NY to stop using 'the N-Word'
2007-02-28 21:59
New York - A city councilman said he heard it over and over on the streets of New York City: young people casually addressing each other using racial slurs that had a painful history intertwined with slavery.
Councilman Leroy Comrie said: "You hear it 10 times within two minutes."
On Wednesday, Comrie was urging the council to approve a symbolic resolution calling for New Yorkers to voluntarily stop using the word nigger, sometimes referred to as "the N-Word" because of its sensitivity.
The effort began weeks ago at the start of Black History Month, and has gradually gained nationwide notice and support.
Comrie said its purpose was to call attention to a troubling trend among entertainers and youths to try and repackage the word into a term of endearment and cameraderie.
Hip-hop culture in particular has been singled out for weaving the term into music and entertainment, which some say waters it down and helps convince an entire generation that the word is acceptable.
Giving new meaning to the word
There are those who argue that doing so is empowering, that reclaiming a slur and giving it a new meaning takes away its punch.
Comrie disagrees, saying it is impossible to paper over the word's long and hurtful history.
"This was derived solely from hate and anger, and you just can't recreate it," said Comrie.
The word has received increased attention since an incident last year involving actor Michael Richards, who played Kramer on Seinfeld.
While onstage during a stand-up comedy routine, Richards blew up at some hecklers, who were black, spewing a profane tirade that included the slur.
Richards later apologised and said that the outburst - which was videotaped and widely circulated - was motivated by anger, not racism.
Challenging the public
After the Richards episode, black leaders including the Reverend Jesse Jackson challenged the public and the entertainment industry - including rap artists, actors and movie studios - to stop using the epithet.
Other municipalities are considering measures similar to New York City's, and a historically black college in Alabama recently held a four-day conference to discuss the epithet.
- AP