term, one that’s now as outdated as “Negro.” But I think part of it, at least, is because once Richards turned himself into a racist pinata for the non-racist rest of us to smash, we were free to laugh at the genteel affectedness of African-American - which is really just a new twist on the genteel affectedness of Afro-American. Words are so important that the NAACP is now suggesting that the N-word should be boycotted (and maybe they’re right, at least as far as foul-mouthed rap stars are concerned.) So can I also suggest that maybe the words African-American and Afro-American are really not all that different from each other? PajamasMedia Special Correspondent CATHERINE SEIPP writes the weekly “From the Left Coast” column for National Review Online, a monthly column for Independent Women’s Forum and freelances other places, such as the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal op-ed pages. She previously wrote columns for: Buzz, Mediaweek, UPI, New York Press and Salon. Her work has also appeared in Reason, Penthouse, TV Guide, the National Post and Forbes. ——— Comments (28)H. Lewis Smith :David Ehrenstein :Well at least he didn't use "Macaca." PK :Everybody is a "racist" at some point. There are plenty of youtube videos of black people being racist towards whites. But of course, their racism is only *because* of the white man's initial racism. See, the white man was the "First Racist" who caused it all to begin, so any racism that still exists today is solely and exclusively the fault of the white man. Therefore, some even call for the extermination of the white man as the "only solution." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN5StQAr7n0 On e example of what is being taught to children. How is reverse racism any different than racism. How will the cycle of n-wording ever stop? The dual-sided of this issue is where the anger comes from. And quite honestly, if you're going to bury the word nigger, then you WILL ALSO bury the word cracker. Or you will bury neither. Get it? Mister Snitch! :Michael Richards is SO five minutes ago. So's his career. I've got the reruns, and that's pretty much all I'll ever need. Next! Tom Buzbee :Maybe the answer to the "N" word and all other words that "upset" us would be for us to grwo up and become mature enough to live with it rather than try to "crucify" those who use them!After all as Judge Judy often says, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" unless I want them to of course, and then they justify me doing almost anything I can. NAACP :We prefer "coloured people." dsmith :I don't think that once this older generation passes on that the word be gone. It will NOT go away because an entire new generation of kids are learning the word from the rap and hip hop community. How can you let a word die, when those it offends won't let it? Jack Haley :I am a bit confused -- if the Karmer incident leads toithe banning of the n-word is that just for whites or for both whites and balcks. If blacks must comply what will happen to all of the commedians who use it as a staple of their acts? Actually this is a bit funny -- if you ban the n-word don't you think someone will come up with a world that will in a short time become equally offensive? countertop :My grandmother actually would refer to her cat as schwartzer. And when my dad got a black porsche, she called it the schwartzer car. So, I don't know. Alex Bensky :I have no problem with dropping use of n-----. The problem is in part, though, who uses it. I very rarely hear it from non-blacks these days, even in conversations when no black is likely to be within earshot. But I live in a mostly black neighborhood in Detroit so I not only only hear my neighbors, especially the younger ones, talking but I hear a lot more of their music than I'd care to. And virtually every other word is Reis :I'm from South America, and in my country, which also had slaves in the past, but one thing I don't understand is why, if the word "nigger" is so offensive to coloured people, why they are allowed to use between themselves? I would have thought that the worst part of the Kramer tirade was the implication that the treatment of slaves in the past was somehow deserved (thus, the heckling was explained), that was gross. THAT was racist...but not the mere use of the word nigger. A ban on the word? Would be a crime to use the word "cracker" too? Walt Lear :I worked as a gaffer omn "Fridays" in the late 70's. Richards was in the ensemble. He was nus then. Either Tourrettes or a mild schitzophrenia. Between segments he'd sit facing a wall 2 feet away, flinching and muttering. When you gave him a 2 minute warning you had to put your face in front of his and say his name over and over until he acknowledged you. I'm surprised he hasn't pulled out the "Disabled" card, since it trumps the Race Card. darrellhuff :People have been offending each other with slang expressions/names for as long as humans have existed. If you take a word away, people just create new ones. When people become angry or frustrated with each other, they often retaliate with words and sometimes actions that are intended to hurt the offending party. The only way to stop this problem is to eliminate all intelligent life on the planet. Even non-human animal lifeforms tease and pick on one another. Perhaps people just need to get over themselves and do their best to avoid either offending or being offended by others. This is what is called "acting like grown-ups," but it is probably too much to ask of the majority of the human race. dougf :This doesn’t necessarily mean that Richards is a worse person than I am, but it probably does have something to do with the fact that, at 57, he’s around 10 years older. Ummm,with respect, I think this is exactly the wrong approach to take here. Is this not precisely the gist of Time's vapid moral equivalence tirade that you reference earlier in your posting? Are we not all possibly guilty after all? I am a little older than 57, but I would never think of using my age as an excuse for saying something vile in public. Now what I say to my mirror when I am having a very bad day is another matter, but that affects just me and the mirror, and I somehow