Its one thing to call someone a nigger, its another thing to have the privilege and unfortunate power to enact the hatred and bigotry implicit in incendiary uses of the word, herein is where the problem lies.
As I look back over this week’s discussion over race in America on many levels from Paula Deen to the Trayvon Martin case, I wonder how far removed mainstream society wants us to be from the historical reality of the use of the word nigger. No matter how much people of color try to embrace the word it does not erase the historical context in which it has lived and still lives.
An interesting argument in the Trayvon Martin case is that he supposedly called George Zimmerman a cracker and this in itself proved his racism. His utilization of the word had no power, no historical relevance and cannot reinforce the oppression of a people thus invalidating this argument yet Trayvon is being painted as a racist.
People what are your thoughts on this week rampant discussion of race?
