Bill Maher and the N Word
Bill Maher. I'm a fan, with some hesitation. Sometimes he is so arrogant and decidedly wrong in his opinionated self that he will say the stupidest shit imaginable. He actually asked President Obama AND Cornel West if they were just faking it about believing in God because they're too smart to believe in fairy tales. He knows that their intelligence is self-evident, but he's too blind to understand that faith is called faith for a reason. A wiser man would say to himself, "These people are smart, so maybe religious belief isn't proof of stupidity." But he's as narcissistic as Donald Trump in his reasoning:
"I'm smart and I think religion is ridiculous. Therefore, all smart people should think what I do, because, in case I haven't mentioned it, I'm smart."
He is also wrong on some other things. Anti-vax tripe. Thinking it's groovy if an older woman has sex with a 12 year old boy. That kind of thing.
But I think he's smart and funny and I agree with him on a lot of things, too. My husband and I watch "Real Time" religiously (unintentional pun). To me, the good more than outweighs the bad with Bill Maher. I just wish someone would talk to him about developing a little humility. It's clear he doesn't want to turn into Donald Trump.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with the title of this piece, Google Bill Maher and Ben Sasse, and you'll see his joke about being a house . . . (I don't use the word, so I'm not putting it here, even in the name of journalistic integrity.)
When he said it, I gasped in shock. I understood the context and it was a clever and knowledgable comeback--Bill Maher knows enough to know that, during slavery, there was a name for slaves who worked in the house vs. those who worked in the fields. And because Maher's ultimate god is the spontaneous joke, he said it. He has gone after racism enough on his show to think (deludedly) that his non-racist bona fides made it permissible.
I have seen this a lot in the last few years. White people who have really good Black friends and think of themselves as post-racial use the n word and think it's okay, because they have Black friends, have dated/slept with Black people. They've partied with them! They listen to rap music.
So everyone (Black and White) should know there's no intent behind the world. They're cool.
This is not the first time Bill has used the n word on this show. He used it once when his great buddy, D.L. Hughley was on the show. The context was not meant to be demeaning in any way, but I saw D.L. give him a look. That look. That "Are you crazy, motherf'er?" look. And Bill was like, "What, I can't say it? C'mon man. After all this time. You know me. We've partied together. . ."
This rap is so old it used to be, "I can't be racist; I have Negro friends." And D.L. didn't excuse it, but he didn't punch Bill's lights out, either, which I could tell he really wanted to do.
The only thing missing from Bill's apologia to D.L. was, "Hey, rappers say the word all the time and they're the quintessence of cool."
It's the conservatives' favorite thing to say when one of theirs uses the n word. "Double standard," they whine, like babies deprived of the most desired of lollipops. Because saying the n word is just such a freaking thrill. I mean, first they didn't get to ride the ferris wheel and now this.
So let me be the first to clue you. If you think saying that word is some kind of gift or freedom, there's something terribly wrong with you.
You're not alone, though. I read Randall Kennedy's book on the subject, but I won't write the title because, in case you haven't noticed, I don't use that word.
He gave a pass to "some" White people to use the word "in some contexts." Kennedy is Black and he clerked for Thurgood Marshall, but I am convinced I know that Thurgood would not agree with him on this. Marshall used to use the term HNIC about himself, but when talking to White people he cleaned it up to Head Negro in Charge. Because he knew he wouldn't want White people to think using the word was a-okay.
So. I don't care how many Black friends you have, how well you understand "Black culture" (like "Black culture is a monolith, one size fits all," anyhoo), you're married to a Black person, you're Rachel FREAKING Dolezal, I DON'T CARE.
If you're White, be smart enough not to use a word that is so explosive that, to this day, it's seen in courts as akin to pulling out a gun.
Be cool enough, too, to have a sense of the wider world. We don't live in a post-racial society. Some southerners are threatening to kill anyone who takes down the statues memorializing the Confederacy and Lebron James just came home to a graffitied house using the word you think is okay for you to say.
So, my fellow White people, buy a clue and some perspective and don't use the word.
Maybe one day, we'll live in a society where it's okay for Whites to use that word, but if I'm gonna have a dream, it's going to be that that word is no longer recognized in society, because it's so specious and antiquated.
