DONATE HERE

I am certain this phrase has been said openly and boldly in living rooms and private clubs, on golf courses, in bars, and during production meetings of conservative media pundits all across America before and after Obama was elected. Certainly the not-so-coded language used by conservative senators, representatives and media pundits and the blatant disrespect repeatedly shown to President Obama are all outgrowths of the attitudes surrounding slavery and Jim Crow in the US. The phrase encapsulates, telescopes, evokes and provokes the underlying, almost entitled bigotry that still quietly pervades the racial attitudes of far too many Americans, both actively and passively.

For me, just seeing the n-word in a headline or in an article always makes me bristle. I feel a knot of indignation, disgust, and anger form in my gut. I grew up in a time when the n-word was used two ways. The first was provocative, as in, “Who does that nigger think he is?” The context was invariably a comment designed to elicit a reaction, the consequences of which could be varying degrees of violence–from helpless personal degradation to something worse. The second use of the n-word was to put me in my place as in, “You’re smart for a little nigger.” While some people might interpret this as a back-handed compliment, it was not. It was dismissive. It was freighted with the traits of buffoonery, dim-wittedness, and inarticulateness widely projected on to all black people. The existence of the person being comment about was therefore some kind for freak accident or aberration.

One might like to hope, and one would like to argue that using the phrase in a headline holds a mirror up to Americans. It, with no irony, calls a spade a spade. But in doing so, does it help readers see the hypocrisy and bigotry in the coded language of people such as the stubborn conservatives politicians media pundits? Does it help them understand the visceral depth of the racism that has repeatedly risen up to thwart President Obama’s agenda? Does it help them to understand that “post-racial” is a myth, that racism has just morphed into something more insidious, and therefore more evil.

If this headline were used in a major publication, I feel certain that a majority of people would be offended, but many I also think would also quietly, perhaps with a little shame, not totally disagree with the pejorative elements of its usage. Why? Because the racism embedded in the headline doesn’t seem to be thought of as a moral flaw as it became during the Civil Rights movement. It seems to have reverted to being an unfortunate personality trait, one among many traits that even good, righteous, patriotic people who care lovingly for their families and take good care of their houses can have.

The decision to use the headline feels misguided to me. I don’t see how its use benefits anyone, but I do feel all too clearly how it deeply offends me.

18 thoughts on “The Headline Offends Me

    • Author gravatar

      Toughen up, my brotha – I appreciate the usage of the word in that context because it accurately describes the sentiment of far too many of our fellow citizens who know not how deeply their world view has been warped by white supremacy. The author is clearly holding up a mirror and hoping that the folk who perpetuate these attitudes that still have a conscience might be swayed by a blatant depiction of the root of their so-called political positions & critiques. We can’t be hurt by anyone calling us out of our name, but we can be hurt if we don’t understand the power dynamics of white supremacy and how insidious and effective this agenda can be–just ask the President since they have strategically decided upon non-cooperation as a strategy to deal with him!

      • Author gravatar

        Well said, I couldn’t agree more.

      • Author gravatar

        Yes, I agree people are focused on the headline but they should really read the article because there is definitely truth in it. Also, I understand Mr. Hall’s POV but in my very humble opinion this is one of those “sticks & stones… names will never hurt me” situations and not the situations or usage he’s sighted. Collier’s title is shocking to some but some find it acceptable for rappers, sports stars and entertainment based industries to use. We’re focused on the headline when truly people should read the article. PLEASE READ BOTH, that’s what makes our country great we can all learn from both opinions if we try.

    • Author gravatar

      It is kind of like holding up a mirror to the American people. More accurately, it’s more like a Rorschach test. If they don’t like what they see in the mirror, it is hardly the authors fault…

      Initially, I was kind of shocked that anyone would use the “n-word” in a published article, much less dare to publish such a word into a headline (oh crap, someone just lit a fuse to a race riot). Those were my first reactions. But being that I have a somewhat open mind, I ACTUALLY READ the article (call me curious).

      Of course, the biggest problem with the title is the laziness of both the general public, and other “so called” news outlets that only run the headline with no context. I spotted it on Yahoo, and all they had was the following:

      “Newspaper runs headline referring to President Obama as N-word

      The West View News ran this op-ed using an offensive word to describe President Obama (West View News)”

      Along with a screen grab of the article (too small to actually read the text though). Followed by a comments section (22,174 Comments). Wow, they’ve really gotten people talking about it (page views), which they can then show to their advertisers. Shitloads of “content”/page views, with no actual thought/work required, the majority of which was written by people who probably never actually read the article.

      At any rate, the whole point to the title of the article, in case anyone missed it, is to SAY OUT LOUD what many on the far right, either consciously or unconsciously, already think. While on its face this title seems shocking, it does point out that the “dog whistle” that the right wing has been blowing on so hard for these past six years; has not gone unheard by the left (and hopefully the rest of the electorate)….

