Debunking the oldest and worst argument ever about the good old “N-word.”
Ill Doctrine is a video blog on music, politics and culture, launched in 2007 by Jay Smooth. We will be premiering two episodes a week on ANIMAL. Older episodes can be found at IllDoctrine.com and you can follow Jay on Twitter here.
Previously: Why Gwyneth Paltrow Should Just Say Nuh
Jay – Fantastic video, as always. I've really been loving this little series you've got going with Animal, as I feel it's great to hear from you on a regular basis. So, I thought I'd follow up this two-part video with some food for thought: How do you feel about the fact that SO many of our youngsters today are using this word with one another, and don't seem to mind when they use it publicly? I know this is something white kids have been doing for a long while, but it seems to me that, with social media (e.g. Twitter & Facebook, primarily), they're reinforcing the idea amongst themselves that it's an OK thing to do. Thoughts?
No, no, no. Let's not even go down the road of willfully idiotic self-censorship. For what? To please the tender souls who can turn around and use those same eternally-hurtful words with impunity.
You can't have free speech and then impose some cultural law that only a certain segment of a population can indulge in it. That's a dishonest and ridiculous standard. How free is your speech going to be after you whittle the potentially culture-specific potentially hurtful terms out of it?
Stop being such sensitive race protector to by insisting that improper language or behavior is A-OK if it's done by a victimized class of society. You're painting yourself into a corner and judging those same people as too helpless or beaten-down to know right from wrong.
You are absolutely right, Danzo. I am completely fed up with the casual, Orwellian double-speak over 'nigger.' Using phrases like 'let's put this to bed' and repeating the refrain that 'white people just don't get it' is just bullshit. Any time someone politely suggests that I shut, that is when I won't.
The ultimate test here is to look at someone like Jay Smooth, and imagine him calling another light-skinned African-American nigger. In public. If I witnessed that I would assume I was looking at two smart-ass white boys pretending they are bad-ass niggaz. Now what am I supposed to do, approach these creeps and ask: Excuse me, gentlemen, but are you two African-American? I need to know if I should be offended or not.
1) Never heard him saying he was on board with the use of the word.
2) Big wirds to basically say 'If Black people can, so can White people" which he basically debunked in this video…..
3) Why is it so important to be able to use the word? I seriously don't get it.
I don't utter certain epithets because as an outsider, I know that people may question my intentions and flat out get offended because at the end of the day I don't have to carry the baggage that comes with that word. I can't imagine arguing the point that I should be able to call them a word or that their feelings aren't valid on it.
Btw I'm actually not so against the word and non-Black people using it (meh) as I am self-righteous people appointing themselves spokesperson on the matter when they have no qualifications and use elementary arguments for their case. Is civility out of style? Wake me up when it has a come-back.
I disagree with both videos. But, as a white person, and following the catch-22 rules set forth in the last video, I will say no more because the more I engage the discussion, in any manner, the more racist I am.
However, let us use that same sentiment and apply it to you, Jay Smooth, who has now made two videos about the subject, continuing to argue and clarify something that is some "apparent" global "truth."
I rather be called the N Word by a bunch of positive White people than to pick up their cotton.
Congrats, this is the worst comment section on the internet!
"Orwellian double-speak" …brilliant. You're "fed up", are you now? Really? Are you mad as hell & not gonna take it any more too?
Seriously, editors (if this site even has any), get the fuck to editing this place!
On a less sardonic note, every Jay Smooth video makes the world suck a little bit less. Thanks, Jay!
I agree with almost everything Jay has to say in this series, especially in noting that context defines the norms and moral boundaries for behavior and the use of language. That said, I do feel compelled to point out that when Jay describes this situation as simply a standard and not a double standard he is wrong. This is absolutely a double standard, a textbook example. However, not every double standard is automatically detrimental to society. This is a double standard that is widely accepted and considered appropriate given the context of the offending word in our culture.
I want to support your videos more, but the cadence and ring of your words makes me think you'd be hell on a road trip because you'd probably playing bebop and scat jazz the whole way and telling me how delectable and awesome each song is. Thank god there's only CD trays in car stereos so you can leave the 45's I'm imagining at home.