ETA: My husband asked if I'm going to stop watching Politically Incorrect because of this. The answer is no.
But D.L., talk to your brother. Tell him that this is decidedly uncool. Maybe he'll listen to you.
"I'm smart and I think religion is ridiculous. Therefore, all smart people should think what I do, because, in case I haven't mentioned it, I'm smart."
He is also wrong on some other things. Anti-vax tripe. Thinking it's groovy if an older woman has sex with a 12 year old boy. That kind of thing.
But I think he's smart and funny and I agree with him on a lot of things, too. My husband and I watch "Real Time" religiously (unintentional pun). To me, the good more than outweighs the bad with Bill Maher. I just wish someone would talk to him about developing a little humility. It's clear he doesn't want to turn into Donald Trump.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with the title of this piece, Google Bill Maher and Ben Sasse, and you'll see his joke about being a house . . . (I don't use the word, so I'm not putting it here, even in the name of journalistic integrity.)
When he said it, I gasped in shock. I understood the context and it was a clever and knowledgable comeback--Bill Maher knows enough to know that, during slavery, there was a name for slaves who worked in the house vs. those who worked in the fields. And because Maher's ultimate god is the spontaneous joke, he said it. He has gone after racism enough on his show to think (deludedly) that his non-racist bona fides made it permissible.
I have seen this a lot in the last few years. White people who have really good Black friends and think of themselves as post-racial use the n word and think it's okay, because they have Black friends, have dated/slept with Black people. They've partied with them! They listen to rap music.
So everyone (Black and White) should know there's no intent behind the world. They're cool.
This is not the first time Bill has used the n word on this show. He used it once when his great buddy, D.L. Hughley was on the show. The context was not meant to be demeaning in any way, but I saw D.L. give him a look. That look. That "Are you crazy, motherf'er?" look. And Bill was like, "What, I can't say it? C'mon man. After all this time. You know me. We've partied together. . ."
This rap is so old it used to be, "I can't be racist; I have Negro friends." And D.L. didn't excuse it, but he didn't punch Bill's lights out, either, which I could tell he really wanted to do.
The only thing missing from Bill's apologia to D.L. was, "Hey, rappers say the word all the time and they're the quintessence of cool."
It's the conservatives' favorite thing to say when one of theirs uses the n word. "Double standard," they whine, like babies deprived of the most desired of lollipops. Because saying the n word is just such a freaking thrill. I mean, first they didn't get to ride the ferris wheel and now this.
So let me be the first to clue you. If you think saying that word is some kind of gift or freedom, there's something terribly wrong with you.
You're not alone, though. I read Randall Kennedy's book on the subject, but I won't write the title because, in case you haven't noticed, I don't use that word.
He gave a pass to "some" White people to use the word "in some contexts." Kennedy is Black and he clerked for Thurgood Marshall, but I am convinced I know that Thurgood would not agree with him on this. Marshall used to use the term HNIC about himself, but when talking to White people he cleaned it up to Head Negro in Charge. Because he knew he wouldn't want White people to think using the word was a-okay.
So. I don't care how many Black friends you have, how well you understand "Black culture" (like "Black culture is a monolith, one size fits all," anyhoo), you're married to a Black person, you're Rachel FREAKING Dolezal, I DON'T CARE.
If you're White, be smart enough not to use a word that is so explosive that, to this day, it's seen in courts as akin to pulling out a gun.
Be cool enough, too, to have a sense of the wider world. We don't live in a post-racial society. Some southerners are threatening to kill anyone who takes down the statues memorializing the Confederacy and Lebron James just came home to a graffitied house using the word you think is okay for you to say.
So, my fellow White people, buy a clue and some perspective and don't use the word.
Maybe one day, we'll live in a society where it's okay for Whites to use that word, but if I'm gonna have a dream, it's going to be that that word is no longer recognized in society, because it's so specious and antiquated.
ETA: My husband asked if I'm going to stop watching Politically Incorrect because of this. The answer is no.
But D.L., talk to your brother. Tell him that this is decidedly uncool. Maybe he'll listen to you.