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History. Politics. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:The twentieth anniversary edition of one of the most controversial books ever published on race and language is now more relevant than ever in this season of racial reckoning. In addition to a brave and bracing inquiry into the origins, uses, and impact of the infamous word, this edition features an extensive new introduction that addresses major developments in its evolution during the last two decades of its vexed history. In the new introduction to his classic work, Kennedy questions the claim that “nigger” is the most tabooed term in the American language, faced with the implacable prevalence of its old-fashioned anti-Black sense. “Nigger” continues to be part of the loud soundtrack of the worst instances of racial aggression in American life—racially motivated assaults and murders, arson, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and workplace harassment. Consider this: twenty years ago, Kennedy wrote that any major politician credibly accused of using “nigger” would be immediately abandoned and ostracized. He was wrong. Donald Trump, former POTUS himself, was credibly charged, and the allegation caused little more than a yawn. No one doubted the accuracy of the claim but amidst all his other racist acts his “nigger-baiting” no longer seemed shocking. “Nigger” is still very much alive and all too widely accepted. On the other hand, Kennedy is concerned to address the many episodes in which people have been punished for quoting, enunciating, or saying “nigger” in circumstances that should have made it clear that the speakers were doing nothing wrong—or at least nothing sufficiently wrong to merit the extent of the denunciation they suffered. He discusses, for example, the inquisition of Bill Maher (and his pathetic apology) and the (white) teachers who have been disciplined for reading out loud texts that contain “nigger.” He argues that in assessing these controversies, we ought to be more careful about the use/mention distinction: menacingly calling someone a “nigger” is wholly different than quoting a sentence from a text by James Baldwin or Toni Morrison or Flannery O’Connor or Mark Twain. Kennedy argues against the proposition that different rules should apply depending upon the race of the speaker of “nigger,” offering stunningly commonsensical reasons for abjuring the erection of such boundaries. He concludes by venturing a forecast about the likely status of “nigger” in American culture during the next twenty years when we will see the clear ascendance of a so-called “minority majority” body politic—which term itself is redolent of white supremacy.… (more)
User reviews
As someone that abhors taboos of any sort and loves words, slurs have long occupied a difficult status for me. I don't think they should be afforded special status, off limits to all but those who would use them to attack, but I can't ignore their baggage or people's sensitivity to them. Randall seems to have a similar feeling on the matter. He certainly doesn't excuse vile usage of the titular word, but he knows that attempts to regulate it's usage, or excise it from the English language entirely are not only naive, they would undercut freedom of speech and turn victims of verbal attacks into agents of censure. As ugly as words can be it it's important to remember that freedom of speech doesn't mean much if we can pick and choose what speech it applies to.
But back to the book. Kennedy briefly looks at the origin of the word and when it picked up it's nasty connotations before diving into historical and contemporary examples or it's uses and abuses. There are some pretty nasty stories, but thankfully as you read on the breadth of the "N-word" becomes more apparent. Kennedy celebrates ironic, sarcastic and affectionate uses of the word within the black community citing people like Richard Pryor and Chris Rock as examples of people that wouldn't let the fact that white people might hear them and not understand their usage dictate how they spoke. Positive uses of "nigger" from literature, music, and comedy are reprinted and discussed.
The last segment is dedicated to controversial usage of the word and this section is done especially well. Kennedy presents the facts of the situation at hand before weighing in on the subject. This allows the reader time to think over what they think of the usage in question before Kennedy makes his case.
All and all I found this quick and edifying. It gave me fuller perspective on the use of the word and it gives me great pleasure that members of the black community are bending the word to there own purposes. Despite Kennedy's defense of non-blacks using the word in positive manners I think I'll leave wrecking this particular taboo to those better suited to it. As it is I'm perfectly happy taking the teeth out of "cunt" anyways.
The one thing I wish was included but wasn't was commentary on the recent censoring of Huckleberry Finn. Kennedy defends the book and Twain's usage of nigger in it, but this book was published years before the regualtionists excised all usage of the word from an edition of Huck Finn.
To close out, it's not the words you use, it's what you say with them.
The book turned out to be more academic than I initially expected (I was looking for something akin to the popular history genre of the history
Being a white man I had to be very careful as to how I physically read this in public. When people asked me what I was reading, I was very careful to say something like "This is a book by an Afro-American scholar on language and how it can subverted." Then I showed them the cover.
Don't criticize it until you've read it.
The author, Randall Kennedy, explores the use of the N-word in American culture through personal experience, anecdotes, court cases, and many other
Rating: 4
I was slightly disappointed to see that this was actually a 20th anniversary edition of a book originally released in 2002, fearing it would be out of date, but aside from multiple references to Bill Cosby as a
I was surprised that the author was a first amendment absolutist who has a negative opinion about cancel culture, political correctness, hate speech laws, and eradication of the N-word. As an academic he wants to be sure to examine and assess the context, nuance, and relativism associated with specific uses of the word instead of coming up with arbitrary rules. I did not always agree with him, but could usually follow the logic of his stance. I'm a firm believer in free speech -- after all, it's the quickest and easiest way to find out who the assholes in any group are, and that's always useful information to have -- but too many people confuse free speech with consequence-free speech, and I worry that this book might be seen by certain idiots as a hall pass.
I do find it contradictory that the author criticized N-word eradicationists for not having hard and specific statistics to prove a rise in the use of the N-word while at the same time seeming to advocate that Black Americans harden their skin against its use toward them and not report it or make a big deal of it, ensuring we won't have meaningful and accurate statistics.
Author opinions aside, I do appreciate the history provided, tracing the word's appearance through law, court cases, culture, and entertainment. Lots of fascinating tidbits are unearthed and revisited.