The same can't be said for black comedians and rappers who have virtually canonized the N-word. They sprinkle it throughout their lyrics and comedy lines, and black writers, and filmmakers go through lengthy gyrations to justify using the word. During a panel discussion at the Summer Television Critics Association tour in 2005, Aaron McGruder, creator of the popular comic strip Boondocks, defiantly told the audience that he'd use the N-word as much as he pleased. If folks didn't like it, well, tough.
N-word users and apologists serve up the lame rationale that the more a black person uses the word, the less offensive it becomes. They claim that they are cleansing the word of its negative connotations so that racists can no longer use it to hurt blacks.
The apologists tick off an endless storehouse of defenses to justify use of the word. Some claim it's a term of endearment or affection. Others use it to convey anger or disdain. Still, others are defiant. They say they don't care what a white person calls them since words can't harm them.
They forget, ignore or distort one thing: Words are not value neutral. They express concepts and ideas. Often, words reflect society's standards. If color-phobia is a deep-rooted standard in American life, then something as emotionally charged as the N-word will always reinforce and perpetuate stereotypes. It can't be sanitized, cleansed, inverted, or redeemed as a culturally liberating word. It can't be made acceptable, no matter whose mouth it comes out of or what the excuse is for using it.
There are still dozens of daily examples where whites (and other non-blacks) taunt and harass blacks by using the N-word, spray paint it on homes, businesses, churches, or physically assault and even murder blacks. In the FBI's annual count of hate crimes in America, blacks still make up the overwhelming majority of victims.
