Topic : 09/12 The N-Word Debate

First I must thank Dr. Phil or whomever had these guests on and next I apologize to anyone who may be offended by my views on this topic. I would not normally watch the Dr. Phil show, but because of the outrageousness of one of his guests, Paul Mooney, I was fixated on it. This is not to say I was enjoying it, Paul Mooney is a pitiful man, that does not deserve to promote his opinions on national television. I will deal with that at the end of my message. Let's look back in history, the N-word was created just like any other derogatory word, to demean and crush those that it would be used on. But why does this word have such a strong effect on everyone? Should it? Does "deigo," "chink," or "cracker" have such an impact? (No one is trying to stop the saying of these words, so explain to me that.) In America I don't think it does, but I do believe it should. They are all meant to do the same thing. I believe that the African Americans that were on the show were a little biased, but of course this is a show, and is meant to capture viewers. The only African American on stage that seemed to be competent enough to actually discuss the topic was Hill, and the only one with unbiased and intellectual knowledge. Paul still thinks he is slave and the woman whose name, I apologize, I do not recall, is just too vulgar to have an adequate opinion. To finish my opinion on the N-word, it is part of our history and part of the present, murder was outlawed a long time ago, the N-word is not going away. I do not think it should be used but it can not be erased either. Should we remove other words from the dictionary or from our vocabulary that may or may not offend people, why don't we just outlaw all of them and avoid the entire problem? I don't think it should be said, but when it is said it should not be taken so hard, if it is, it is feeding off of your response to it, that is not to say it should be taken lightly, but by becoming as defensive as Paul Mooney is giving it the power to hurt. I recently took a vacation to Tanzania, over the summer in fact, and no one in Africa seems to care, are they, the African Africans, more emotionally advanced than African Americans? Another interesting thing I have come to notice is, many African Americans believe they are owed something because of slavery, you aren't, but the country seems to think so by providing many benefits to minorities to "prove" that racial bias is not occurring. The ones who deserved something sadly either didn't live to see the outcome of the Civil War and lived in slavery their whole lives or they received a gratuity because of it. I am American Indian, and the entirety of the land my ancestors possessed was raped of what it had, I do not believe I am owed anything because I am Cherokee, I did not walk down the Trail of Tears in shackles and so as did no African American living today live as a slave. Do I think what the past US government did apologetically to the American Indians was sufficient, no, but I have no say, "I was not one of them." I also came to understand this, did you know that more than 1/2 of the slaves that came from Africa went East, and that of the, oh lets even call it 1/2, that went West, and of that about 1/4 reached what is now US soil? Also, that many of the slaves that were either traded or sold, were being done so by their own people. Tribe leaders would sell their own people! Now I am not trying to cover the pretentious Caucasians who thought it would be okay to do the same thing, but in America the whole truth is not making it to the people. Now on to Paul Mooney and his looney position. Directly to Paul, you are not a slave, no slave ever wore a black bejeweled hat with fake diamonds on it, I know that much. You are not someone that should be taken seriously, you are more like an angry comedian, someone entertaining to listen to, but once to you leave you only remember the best punch lines. In this case you had no good punch lines and no good opinions except to make yourself and what was intended to be an insightful, conversive, mind opening talk about a hateful word, a joke. You want everyone to respect you and your people, take a lesson from Hill, and show some respect for others, if  you live in the barn of some "white man's" ranch, "tillin the crops and pickin the cotton," "because you are a slave." Realize this, the US is a free country as your rhetoric and your peer's rhetoric showed on the Dr. Phil show, and if it is so bad here in the United States, go back to Africa, you know what, just take a visit back, two weeks like I spent in Tanzania, go on a Safari or two like I did, then take a good look at Africa, and decide whether you would rather be there, or here. No one is stopping you, that is because you aren't a slave. (By the way, I guarantee you no one will be wearing a bejeweled hat.)

I agree with you on the first half of your argument, the N-word will always exist. Though, the second half of your argument is incorrect and can be proven wrong. Being racist is not natural. Racism is taking a hurtful act on someone because of there race, I am not racist. You may be discriminate, and not be racist. I like to say that I am not racist, I hate all people equally, but this is only meant to incur laughs. Babies are not racist, so therefore it is not natural, we are corrupted by society, turning us into a prejudice people, but becoming racist is up to us. Try and actually put an intellectual thought into something so important.

I am not an africanamerican, but I am offended when I hear the "N word" used even if it isn't used towards me.  The "N word" should be treated as the "F word" and never used.  It should never be placed in a history book for former words.  It should just be a forgotten word.

I am offended by the woman from the audience who said, "They should just get over it".  She should know how AfricanAmericans feel, after all women are disgriminated against all the time, just like AfricanAmericans. No, they were not born into slavery, but their distant relatives were.  And they were treated like they had some sort of disease of some kind, because they were only allowed to use public restrooms labled only for colored people, they were only allowed to drink out of drinking fountains just for their race, they were not treated equal at all.  Even ten years ago, I remember if an AfricanAmerican were to walk into a store that was filled with white people, the AfricanAmerican would get starred at as if they were holdhing a gun and robbing the store.

I live in Michigan, and as a child I was never allow any where near South of 8 mile because my parents were very against AfricanAmericans.  Even now, before I moved back home to Michigan with my two sons, my sister called to warn me that her accross the street neighbors were black.  I thought to myself, how sad my sister felt the need to tell me her accross the street neighbors were black.  I told her that they were her neighbors and it didn't matter what they were, including homosexuals.  We are Americans, and we need to stop giving each other lables and just refer to one another as just Americans.

Could you tell me in more detail about what your Sociology book said to make you think there are more White people living in poverty than Blacks?