I was surprised by today's news story regarding New York City's meaningless attack on free speech. Well, I suppose that it isn't meaningless, as the intent seems to have been to get people to discuss the issue, which it has as evidenced by my comments here. I don't have a lot to say about it. It's interesting that different generations give different meanings to words. I've seen quotes from the "younger generation" that they want to take ownership of the word and give it their own meaning. I guess this is kind of like my idea that, instead of the complaining about public display of the Confederate Naval Jack, the NAACP should use it as its own logo. That would change its meaning fast!
Anyway, the reason why I am bringing this up is because I'm currently working my way through Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner on my commutes. Let's just say that I assume this book is now banned in New York.
1 comment:
I view the "N" word as profanity, and I don't think anybody should use it in their everyday speech. It saddens me that there are people who think it's OK to use this word. However, I do think there are times when it makes sense to use it for artistic purposes. For example, how could the story of Roots be told without using the "N" word? Would the word be censored if Roots aired today? I don't know. There's an episode of Little House on the Prairie in which an African-American boy (Todd Bridges of Diff'rent Strokes fame) runs away from home, hitches a ride on the Ingalls wagon, and stays a while at the Ingalls farm and attends the local school. The teacher gives the children an assignment to write about something that they don't like about themselves. To kick off the assignment, the teacher calls on some students and asks them what they don't like about themselves. When the teacher asks the runaway boy what he doesn't like about himself, he says, "Being a n*****", except the viewer only hears, "Being a", and we see the boy's lips form the "N" word as we hear silence. Later on, at home, Charles Ingalls questions the boy as to why he said that. I'm nearly certain the word was actually said and heard when this episode originally aired in the mid-'70s and that it was censored by TV Land (or perhaps the syndicator) for the rerun. It seems kind of silly to censor the word in a show that takes place during the 1870s. On the other hand, Little House on the Prairie is overall a wholesome family show, and I think it's a great show for families to sit down and watch together, so maybe it's not a good idea for this word to be heard in this show. The awkward silence and the later discussion about something that was said but the audience didn't hear could be a good opportunity for a parent-child discussion. Anyway, I think it's silly for government to waste time and energy on this matter.
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