(Opinion) The n-word is in the news, which happens regularly. An ex-University of Alabama sorority member, an ex-Georgia Southern soccer player, and now a teacher at Hoover High School, find their lives destroyed over their use of the stupid and racist word. Every time this happens, someone makes the absurd argument that there is some parallel to be drawn between the n-word and other derisive terms. A caller asked the question on my radio show today:
“The question to ask is, would we be having this same debate or conversation if an African American referred to a white person as a “honky” or a “cracker”?
Why this matters: No, it’s not the same, in fact it is not even close. You’ll notice I typed out the words “honky” and “cracker”, while I abbreviated the n-word. We all know what that word is and every single person should know you can’t say it. While “honky” and “cracker” are slurs, they do not carry with them the history of the n-word and do not carry the same historical weight. The other racial terms are wrong, obviously, but to pretend they are even close to the same thing is laughable.
The details:
— Harley Barber, a University of Alabama student used the n-word in an Instagram video that was discovered last week. She has since been kicked out of her sorority, left school, and returned to New Jersey.
— Natalia Martinez, a Georgia State student, used the slur on Instagram, although not maliciously, and was suspended from her soccer team, and has now withdrawn from school.
— Teddie Butcher, a Hoover High School teacher, told her students to “turn off the n-word tunes”, has now been suspended from school, and is facing disciplinary action.
— The use of the n-word in all three of these cases is different, but it does not matter, American society has implemented a quasi-policy of zero tolerance for white people using the word.
Dale Jackson hosts a daily radio show from 7-11 a.m. on NewsTalk 770 AM/92.5 FM WVNN and a weekly television show, “Guerrilla Politics,” on WAAY-TV, both in North Alabama. Follow him @TheDaleJackson.
