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The "N" Word
With Randall Kennedy
Author, "Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word"
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002; 1 p.m. EST
The "N" word is a powerful one. It's use generates strong reactions. Commonly viewed as an inflammatory racial slur, it raises a multitude of provocative questions that immediately establish the complexity of the issue.
Randall Kennedy explores the evolution, the essence and the power of the word because "Nigger is a key word in the lexicon of race relations and thus an important term in American politics."
Kennedy will be online Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 1 p.m. EST, to discuss his controversial book and answer questions about the meanings and effects of the "N" word now and throughout history.
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"Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word"
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Kennedy is a Harvard Law School professor and served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He is also author of "Race, Crime, and the Law."
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Washington, D.C.:
Why is "nigger" a troublesome word?
Randall Kennedy: Nigger is a troublesome word because it has long been used as a weapon against people of color. It is also a troublesome word because it has been deployed in non-racist ways. Therefore, usage of the word sometimes gives rise to confusion.
Tinley Park, Ill.:
How do you think high school teachers in mostly black schools should handle the usage of this word?
Randall Kennedy: I think a teacher should handle this word straighforwardly, explaining the various ways in which the word has been used. It should be emphasized that this word has been used as a rhetorical weapon and that this word has wreaked much havoc in our society. Therefore, there is good reason for people to be concerned about, anxious about this word. Still, this is a complicated word that has been put to a wide variety of uses and that aspect of the N-word's history ought to be on the table for discussion too.
Washington, D.C.:
What are you trying or hope to accomplish through this book? Who is the book written for, people of color (African American in particular) or Euro American?
Randall Kennedy: I am attempting to enlighten people about the complexities that surround the volatile word nigger. I write for intelligent, open minded people. I do not write for white people or black people or red people or yellow people or brown people. I write for intelligent, open minded people who are interested in confronting challenging subjects.
Arlington, Va.:
I grew up (white) in the 'fifties in a small Appalachian city where we in my immediate family considered ourselves more "enlightened" on racial issues than most of our neighbors. I was taught that "niggers" were lazy, dirty people with no pride or ambition, that there were "white niggers," and that there were plenty of dark-skinned people who were not "niggers." To this day, I can't figure out whether my family was trying to soften the impact of the word by separating it (to some extent) from skin color, or to justify its use in its original context by seeming to broaden its application. Did you come across this phenomenon at all in your research?
Randall Kennedy: Answer: yes. That usage of nigger is actually rather common and I talk about it in my book.
Washington, D.C.:
After the gold medal was awarded to the U.S. women's bobsled team, the Washington Post reported it being awarded to the first "African American," yet the New York Times reported the same story as the woman being the first "black" of any nationality to win a gold medal. It seems that the Post's usage -- preferring African American to black -- diminished her accomplishment since it restricted her feat to an "American" one when it was really world wide. Isn't it best just to choose our words as being appropriate in the circumstances and not to resort to wooden rules?
Randall Kennedy: Yes.
An interesting feature of the American language is the changing way in which black Americans have been identified and have identified themselves. So at various times blacks have been referred to as negroes, Afro-Americans, colored people, people of color, Anglo-Africans, etc. All of these various identifiers can be used just fine. What matters is the spirit with which these various identifiers are used.
Northport, N.Y.:
Although I am white I was called the "N" word many times by one of my Afro-American friends who is a legendary jazz musician. When I called him a "N" once he said " I can say it. You can't." However we will move the debate along when we heed the words of the great Indian teacher Krishnamurti who said "The word is not the thing being described."
Randall Kennedy: I think that people who use nigger in a hateful, racist way ought to be condemned regardless of their race. I also think that there are non-racist ways to use nigger and I do not feel insulted when people make use of nigger in non-racist ways, so long as they have good reason for doing so. So, for example, I do not feel insulted when people use nigger as a salutation of affection. And that goes for white speakers as well.
Odenton, Md.:
I stopped using the word nigger when Richard Pryor stated he went to Africa and he looked around and saw no niggas there. He vowed never to use the word again. I thought about his statement, felt he was right and I have never used the word again either
Question, What is your take on young blacks that use the word constantly and I believe it's perpetuated in rap music.
Randall Kennedy: Some of the young people who use nigger constantly are doing so ignorantly. I do not have high regard for that usage of the N-word. At the same time, there are some youngsters who are using nigger advisedly, to seize the word from bigots and make it their own. I think that there is some merit in what these youngsters are doing. Just like there are women who are attempting to transform the meaning of bitch, gays who are attempting to transform the meaning of queer and offspring of unmarried people who are attempting to transform the meaning of bastard, some blacks are attempting to transform the meaning of nigger. That strategy is not one in which I am engaged but it is one that I appreciate.
With respect to Richard Pryor: The Richard Pryor who performed "That Nigger's Crazy" was a far more insightful commentator than the Richard Pryor who renounced using the N-word.
Washington, D.C.:
Why do you think the word "nigger" has had such an enduring history (and continued use) in this country?
Randall Kennedy: That has to do with the peculiar, malevolent and resilient of anti-black racism in America. Alexis de Tocqueville suggested in "Democracy in America" that anti-black racism was unique in the U.S. because of the confluence of slavery and blackness. I think he was right.
Harrisburg, Pa.:
An episode of "Boston Public" dealt with similar matters as your book does. Did you see that episode? If so, do you have any reactions to how this episode of television dealt with this?
Randall Kennedy: I consulted with the producers of Boston Public with respect to this episode and gave them permission to use my book in it. I thought, by the way, that it was a very interesting exploration of a type of controversy that is arising all across the U.S.
Harrisburg, Pa.:
Are you familiar with the song "Woman is the Nigger of the World" by John Lennon? If so, what are your reactions to the lyrics?
Randall Kennedy: Yes, I am familiar with that song and mention it in my book. That song is an example of how nigger is a uniquely powerful term, one that people turn to in order to use analogically for their own purposes.
Washington, D.C.:
You mentioned that "nigger" has an indelible place in the American lexicon. Did you find any evidence of widespread usage of this word anywhere else in the world? (If so, where?)
Randall Kennedy: Yes. Nigger is an international slur. It is a slur that is known, for example, throughout the lands that used to be part of the British Empire.
Randall Kennedy: P.S. I was surprised at the extent to which the British media and the Canandian media showed intense interest in my book. That interest underlines the extent to which nigger is a term known throughout the world.
Nowhere important:
Did you or your published pick the title of your book?
Randall Kennedy: I chose Nigger as the primary title of the book. The publisher had nothing to do with that. My editor and I went back and forth with respect to a subtitle. I ultimately determined that subtitle. Therefore the title of the book,for good or for bad, is my responsibility.
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