The N Word
Recently a controversial book by Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy wrote a book which inflamed many many people. He explores the word "nigger" and discusses its' history and usage. The word itself is paradigmatically ugly, racist and inflammatory. But is it different when Ice Cube uses it in a song than when, during the O.J. Simpson trial, Mark Fuhrman was accused of saying it? What about when Lenny Bruce uses it to "defang" it by sheer repetition? Or when Mark Twain uses it in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to make an antiracist statement? That is: Who has a right to use this word? Does anyone? Is this word as a piece of living language, and by the definition a symbol of culture?
Your book talks about these ideas in theoretical terms. Here is a chance to apply them to everyday life and explore your thinking about taboo words in relation to language theory, intelligence, culture, social psychology and feminism.
To be ignorant of the meanings and effects of "nigger", says Kennedy, is to render oneself vulnerable to all manner of peril. So what is it about this word? Should it be eradicated from dictionaries and the language? Should it be, somehow, regulated? Do blacks have a historical right to its use? Is there a racial territory to the use of this word? Is it more hurtful than other racial epithets? In my reading I became somewhat desensitized to the word. Did you? Should the law view nigger baiting as a provocation strong enough to remove the accountability of a person who responds to it in a violent manner? Should a person be fired from his or her job for saying nigger?
What is the social and cultural ramification of the use of the "N" word? Use psychological theory to explain your answers and thoughtful explanation of any of the above questions. Use the book entitled "Nigger: The strange career of a troublesome word" by Randall Kennedy, as well as your textbook for aid in explanation and referencing.
Extra credit Only.
Be Clear that this is not required and is not intended to cause insult or undue stress. Alternate assignments are available upon request.
Discuss
|
|
