Jesse Jackson wants to ban "N-word"

[Wilson Gray]

The Reverend Jesse Jackson is the first and only person, except for a
few members of this list, that I know of to argue for the replacement
of "black" by "African-American." Well, I do know that the idea
replacing "black" with "African-African didn't spring full-blown from
the Reverend Jackson's forrid. Rather, he merely jumped upon the
bandwagon and made the concept his own. And I'm aware that there exist
other spokesmen for Black, uh, African-American America who have also
argued in favor of "African-American." However, given that, as Chester
A. Riley would say, "My head is made up," I have no idea who they are
nor do I have any idea of what their arguments are. Indeed, I'm
totally unaware even of the Reverend Jackson's arguments in favor of
"African-American," given that ignoring his and anyone else's
arguments, to quote Ike Turner, "was my plan from the ve'y beginnin'."

However, let me ask a question: In what way are the Reverend Jackson's
arguments against "nigger" inferior to his arguments in favor of
"African-American"? And why does anyone here give a fuck? I don't.

-Wilson

On 11/28/06, Bapopik at aol.com <Bapopik at aol.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Jesse Jackson wants to ban "N-word"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Banning words? So much for Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn." I'm burning my
> Historical Dictionary of American Slang, H-O right now...Maybe Jesse  Jackson
> can ban "ain't" and y'all," and "fuck" of course has to go,  and then...
> ...
> ...
> _http://www.playfuls.com/news_0003530_Jesse_Jackson_Others_Seek_N_word_Ban_in_
> Entertainment.html_
> (http://www.playfuls.com/news_0003530_Jesse_Jackson_Others_Seek_N_word_Ban_in_Entertainment.html)
> ...
> Jesse Jackson & Others Seek "N-word" Ban in  Entertainment
> 05:15 PM, November 28th 2006
>
>
> Rev. Jesse Jackson will meet with TV and _film_
> (http://www.playfuls.com/news_0003530_Jesse_Jackson_Others_Seek_N_word_Ban_in_Entertainment.html#)
> executives to discuss banning the use  of derogatory expressions in the entertainment
> industry. "We want to give our  ancestors a Christmas present," he said.
> Asked about free-speech issues, Jackson  said the word is "unprotected."
>
> The Rev. Jesse Jackson and others said  they will meet with TV networks, film
> companies and musicians to discuss the  "n-word." They also sought an effort
> by the public to stop using the term. "We  want to give our ancestors a
> Christmas present," Jackson said at a news  conference. "Dignity over degradation."
> Jackson also asked the public to not buy  a _DVD_
> (http://www.playfuls.com/news_0003530_Jesse_Jackson_Others_Seek_N_word_Ban_in_Entertainment.html#)  box
> set of the seventh season of the TV  show "Seinfeld" that was released last week.
>
> "This is not simply about  whether or not the black community forgives or
> forgets, this is about  understanding that this is pervasive, that this happens
> in all of our  institutions, one way or the other," U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters,
> D-California,  said.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam Clemens

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org