Apparently the leaders of black America have decided it is time to start looking within as they continue their fight against racism, which has been given renewed media attention following the racial tirade of Michael Richards (a.k.a. Kramer from the television series Seinfeld) directed toward two obnoxious hecklers during his recent stand-up performance in L.A. First of all, I want to applaud the Reverend Jackson and his posse for their genuine acknowledgment that the real root of the continued use of derogatory slurs like "nigger" is the prevailing notion that it is o.k. for blacks to use them, but it is reprehensible when it comes from a white man. This has baffled me since I was first introduced to rap music back in grade school, and it has continued to peeve me ever since. Why, I have always wondered, can't I (as a white man) use a word that seems to carry no negative connotations when shared between "brothers"? Why is it o.k., or at least accepted amongst whites, for black comedians such as Richard Prior to make fun of the "honky" or "cracker"? The obvious answer to both questions is that black American's as a collective whole still have a chip on their shoulder because of the sins of our ancestors, and as a result, they feel a sense of entitlement to say whatever they choose without retribution, while simultaneously scrutinizing the words of white men and women through a hyper-sensitive, politically correct microscope. I think that the decision by the leaders of the NAACP today to push for a community wide ban on the use of the "N" word is unquestionably a step toward pacifying once and for all the obviously tenuous issues of race and racism in America today. However, I find it hard to believe that any prominent black leader is going to stand up and call for an end to the racially motivated slurs many blacks use unabashedly toward whites.
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