The n-word taboo

We like to think that we're a lot more civilized than we actually are.

No one I know in polite society would use the n-word in public. Most people in impolite society avoid it too. What does that mean?

Those sweet six year olds who so casually used the word in their rope-skipping games fifty years ago, were they racists? Maybe, maybe not, but any six year old is only as racist as the environment they are being brought up in.  Certainly there was nothing vicious or malicious in their behavior.

Fast forward to the present. Fox News has more viewers than any other news channel. Do they use the n-word? Of course not; they are far too civilized. Are they racist? The vast majority of talking heads on Fox absolutely ooze contempt for Barrack Obama. Why? There is a viciousness to their tone that I've never heard directed at any other President. He's caved to the Republicans on virtually every substantive issue, and has even out-Bushed the Republicans when it comes to things like drone strikes in foreign lands and bombing yet another Muslim country. Does anyone truly believe that he'd be treated in such a malicious way if he were a white man?

So we're not throwing the n-word around anymore. We tell ourselves that's symbolic of how much has changed. It lets us avoid the reality that systemic racism permeates our culture. Meaningful change will require a lot more than not using the n-word.