Let’s Talk About the N-Word – Opinion

It might be tempting to assume the uproar over podcaster Joe Rogan’s use of the N-word on his show is about cancel culture. However, a deeper look at this particular controversy reveals something more. It is vital that we not overlook it.

After an organization aligned with a Democratic political action committee posted a video montage of Rogan uttering the slur, an outpouring of outrage – much of it faked – ensued and accusations of racism abounded. Even though the podcaster wasn’t using the slur to attack an individual or group, he was either quoting another person who uses the term or mention it in context of discussion about racism.

Even though much of the outrage was manufactured, it did reveal what seems to be a shift in society’s attitude towards the usage of the word. John McWhorter is a columnist and author of liberal black men. He recently wrote an opinion piece for The New York TimesHe also pointed out the fact that, until a few decades back, it wasn’t considered to be a faux pas for non-black individuals to use the N-word while quoting another person. He wrote:

Not too long ago, it was considered OK for people who aren’t Black to refer to the N-word in conversation. It is not acceptable to say it but it should be mentioned. It is acceptable to use the word in moderation. However, someone who mentions the word repeatedly in a conversation was deemed noxious. Under normal circumstances, however, whites could refer to it casually without getting the predictable pushback. I’m old enough to have done a couple of radio interviews in the mid-90s where this was the case.

McWhorter was right.

Before the toxic wokeness era, all races had rational conversations about the slur and no offense. But now, American society has seemingly become so hypersensitive, we cannot handle even the mention of the slur coming from a non-black person — even if it is clear they are not hurling the epithet at another person.

McWhorter rightly points out that, underlying this new paradigm, is “a strange kind of antiracism that requires all of us to make believe that Black people cannot understand the simple distinction between an epithet and a citation of one.”

This is in some ways another illustration of the infantilizing attitude progressives have towards black Americans. White progressives in particular seem to think that by pretending to be outraged at the mention of the term, they somehow are saving us from the terror of having to hear it. “Plus, the assumption that Black people are necessarily as insulted by the mention as by the use implies a considerable fragility on our part,” McWhorter observes, pointing out that “if all someone has to do to ruin your day is say a word — even in the process of decrying it — your claim on being a strong person becomes shaky.”

This tendency on the part of white progressives is an illustration of what some call the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” Many of these folks espouse the racist notion that black Americans not only lack the intelligence to understand the difference between using the word as a slur and discussing the word itself, we are also so emotionally driven that our white saviors must shield us from ever having to hear it.

Racism is at the root of this belief. This is another type of racial bias that can be more dangerous. It comes from individuals who only want to exploit the black community and use us as political weapons against their political opposition.

McWhorter says that everyone must be open to having honest discussions about the subject:

I’m open to the idea that some people genuinely don’t quite see the difference between using and mentioning the N-word. But we have to have this debate and return some nuance to our collective view — not pretend the difference doesn’t exist.

McWhorter is the only one I disagree with. He is absolutely correct about the need for “nuance” in the conversation. But after over a decade of being a black conservative who is politically conscious, I can’t extend the level of grace that he does to these people. I don’t believe that anyone who is leading Rogan’s charge doesn’t know the difference between using the term and just discussing it.

In fact, I don’t even think these people truly believe Rogan to be a racist for using it. Their outrage is far too narrow. They don’t launch full-blown cancelation campaigns when it comes to people other than black who are in agreement with them on politics and have committed the most awful of sins. All of them are not willing to label President Joe Biden, or The Young Turks as racists because they used the term in similar circumstances.

Left-wing chattering members who wish to cancel Joe Rogan do not show genuine concern about its use. They have an agenda. First, they want badly to ruin the comedian’s career. They are also using the entire mess to further divide Americans. They wish to make political discourse even more toxic than it has already become and they are using race – black Americans specifically – to exacerbate tensions.

These people don’t want civil, honest, or nuanced discussions on sensitive topics. They don’t want people of all political ideologies to find common ground and work towards actual progress. Political tension is what they’re after, which means they must poison conversations on race as much as possible.

The goal is to make people sensitive, so they take offense at things not thought offensive years back. People who are more sensitive will be less likely to fight for the Left. They are creating an unsustainable political discourse. This goal might actually be achieved, however.

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