think that the mirror is indifferent to the whole thing. Richards is 100% responsible for his outburst. He is an IDIOT and possibly a RACIST IDIOT at that. At the very least he is so insensitive as to be unsafe to wander around without adult supervision. You would have to be living in a cave for the last decades not to know that you just don't say SOME things . You just don't. Usuing the excuse that 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks', ignores the two facts that you sometimes can, and that Richards is not a dog. He lacks the 'class'. I think the 'excuse-culture' is demeaning to everyone. He made the error. He made the error deliberately. And he has no excuses whatsoever for making that error. Like Danny DiVito of recent memory, he simply behaved like a self-indulgent poltroon, and should be treated as such. Neither of then are 'funny', and neither of them should be 'excused' as a matter of course. Age is irrelevent. Inner cluelessness is the real issue. spacemonkey :I thought the new PC term was "persons of macaca" darrellhuff :One of the things that we could do to curtail abusive verbal tirades is to significantly reduce our acceptance of recreational use of alcohol and drugs within human society. Humans commonly engage in recreational use of alcohol and drugs to help them break down natural inhibitions and improve social interaction. However, these same inhibitions are what enable humans to keep their darker sides from gaining control of their thoughts and actions. Look at all of the human suffering that has been and continues to be driven by the use of these substances. And yet, most humans continue to condone and engage in what is called "socially acceptable" and "moderate" use of such things. I concluded long ago that the elusive "positives" that people attempt to associate with recreational use of alcohol and drugs is dwarfed by the real-world negatives that permeate our human society. My father was a weekend binge alcoholic. He was kind, gentle, and responsible Monday through Friday when he was sober. He was a danger to others, his family, and himself when he was drunk. As a result, an entire family was destroyed. I know that it is easy for us to say and even believe that, "something like this would never happen to me." However, when something bad does happen, it is usually too late. The damage is done and it is often irreversible. We would all be better off, if more humans would simply reject recreational use of alcohol and drugs. If we could achieve such an elusive goal, perhaps humans could then move closer to creating a more tolerant and less destructive culture. Noah Lakritz :In defense of your bubbe .... "Shvartse" is hardly the equivalent of "nigger." Yes, it has often been used in pejorative and racist ways, but that's typically contextual -- much like the word "Jew" or "Yid" when used by gentiles. The Uriel Weinreich Yiddish dictionary has a single Yiddish word corresponding to "Negro" (which was the preferred term in polite and politically correct company in your Grandmother's time) that would not be an improvement on "shvartse": "neger". Of course, we can always condemn those racist alter kakers for not having the foresight to develop "afro-amerikanishe" way ahead of their time. junyo :Whenever this topic comes up, the responses are invariably the same; "It's not that big of a deal because black people use the word too..." and then a bit of the poor, put upon white man as victim routine. Well first off, there are lots of black folks who, believe it or not, aren't rappers and don't regularly use the "N" word (nor cracker, nor spic, nor slope, nor chink). Are they allowed to be offended? And secondly, the meaning of words depends a lot on intent and/or context. Me calling my wife "honey" is a term of endearment, me calling my assistant "honey" may (quite rightly) get me sued for harassment. Rapper's and young people's slang within a group conveys a completely different meaning than someone not a member of that group screaming it, along with allusions to lynching. To claim that they're equivalent and dismiss this behavior on that basis is either oblivious or disingenuous. To the point of the article, you'll never eliminate the word, because the word isn't the point. The word, like all other language, is only common shorthand to a concept, and the concept isn't going away any time soon. Eliminate this particular group of letters and syllables, and another will take it's place, and the new one will be socially acceptable. George :With respect to some of the commentators above, the issue is NOT that Richards used the "n-word" (what a pathetic formulation). The issue is that, somewhere deep within the recesses of his reptilian brain he thought that black hecklers should be lynched for disrespecting a white man. Half Canadian :I had a Black Moore gold fish that I named Schwartz. Never called a black person Schwartz. I read the results of surveys which have found the most people of African ancestry use the term 'Black', followed by 'African American'. I don't view the term any more offensive than calling me white. I'd agree that American Indians (as opposed to Asian Indians) aren't red and Chinese/Japanese/Koreans/remainder of the pacific rim ethnic groups aren't yellow. These lables are stupid. Adding to this, most people of African descent aren't really black. But I'm certainly not white, along with most other "White, non-Hispanic" folks. But I can live with the label. tom swift :All of the above is racist claptrap. You can't try to regulate your way around it - some people can say N, some people can't, some can but for the wrong reasons, some think it's code for "Lynching" (pul-lease!). Some think African-American will do, thereby excluding Egyptian-Americans, Berber-Americans, and all those Africans who aren't, and never were, Ns. It's the wrong approach - a fundamentally racist approach. To some people and groups, that's an advantage, and they'll do their best to see that we keep that crap forever (and I'm not talking about the "crackers" here - I mean those with laminated "race cards" in their wallets, ready to pull out at the slightest hint of, well, a slight, real or imaginary). Anecdote time. I