I sent Jeff this link (warning: video) to the story of a black woman who purchased typing software to improve her skills, only to find that in one of the tests she was asked to type the word . . . the “N-word”. The passage was from a classic piece of American lit. I can’t improve on his email, so I’m going to reproduce it:
I told you the story of a friend of mine who was dragged before a university tribunal for teaching Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” after a student complained that she had to read the word “nigger,” right? And that he ultimately had to have an African American prof come in to defend him — her imprimatur on the propriety of teaching Faulkner as a white man saved Faulkner for the curriculum on Southern American Lit.
Thank goodness for small blessings.
I hate the way this country is going. I mean, in this instance, it’s a passage from Bret Harte. Somebody show me it was picked intentionally and we can start talking about racism. Until then, watching those white anchors fall all over themselves to show OUTRAGE just grates on me.
Do I feel bad that the woman had to see that? Sure, particularly if she’s old enough to remember the sting of such a word. But she needs to be able to put it in context — and as she’s an adult, I’m betting she can. Sickening all around.
If you write on it, I’ll add some thoughts to the update.
Well, I agree with Jeff. First, that this passage, while inappropriate for this program, wasn’t intentionally chosen. I can understand the surprise and offense of the woman. But the way the reporter frames this as an (titillating) atrocity demonstrates the degree to which we respond with Pavlovian reflexivity to such minor, unintended provocations.
Occasionally here I break out my Irish Catholicism when I criticize the exploitation of outrage opportunities, while realizing that as a matter of degree, it doesn’t match up to the Black experience in the United States. Still, it’s true that even though Edmund Spenser advocated genocide against the Irish, I can still read his Faerie Queene with appreciation of its value as literature.
I don’t know what else Jeff would like to add, but I’m sure there’s plenty.
As I’ve said many times — there is no way in Hell anyone could make “Blazing Saddles” today. The only acceptable way to have the “n-word” said that many times is to have an all-black cast.
If someone complains about the public use of f–k on the grounds that it’s an insult to human sexuality, you are ridiculed or told to grow up or told to take your priggish religious sensibilities elsewhere.
It’s OK to be vulgar and crass but not racist. Got it.
Watching tv news is wrong. If I knew anyone that did that, I’d tell them that it really made me think they might could be stupid. Unless I wanted to sleep with them.
So, it’s a good thing Liz Stephans is hot, right?
That’s like meta-tv news. Like Talk Soup except more newsy. That’s a valuable service, filtering and contextualizing that stuff. Um. She really doesn’t need to know about our little chat here I don’t think.
If you cannot look at the past, then you cannot move away from it. ‘This was said and done – I reject it.’
How can anyone reject if they don’t – oh wait, I forgot.
We don’t want to move from the past, do we?
The past is comfortable. Because it’s . . . kinda familiar, you know?
um, happyfeet, what if I just watch it for the weather?
Sorry, Maggie. You’re married.
To a guy with big arms and guns.
Ohnoes maggie. That’s a slippery slope. Next thing you know you’re making innovative re-use of household garbage under the light of a solitary squiggly bulb thinking you’re changing the weather. I’ve seen it happen. Just be careful.
Know what? Stories like this one make me think that, maybe modern America isn’t all that racist after all…
And, that these amplified tales of personal piques are repeated purposefully to convince us that America is…
Just so that we’ll vote for those polit-icky, Soros-ey types who tell us all the time how much we need their fixing (I’m told they can “fix” us, I heard it on the poli-peoples’ media-channels the other night.)
Brother…Media sock-puppets and Hezbollah proxies: not sure what the difference is any more. Both are potentially lethal to Freedom.
I’m going to bed.
huck finn said the ennword
Wow, Freedom, with a big F no less. You have the Freedom to be perpetually beseiged. You have the Freedom to be a cipher with an unfortunate chatty cathy wife. Yes, there is so much lethal to Freedom.
You have the freedom to be perpetually outraged! Or to come here, cynn!
Embrace the freedom you would deny others! WHEEEEE!
I’m all about Freedom. And pie.
…what if I just watch it for the weather?
Better that than the Weather Channel, maggie:
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080303175301.aspx
Yeah, and Maggie has an affinity for those squiggly bulbs already.
Big arms?
A non-responsive, purposely insulting response from cynn. The day is complete.
Mikey NTH, you raise a good point. One always haves the right to be outraged, pissed, angry, or discomfited as the case warrants. Others have the right to respond.
One do always haves that.
The Nage people of central Flores tell tales of ancestors called “ebu gogo” who lived in caves, were short, roughly-built, hairy, pot-bellied and stupid, who stole food, could not cook and had an imperfect language.
oh, BMoe, I’ll have to ask if my dad is watching the Weather Channel as much as he used to. i mean,he was watching it all. the. time. but I also know he’s pretty skeptical about glowball worming.
Piss off, Dan, a typo is secret communication to my sneaky arabist collaborators.
And the freedom not to get your point, cynn.
Now, now. I’ll have no discomfiting in this house.
I had a server today that was having a DCOM fit. Is that similar at all?
and it’s going to snow! *runs in circles* snow! snow! snow! snow!
Given the title of this post, this seems appropriate for here.
Hillary’s quote this morning, on a possible H/O ticket… “That may be where this is headed,” Clinton said. “But of course we have to decide who is on the top of the ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said it should be me.”
My headline: CLINTON SENDS OBAMA TO THE BACK OF THE BUS! OUTRAGE!!!1!!!!
Someone hit her with a car it said.
oh. maggie, I think I helped the snow too cause I have a squiggly bulb and also I never replaced the turtle bulb so my carbon footprint is really miniscule probably compared to last year. Also I walked to work one day last week. Si se puede!
Now, now. I’ll have no discomfiting in this house.
How about a nice chagrin instead? ;D
Maggie, if it’s the same stuff we had a couple days ago, no big deal. Fat soft flakes that go away in a couple hours, annoying mainly for the idiots driving on wet roads.
This may be my fault. I canceled out happyfeet’s efforts by driving my ’74 Ford pickup (390 cid) all the way to DFW and back last week. I apologize to the turtles, happyfeet. Maybe you could get them sweaters and/or little booties to keep warm.
Regards,
Ric
That’s ok. They have a bathroom with a space heater on a timer now. It really sucks but you can’t trust a turtle to hibernate in California like they’re supposed to cause it doesn’t get cold enough I think. Also sometimes hibernation goes horribly wrong from what I’ve read, and I’d feel really awful. Turtles are a big responsibility.
dunno, Ric, they’re talking like it will be worse. (not really bad, by most people’s standards, but it is Dallas) plus RTO has to go to Oklahoma this weekend for drill. heh, they’re going to the range to qualify.
God doesn’t like Texas, maggie. There. I said it.
Hi Cynn,
Why, I’ve missed you, too!
It’s fair to say, too bad Obama and Clinton didn’t run back in 2000.
Coming on the heels of the first Black Presidency as it would, the Obama/Hillary ticket would have been racially-incontroversial, and would not have generated anywhere near the degree of rampant racial animosity that the media is reporting today.
Say it isn’t so..Cynn.
Here’s more.
Belmont Club’s “Wretchard” is bemoaning the fact that discerning people are losing faith in photo-journalism. Just like Britany’s hair-color, It’s all so manipulate-able now.
I’d add the morning talk shows to the list of “invalidated” formats, too (what did you really learn about Hurricanes from these wags in during Katrina). Tune ’em out, folks.
We have a special discomfiting room, at my place. With its own thermostat!