Are All Racial Slurs Created Equal?

76. then i guess there won't be any black comedians on stage at the laugh factory any more, seeing as how black people think it's "a-ok" to call each other by the n-word. oh, wait, they don't say "nigger", they say "nigga". you know what i say? that they're all a bunch of dumbasses for expecting everyone else to accept their stupidity by using a stupid ass word that they claim isn't harmful and hurtful. how stupid do black people think everyone else is? we're not all cowering under the whole thing about "the black man is to be feared" just because they don't want to let go of the slavery issues that STILL control their thinking.

Posted at 12:37PM on Dec 8th 2006 by graphicartist2k5

77. trust me, if michael richards' rant had not been caught on vid, we wouldn't even be having this dialogue. the laugh factory would have carried on without the penalty fines, gloria allred-in-the-face would find some other "cause" to whore herself out to to advance her ever withering media image and jerry seinfeld wouldn't be running around all scared that somehow all this fall-out would affect the sales of his season seven dvd release...

Posted at 1:43PM on Dec 8th 2006 by sean

78. Perhaps the author is ignoring the true motivation behind the Laugh Factory. It's easy for leftists to forget that business is about profit. The Laugh Factory may be banning a word that results in costly negative publicity, for that reason alone rather than for reasons of political correctness.

There's no "Free Speech" when speaking for an employer, and neither is the Laugh Factory responsible for avoiding offense. But if a specific word does them economic harm, they have every right to ban that one word on purely commercial grounds.

Posted at 1:18PM on Dec 8th 2006 by Tony

79. I am offended by most of the programming on BET and most of the comedians Live at the Apollo. Rather than create a media spectacle that fosters hate, I simply tune out. Where's Al Sharpton when you need him?

Posted at 1:34PM on Dec 10th 2006 by Bobbie Sykes

80. Racial slurs and derogatory name calling because of one's nationality is nothing new--it's just a new spin on old history (racism). As a Native American person I have experienced my share of incidences. Being called names didn't always bother me--what bothered me was the 'invisible line of inferiority' that non-native people drew just by looking at me. I have lived through being forced to attend an Indian Boarding School run by the Anglican Church--to living in the inter-city in Seattle--where my color or race didn't stand out because I was native. Why should it--Seattle is one the global melting pots of ethnic America.

In the text, "Racial and Ethnic Relations" by Joe R. Feagin and Clairece Booher Feagin, the authors discuss the Native American and African Americn side to the cultural resistance, "The cultural heritage and present cultural understandings of subordinated groups, such as Native American and African Americans, have positive historical and current significance. They not only foster a sense of identity and pride but also facilitate the group's survival and enhance its ability to resist oppression [....] contrary to prevailing white stereotypes about African American families, the strong family ties of African Americans have fostered a sense of pride and identity and have provided crucial support for coping with widespread discrimination." (11)

So, if club goers are worried about all the racial slurring going on in comedy nightclubs--then they should be really worried about what is being written in 'PRINT'! The novel "The White Boy Shuffle" by Paul Beatty gives the livelihood of inter-city black hip-hop youths new turf to run on. This novel does not downplay any of the 'N' words--it's jammed full of them--on an intellectual level of course. Another important Hip-hop source to surf is: http://www.hiphopassociation.org

Posted at 3:29PM on Dec 13th 2006 by marlene eaglespeaker

81. I FIND IT VERY DISTURBING THAT PEOPLE FEEL THE WORD "NIGGER"SHOULD BE BANNED. IT APPEARS AS LONG AS THIS WORD WAS BEING USED IN A NEGATIVE MANNER IT WAS FINE AND DANDY. NOW THAT BROWN SKINNED DECENDANTS OF AFRICANS HAVE TAKEN SOMETHING NEGATIVE AND TURNED IT INTO A POSITIVE, THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM. I ALSO FIND IT DISTURBING THAT EVERYTHING THIS SOCIETY ESTABLISHED TO EXPLOIT, DEGRADE, AND DEHUMANIZE THE BROWN NATION OF AMERICA, IS BEING PUSHED, SHOVED, AND HIDDEN AWAY FROM PUBLIC VIEW. ONE MUST REMEMBER FROM WHENCE THEY CAME INORDER TO ENSURE THAT PAST ATROCITIES NEVER REOCCUR. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE HISTORY OF THESE PEOPLE IS CONSTANTLY BEING STRIPPED AWAY. FIRST THROUGH THE SLAVE TRADE, AND NOW FROM SO CALLED POLITICALLY CORRECT LANGUAGE, AND ACTIONS. I SAY LEAVE THE WORD ALONE. I DO NOT SUGGEST THAT NATIONALITIES OTHER THAN THE BROWN SKINNED DECENDENTS OF AFRICANS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE IT, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HOLD THE SAME MEANING AS WHEN USED AMOUNG THESE INDIVIDUALS.

Posted at 2:20AM on Dec 17th 2006 by debra waters