Poor Riley Cooper, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, said it. Cooper got himself busted for saying the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert. Good ole Kenny-freakin-Chesney. And all because a black security guard wouldn't allow him backstage to see the band. Riley Cooper thought he was safe because he was surrounded by thousands of white people. He never thought that his rant would go viral on YouTube. Sorry Riley, it did...and horribly.
As a result, Cooper expressed his sincere apology to everyone who may have been affected by his display of ignorance, including his black teammate's who make up over 70% of his team. Cooper was also fined and ordered to attend race sensitivity classes. Since then, Ole Coop has returned to the team supposedly as a refreshed uber-sensitive human being.
Race relations in sports was at a notably high level in the past two weeks. White folks want the N-word to be banned from public use; and black folks are like "hey, you all invented the word. Geez! Use it...don't use it. Make up your minds!" Well, it is true that the N-word is used in daily conversations among black people. Jay-Z and Kanye West have used the N-word in a helluva many songs; and the two are about as popular as any human being can be. It is also noted that in the movie "Django Unchained" the N-word was mentioned 109 times. One hundred and nine times!!
It may be impossible to go an entire week without hearing the N-word. And as a result, there is a heavy number of White Americans who feel that since the N-word is so commonly used, and since so many of them have that one "black" friend, then why can't they just use it too? Use the N-Word? Hmmm... let me give this some thought.
Okay, here's the thing. There are a lot of black folks who refer to one another by using the N-word. Okay then..so what's the problem? Well, as you well know, being called a nigger was the worst thing that anyone could ever call a black person. And as a result, once it was fully acknowledged that calling blacks the N-word was unacceptable, blacks took the word and applied it freely among themselves, and ultimately took the power out of the word. That word means nearly nothing to the black man, as it relates to interacting with other blacks; however for those who invented the word, it places them in a very uncomfortable position.
It goes even further. There are women who have taken power away from the word "bitch" by using it in jest within their own circles; and, any man caught using the B-word in public places himself in a position of being disbarred from the human race altogether. If you don't believe me then try it! There are also some homosexuals who have done the same with the word "fag" and "dike"; and there are also some Asians have done the same to the word "chink." It seems that it has now become a matter of "you started it, but we're gonna finish it."
So, now that we understand the rules for using racially-charged or socially unacceptable words, there's no longer a reason to place yourself in those uncomfortable situations. But I do understand where you were coming from, Riley Cooper. It was truly an honest mistake; and it's definitely a learning process. I mean, I still have a couple of geeks giving me the stank-eye for some words that were said at a local Starbucks a couple of weeks ago. I forget about the rule myself some times. You see, that's their word now.
Okay, here's the thing. There are a lot of black folks who refer to one another by using the N-word. Okay then..so what's the problem? Well, as you well know, being called a nigger was the worst thing that anyone could ever call a black person. And as a result, once it was fully acknowledged that calling blacks the N-word was unacceptable, blacks took the word and applied it freely among themselves, and ultimately took the power out of the word. That word means nearly nothing to the black man, as it relates to interacting with other blacks; however for those who invented the word, it places them in a very uncomfortable position.
It goes even further. There are women who have taken power away from the word "bitch" by using it in jest within their own circles; and, any man caught using the B-word in public places himself in a position of being disbarred from the human race altogether. If you don't believe me then try it! There are also some homosexuals who have done the same with the word "fag" and "dike"; and there are also some Asians have done the same to the word "chink." It seems that it has now become a matter of "you started it, but we're gonna finish it."
So, now that we understand the rules for using racially-charged or socially unacceptable words, there's no longer a reason to place yourself in those uncomfortable situations. But I do understand where you were coming from, Riley Cooper. It was truly an honest mistake; and it's definitely a learning process. I mean, I still have a couple of geeks giving me the stank-eye for some words that were said at a local Starbucks a couple of weeks ago. I forget about the rule myself some times. You see, that's their word now.
