The Inflammatory N Word :: Media Racism Essays

The Inflammatory N Word   Ã‚  Ã‚   The evening of February 25, 2002 started innocuously enough. My daughter Elena is an avid fan of the television show, Boston Public (Fox), and she was looking forward to watching the newest episode. Because Boston Public can contain controversial subjects, I monitor the show while my kids are watching it. The issues addressed in a kid-friendly show turn into a good starting point for discussions with my two teenage children. The new episode not only turned out to be the epitome of controversy; it was the beginning of new type of dialogue with my children.   Ã‚  Ã‚   I had not intended to watch the television show "Boston Public" (Fox), but when I saw the topic of the show, I set aside my homework and soon became engrossed. The February 25th episode centered on the inflammatory N word (Randall Kennedy) when two boys, one white and the other black, affectionately call each other n----r. Another boy, also black, objects to white person calling a black person this word and a fight ensues. When the teacher discovers the reason for the altercation, he assigns the class to read n----r – The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, by Randall Kennedy. The class discussion that follows causes controversy with the administration of the school because the teacher leading the discussion is not an African-American. The show ends with the principal, who is black, teaching the class instead. After the show concluded, my daughter and I had a fiery discussion about the issues raised in the show. Elena felt it was entirely appropriate that only a n African-American can teach a class on the N word. I was unhappy with the ending and felt that it would have more impact if the principal and the teacher conducted the class together. One thing both of us agreed on – we had many questions and wanted more information than what a television show could give us so we decided to purchase Mr. Kennedy’s book and learn more on the issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the origins of racial slurs and why are they used? While it was impossible to find the exact origins of racial slurs, it seems that through out history, there is always a history of an oppressed race or religion. Part of this oppression has been the use of words to help the "powerful" remain in control. Alarmingly, some of these racial slurs have even slipped into every day language.