More Michael Richards fall-out. Esteemed comedian and writer Paul Mooney has called for an end to the use of the "N word." This is big deal because Mooney is an entertainment legend known for his own liberal use of the word. He wrote for Sanford & Son, Saturday Night Live, Good Times and In Living Color. He was Richard Pryor's writing partner and has worked closely with Spike Lee and Dave Chappelle. He appears in the "Negrodamus" and "Ask a Black Man" sketches on The Chappelle Show. Seriously, the guy is huge. If you ever have a chance to catch his stand-up act in the clubs, you should. The man has seen it all.His take on this is interesting because, like Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks) or Chappelle, he has never shied away from using the "N word" in his comedy. In his own words: "I was having an affair with that word. I was married to that word. Now I'm having a divorce. I'm divorcing that word." Mooney credits Richards' outburst for giving him a new outlook on the word. "Michael cured me of the word. I'm not easily shocked. The tape shocked me. I finally got the gist of the word. It's too powerful and it's too much hatred and I don't wanna use it anymore." Will other black comedians or hip-hop artists who use have theoretically reclaimed the word from its awful history follow suit? One thing's for sure - there should be an upswing in sales of Harvard Law prof Randall Kennedy's book about the "strange career of a troublesome word."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-29-2006 @ 2:27PM
gK said...
I like Paul Moony. I like his take on this situation. Ban on the N word seems more of a beneficial action to take than what hyprocritical attention whore adultress racist Jesse Jackson propose. I mean boycotting dvd sales will not benefit anybody in society and will not cut racial tension in this country. Jesse Jackson chooses the cowardly pathetic self profiting route to deal with a situation. Some civil rights activist man of faith he is huh?? How can people listen to a man who is only goes after things for his own interests?
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11-29-2006 @ 2:21PM
TVGenius said...
I'm not one to use the word, but as far as I'm concerned, as long as black musicians and comedians continue to use it, Gloria Allred, Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson can go fly a kite if they want to complain about the use of the word. If people want to claim discrimination, there cannot be a double standard.
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11-29-2006 @ 2:55PM
Dusty T said...
I agree with #1. The only standards should be equality - and the double standards should go away. You don't see everyone jumping on the heckler for using the term "cracker".
I for one don't think Richards is so much a racist as he is an angry/bitter man. Had he been getting heckled by a plump white chick - he would have gone off on fat people. Had he been getting heckled by a white man in a John Deere hat, he would have gone off on rednecks....Not that it would have made it OK -- but I am sure his anger would not have been contained to black people only.
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11-29-2006 @ 3:14PM
suprfli said...
I just wish everyone would stop using the term - "The N Word." Am I the only person who thinks that's stupid?
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11-29-2006 @ 3:10PM
Gig said...
It is the African-American population that gives this word it's power. All virtually any non-African-American has to do to send an African-American to jail is whisper the word to them and they will usually respond in a violent way.
I'm and Italian-American from the South. There are lots of negative names for folks like me and not a one of them will cause me to do anything that will send me to jail.
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11-29-2006 @ 3:31PM
alamerican said...
I've seen Paul Mooney's act. If he's going to give up using the "N" word, how about he also give up his act which is 80% based on racism towards whites. I agree with what was said above about equality. It doesn't seem very equal to me that African Americans get to call whites crackers and "the man" and so forth and throw around the "N" word when it's convenient to them.
By no means am I implying that it's ok to use racist remarks like the "N" word, but let's be honest, blacks have carte blanche when it comes to talking inappropriately about other races.
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11-29-2006 @ 5:19PM
Jennifer said...
As a general rule, I think everyone except for Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle should be forbidden the use of the n-word. (Those two guys know how to use it to good effect.) I can't speak for Mooney's use of the word, as I haven't heard it.
But still, good for him for dropping it. That word is way too loaded on all sides.
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11-30-2006 @ 2:04AM
Phil said...
I guess Paul is going to have to go to the dentist now.
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12-01-2006 @ 2:07AM
abdul-halim said...
dentist.. definitely...lol...
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12-02-2006 @ 4:43AM
Donna Fisher said...
The N-word, the B-word (which Paul referenced and I assume refers to derogatory reference to women), the F-word (both of them...one originating as slang for copulation; the other in derogatory reference to a male homosexual), and the D-word (in derogatory reference to a lesbian) ALL MUST GO away from the world of comedy and the world at large. They serve no purpose but to insult, marginalize, hurt and, ultimately, silence their targets. The world is big enough for us all; our hearts and minds should become big enough to change their bad habits.
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