had a professor of mechanical statics at MIT who could teach the subject - a difficult one - like nobody's business. On that subject, he was a genius. He happened to be black. Just a few years earlier he would have been Colored. He went through the academic meatgrinder just before Affirmative Action was invented, so he had to compete with everybody else with no grade inflation, "catch up" classes, etc. Did I ever worry about what he should be called? Certainly not. He was just plain old Professor Williams, the finest teacher of that material I've seen in over thirty years. That's how I thought of him then, and how I'd describe him today. If pressed, I could think of him as an American. Would thinking of him as an African-American enhance his status? Not with me, it wouldn't. I realize this is all wasted on most of you. Forbes :"Stupid is, as stupid does", explains all you need to know about Michael Richards. Banning a word won't improve his intelligence, grace, or tact. What many people seem to have trouble with is passing judgment on such conduct. We're all so infused with the PC/multi-culti stance of "no judging others, we're all equally valid, do your own thing" BS, that it is considered "offensive" to condemn any behavior, except the most vile and repugnant (and even that is conditioned on the circumstance). When there are no self-limiting standards (as above), and double standards (use of nigger by blacks, especially in music), then cultural norms devolve to an ad hoc basis, i.e. chaos. The result is the oh-so-typical "apology tour" after said embarrassment. Or off to rehab. It's as if certain segments of society has repealed evolution, where humans no longer exhibit free will, or the responsibility that goes with the exercise thereof. Bozoer Rebbe :For native Yiddish speakers, schvartze is the correct term for black people. And I've definitely heard it used as a color name - the phrase "schvartze yahr" - a black year - comes to mind. Do some use it pejoratively? Sure, but the word is not inherently derogatory. Nigger is not the most politically incorrect term in contemporary America. The colloquial version of the Latin word "cunnus" is completely verbotten, at least for people with a Y chromosome. However, the fact that I might use it when grasping for an epithet for a woman who cuts me off in traffic doesn't make me a misogynist. As an aside, if Alex Bensky is who I think he is, his late father was one of the kindest people I knew growing up. I'd stop in his auto parts store on the way home from high school just to get needled by Mr. B. My guess, however, is that Alex and his brother Dan have had some interesting political discussions. Like Alex, I live in the Detroit area. I have some young adult friends who are black, and they use "nigga" more frequently than I use the term "man" or "friend". BillyBob :This doesn't prove Richards is a racist. It just means he used racism to attack someone. Its as simple as that. He should apologize, he probably should have his ass kicked by some black people. But it doesn't mean he hates black people or thinks they are inferior, etc., as racists do. Otis Wildflower :Ed :The idea that we could simply expunge a word from the vocabulary of a society is simply ridiculous on the face of it. Words have power and this particular word can be charged with more than its fair share. The other idea that has been bandied about is that people “can’t” use a word. I can use any word I wish to…but I also have to be aware of how other people will react to my choice of words. How Richards used this particular word, accompanied by the rest of the message was simply racist and not well thought out. It reminds me of the Dixie Chicks and how surprised they were when they voiced their opinions on the President. I will never say somebody can’t say a word, but I will just as quickly say that you have to live with the consequences of what those words bring, be they right or wrong. Dave S :Oh, I see. The problem is with us older folks in our 50s 'cause we're like Grandma, while you hip young kids in your 40s are just as pure a driven snow. The only one you're kidding is yourself, pal. We all have some awareness of race in us. Not hatred but awareness. The ones that I hear saying nigger most often (spare me the "n-word" junk) are the hip hop artists on mtv. As to Michael Richards, he did this because he's nuts, not because he's 57 years old. Oh, did I tell you that you are an age-ist? Jack Rich :"Schvartze", at least as used in my home, was neutral of and by itself. What counted was the tone with which it was delivered. A more subtle word that I heard with some regularity, although not in my home (my parents were good social democrats who earnestly believed in the equality of all), was "tunkele", or "dark one." Again, this word was neutral; it was the tone that counted. For the record, I'm 63 and grew up in the Bronx. Comments have been archived for this page. |
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BOOK CRITICAL OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO USE THE N-WORD
Los Angeles, CA., - Author H. Lewis Smith has written a thought provoking, culturally divided book that will not only spark heated conversation, but can also bring about real change. The N-word is often used in the African American community amongst each other and is generally not a problem when spoken by another African American. However, once the word is used by a Caucasian person, it brings on other effects. The question is "who can use the word and why?" Smith believes it is a word that should be BURIED!!!!
The book is written in a manner that all can understand. The points are well-taken and the wording is easy to follow. There are quotes from great people in our history including Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, James Baldwin and many, many others. Smith has mixed history with honesty, love with life, education with effects. This is a great book for educators, parents, managers, professionals, newsmen, and anyone else wanting an in-depth look at the N-word, the effects and the solutions. A MUST READ!!!!
To learn more about Bury that Sucka, please visit http://www.burythatsucka.com
Nov 29, 2006 11:57 AM