      I can respect that the headline offends you, and I can not in good conscience say that your views are wrong. BUT, it HAD to be said. I mean, it is literally the BIG WHITE GOP ELEPHANT in the dammed F-ing room people!!! Nobody wants to talk about it, because everybody gets pissed (mostly the idiots/true racists), but it is something that should have been tackled a long time ago (decades even). The fact that one of our two major political parties not only harbors, but at times even seems to promote such racism should scare the shit out of you. This coupled with the fact that the same “flag waving” nationalistic party favors corporations over people, makes for a recipe that was last seen in the 1930’s & 1940’s under similar economic circumstances. I’ll come out and say it, so that there is no mistake: Right-Wing Nationalism + Racism + a smidgen of Corporate Oligarchy = FASCISM That is literally the definition….

      BTW, I think that todays youth, if they bother reading the article, will get that he is using the n-word ironically ;-).

    • Author gravatar

      There’s power in words, and there are no bad words, just poor usage. This is a rather brilliant use of the word Nigger, because everyone is talking about this article. It is the content of the article we should be concerning myself about…..

    • Author gravatar

      There’s power in words, and there are no bad words, just poor usage. This is a rather brilliant use of the word Nigger, because everyone is talking about this article. It is the content of the article we should be concerning ourself about…..

    • Author gravatar

      If the black side of Barack Obama is a nigger-what do you call his white side. His whiteness doens’t seem to matter that much too the real racist-Mr Collier has apoint.

      • Author gravatar

        Have you ever heard the saying that one drop of black blood makes you black? Well this is the situation with President Obama. Furthermore, as a 55 yr old US citizen who happens to be black and female; i am very appalled at how the GOP are treating the POTUS. This treatment of the man who is our president because he is black is egregious behavior in every way. I really hope that black people and all people of color never ever forget how the politicians of the GOP has treated our president. in addition, i do hope that we will never put them in any office ever again. The goal is to destroy Pres Obama’s legacy as the first black president, but I pray the GOP party will be fully disclosed and rid of first. Thank you for the article; the the shock value of the title worked.

    • Author gravatar

      Mr. Hall if you’re offended by the headline, might I suggest you not listen to the current hip-hop “hit” by a rapper called YG entitled My Ni*a.

      On second thought perhaps you should listen to it and then let us know your thoughts? Colliers headline and the hits it has and will receive is a drop in the bucket if you stop and realize that children (of all races) are immersed in a media where a pejorative becomes adjective, noun, verb, salutation, slur and term of endearment.

      We have much bigger problems to deal with then a headline in a rag no one has heard of before or will read again in the future.

      • Author gravatar

        Just because other people use the term does not mean it is right to use. That term has easily become mainstream and it is sad. If people went around calling white people Honky, Cracker and so on would that make it right? I think not! The point of all of this is that he could have vocalized his point a bit better than he did. There is always another way to skin a cat. JMO

        • Author gravatar

          Katrina,

          I in no way defended the use of the word.

          My point is that Mr. Hall put pen to ink, so to speak, over his angst that the word was used in a borough paper no one really reads. To that end, as a society we have a much bigger problem in that our youth are conditioned to use the word because of a media that has a much larger impact then the West View News. I think to be true feelings of being offended Mr. Hall should immediately give his thoughts on the music industry’s blind eye stance in the name of money.

    • Author gravatar

      It’s funny how you all want to scream race when you do something wrong . You sure don’t use it when you get something. We voted Obama in not looking at his race how do you think he got in the White House .
      He is lying cheating breaking laws ,and it doesn’t matter whether he is black or white it’s wrong , now to cover his actions he’s calling the race card . How can anyone trust him even his own party some of both or all races . How do you explain that .
      He’s breaking rules that have been set hundreds of years ago and because he’s black he can disregard all rules , make his own rules and that’s going to work . No it will not Black or White. We all are the same our blood bleeds the same the color of or skin has nothing to do with it .
      He is just a BADMAN . Liar,cheater, thief just bad.

      • Author gravatar

        Where do you get the facts to prove what you are saying? FoxNews?!? With all due respect. Nothing you have shared here is factually based. What you have written is a simple opinion on which there is no basis to determine whether its accusations are accurate; therefore it offers no material value. Perhaps next time a written opinion would add to the conversation if it was more than the bland talking points you hear on some of the media outlets.

    • Author gravatar

      Mr. Hall, the man that wrote the article is spot on! I have believed that racism is behind the right wing crap since Obama was elected. I’m sorry you are offended, but I believe the article has finally stated what many, many people have been thinking for years. The use of the word actually gives the article much more power. For people who just would never believe their elected officials could be racist, this is very straightforward and to the point.

    • Author gravatar

      It’s never acceptable to rationalize the use of this n…word. Nothing ever justifies the usage. Don’t fall into the trap of allowing anyone to use it regardless of the content. This is never appropriate!

