The Word

So let's talk about the word nigger.

Because it inevitably comes up as a point that should matter, I'll note that I am not white. I'm an Arab who has seen his fair share of racial slurs, but nothing as pointed as the word nigger. Eugene Volokh is a big time 1st amendment law professor who doesn't shy away from controversy. In multiple instances in his class, when discussing legal cases of racial epithets, he uttered the word 'nigger' without expurgation or euphemisms. Some people complained but while Volokh has not and will never apologize, his dean issued a public apology:

While he has the right to make that choice as a matter of academic freedom and First Amendment rights, so long as he is not using this or other words with animus, many of us—myself included—strongly believe that he could achieve his learning goals more effectively and empathetically without repeating the word itself. That is equally true in casual settings outside the classroom.  Slurs, even when mentioned for pedagogical purposes, hurt people. The n-word is inextricably associated with anti-Black prejudice, racism and slavery; it is a word that carries with it the weight of our shameful history and the reality of ongoing anti-Black racism.

Volokh then goes on to defend his use of the word nigger and explain why it's appropriate in the context of a university.

This issue has come up before with regards to a professor reading from a James Baldwin essay which happened to contain the word nigger. Randall Kennedy wrote about this incident:

This is not a case of a professor calling someone "nigger." This is a case of a professor exploring the thinking and expression of a writer who voiced the word to challenge racism. This is not a case of a professor negligently throwing about a term that’s long been deployed to terrorize, shame, and denigrate African-Americans. This is a case of a professor who, attentive to the sensibilities of his students, sought to encourage reflection about their anxieties and beliefs.

I'm genuinely baffled that this is a controversy. I tried to explore this issue with folks on social media (brave, I know) and could not come up with a coherent standard with regards to when and how (white) people should censor themselves when it comes to quoting or reading black authors who use the word. Key and Peele of course had a sketch where people consult an app to determine whether they can say the word simply by inputting the color of their skin. If you're black, you can say it. If you're white, you can't. It's a comedy sketch so I wasn't expecting nuance, but they don't address on what spectrum a 'No' becomes a 'Yes'. Keep in mind that both Key and Peele are half white.

I think philosophically, I find the use of the "N-Word" to be patronizing. If I say N-word versus nigger, people KNOW what I'm talking about. It's so bizarre to me to pretend that some words have the power of Voldemort. I have seen this come up in jury trials, where a witness will testify something along the lines of "He said 'I will F you up!'" and the prosecutor follows up with "Did he actually say 'F' or something else?". They do it for legal reasons because they need an accurate record, but I think there's also an aspect of "can we please drop this charade?".

And within the context of law, the precision is especially important. Volokh has a follow-up post where he cites a federal judge accurately recounting someone being called a nigger during an employment discrimination case.

My proposed rule is: Don't ever call a black person a nigger, unless your intent is to insult and antagonize someone. I would expand this to include "even if you're black" because I see nothing kosher about someone like Coleman Hughes being called a "coon" because he's a black guy opposing reparations.

The second part of the rule is: Feel free to refer to the word as much as you want. I don't see how this game of pretend fools anybody otherwise. I fully recognize the optics look awful (white law professor insists on saying nigger as much as he wants) but I can't even begin to formulate a coherent standard otherwise. If a white author wants to quote James Baldwin, do they censor his writing? How does that help anyone? I also don't anticipate this rule getting widely adopted anytime soon. I'm someone born in Africa surrounded by white people, so pretty much no one challenges me in meatspace when I'm in these situations. I wouldn't expect others to have the same leeway, both from a social standing and physical safety standpoint.

Edit: I’m reminded of the time Kendrick Lamar invited a white fan on stage to sing along. He then stopped her after she uttered The Word, and the crowd booed her. It was so painful for me to watch because the fan was put in a bind. Lamar wanted her on stage to celebrate his music while also expecting her to censor it.