"Nigger" Questions 2

Andy Rooney of “60 Minutes” said “the best way to get rid of a problem is to hold it up to the bright light and look at all sides, and that’s what Kennedy does in this book”. After reading the book, do you agree or disagree with him? Use specific information from the book, the Boston Public episode and the web site “abolishthenword.com. in defending your answer. Consider the following questions: Is there a benefit to examining how the word is used and if it should be used? Can you change the intent of the word? Do words have power?

I agree with Randall Kennedy that the word can never be completely abolished, but it needs to be addressed. It’s a part of our language now and I don’t think there’s anyone powerful enough to simply make it go away. At the end of the Boston Public episode the principal may still not like the N-word but now he was talking about it. I think he realized that it isn’t going to go away and there will be no easy answers, but being informed shouldn’t be labeled as negative. On the “abolishthenword.com”, they want to completely eradicate the word. But even they admit that there have been different meanings of the word throughout history. It started out as a French or Latin word that meant “black” but it gained the negative connotation with slavery. Words evolve and their meanings do to and, as the website showed, so does the N-word. I think there is great benefit in examining how the word is used because it allows examination of one’s feelings after they’ve heard every side. I don’t think there is a “right” side, but I do think there are the “informed” and the “uninformed”. Some people choose to stay uninformed and decide their position without even looking at opposing arguments. I think that’s selling oneself short.

Words do have power, but only because people give them it. Maybe I can’t change the intent of the word, but if everyone worked forward together then we might someday. I don’t think African Americans can change it alone. I don’t think whites can change it alone. There needs to be cooperation. We abolished slavery together so we can destroy the power of the N-word together.