    • Author gravatar

      I must say, that the a Pandora’s Box has now been opened in this article. However well intentioned, the Editor made a colossal mistake by printing such a cheap advertising strategy. IF allowed to stand, mark this words down:

      #1 – ANY WORDS can now be used in ANY article(s) Headlines. I think Republicans are now foaming at the mouth. If you did it, why can’t we say it ?
      #2 – Not only the N WORD has now been let out of the box, now the word is OPEN to also be used in nasty attacks against ANY black in the country – not just the President ” NIGGERS ARE CRIMINALS”, and then proceed to say that blacks have been put into this position by years of discrimination… This is exactly what just happened here.

      If Clinton would become president, I can now see the headlines becoming “Pussy” in the Whitehouse . How About the “Jew” in the Whitehouse? How about that “BITCH REPUBLICAN” in the Whitehouse?… and on and on.

      People all over the world must be laughing at us now because we allow such garbage to be written in the name of news… I certainly hope that this cheap excuse of a News Media outlet goes bankrupt ASAP. Put that into your next headlines !

    • Author gravatar

      This is a straight talking person who is not surprised to see a headline such as the one published in July by the West View News, inspired by the article written by James Lincoln Collier.

      The disclaimer by the Publisher George Capsis indicates that James wanted to “shock us into accepting that there are still people who believe and use this outrageous word.” REALLY, YOU DON’T SAY. He also went on to cowardly justify printing the article because the NY Times avoids using the word so he’s convinced that WestView should.

      Well George, for one thing people of color are beyond being shocked. We’ve known about that fact for more than five decades now – nothing news worthy there, to us anyway. Oh, or are you implying that there are some other groups of people that are surprised by that fact? Do you mean the ones living under a stone, or in a cave somewhere with no television, radio or connections to the world and are missing out on the biased insights that Westview News, CNN, NY Times and other noteworthy media outlets so readily feed the masses of other well informed people?

      PRESIDENT OBAMA is not a member of an inferior class of people. Maybe back in the day, some people were subordinate, mediocre, lesser than, lower than, substandard to, poorer, low-quality, second rate, and secondary. But then there were the Men of Color, the real Black men who were not defined by the substandard, mediocre, lesser, lower, poor, low-quality, second rate lifestyle white people tried to enforce on them. They rose up in spite of to invent some of the modern day luxuries you, Brat, those old-fashioned republicans and other small-minded white people enjoy today. Like the air conditioning unit that keeps you’ll cool on hot summer days, the key chain you’ll keep your keys on. Do you mow your lawn? Well guess what that too was invented by a Man of Color who would not be defined by the small mentality of fearful men of his time. Think about that the next time you collect your mail from your mailbox, or sharpen your pencil, or go to your refrigerator to get a cold drink, or even use a typewriter to type your next article. PRESIDENT OBAMA the HNIC you know the nigger in the White House, he is not defined by the circumstances of his time either.

      Your article is now a permanent record in our history. As the editor of the paper George it would have been responsible journalism if you would have followed the NY Times lead and not used that word to maybe preserved the integrity of this country by not tolerating this type of so called journalism that fuels the seeds of deeply imbedded racism in the small minds of people like James Collier, one of the dinosaurs still clinging to life from the ugly era of a time in history when one group of people openly used such derogatory language to reference another group of people.

      The vocal base is with the inferior class of people, the 2% of American people who will vote old-fashioned republicans out of office, who will not tolerate discrimination again any group of people based on their skin tone.

      We the 2% of the American People are fed up. We are fed up with being force fed, being brain washed and duped into thinking and believing that traditional, prejudice political decision makers really do have our best interest in mind. In this 21st century, We the 2% of the American People no longer hold biased views as our truth. We are the Change We Want to See.

      The right wing republican party, and others like them have been holding the American people hostage too long while they are strategically perpetuating their biased agendas. So Mr. President, I am requesting you use my tax dollars to call for a petition on behalf of We the 2% of American People to take action and impeach House Speaker John Boehner on charges of treachery because he seems to be the head cracker in charge of and “determined to stage confrontations with the you at every juncture.” And We the 2% of the American People are fed up and we’re not going to take it anymore!

      What did you say Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, NAACP, Cornell West, Michael Dyson, I can’t hear you.

      Say it loud, “I’m Black and I’m Proud!

    • Author gravatar

      We never forget that America was established by the blindness of racism as a political backdrop for years. This generational curse is why we have no peace in our country and no hope for racial harmony in this country. We see that Darwinism and his concept of class distinction has only aided to this countries racial tension. One commentator said this is new thing there are those who are in senate and house position that have the same feeling about our President. The fact is this I pray that this use of the, “N”, word does infiltrate our African America community as a thing of jest, but that it let our young children know that they must break the curse of racism so that there will be a generation that live as human beings instead of be seen as a race class. For the time being we have got to remember that our country is full of racist, bigots, atheist, gays , and all types of immoralists. We as a country have set the stage for the global community to see us as a immoral country that has no roots attached to moral conviction. Oh………….the writer of the article should be fired!

Leave a Reply