In an op-ed in the New York Times linguistics scholar John McWhorter provides a history of the “N-word”, its usage, and its transition from ordinary discourse to slur to taboo. It’s accompanied by an editorial disclaimer.
It was not a word to be said by members of my family. That was made very clear to me what, at about 5 years of age, I used it (I had heard it from other neighborhood kids) and was punished fairly severely by my parents standards and told in no uncertain terms that we did not use that word. For my parents and in my family racism was a mortal sin.
We never talked about that, I didn’t know that existed. But that doesn’t exempt myself, or yourself from the original sin of institutional racism. You bear that burden and so do I. That’s right there why I don’t like ’em. Had to grow up and meet some to learn.
I too learned the hard way to not say it around my parents, but like the other children, we would use it. It was on par with the f-word. Few of the adults I knew used either. As such, it was shocking to hear adults use it.
It is weird, but in certain groups, I do remember it being used casually to mean a black person. My grandfather was from “the country” where it was used this way, but he would say “colored feller” instead.
I do not understand the uproar over “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. It is a snapshot of the time period and how people spoke, and as Dr. McWhorter notes, the usage is revealing.
Recognizing that the word was not redeemable, Brother Malcolm and Minister Farrakhan use negro or black. They understood that it is as derogatory for a black person to call him/herself a n*gg*er as it is for a racist. It is a symptom of self-loathing. It is no different than a woman calling herself a cunt.
I loved Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Jim was portrayed as a decent, loyal, likable, world-wise character.
Twain was not so kind to “Injun Joe.” Unless you consider meanness and just plain toughness admirable traits, and they may be in a social outcast like Joe.
In the same vein, all of the illustrations in the Dr. Seuss books look like elderly Asians to me. Is that racist? Do I care?