The last time we faced controversy over use of the N-word it was a movement to remove it from the Mark Twain classics. I vehemently oppose the use of the word, but support leaving it in those classics for all the reasons I have discussed, including the historical accuracy the word portrays for the times, the anti-racism angle of the Twain stories, and the fact it is the written word as opposed to the spoken word.
The latest controversy over the N-Word now comes from the Washington Post, claiming from unnamed sources that Governor Rick Perry’s (D/R Texas) family leased hunting ground in Texas where a rock was located with the phrase “N-Head” or something similar. I haven’t seen a photograph of the alleged rock, and the New York Times reports that it may not even exist:
The property is owned by a Texas charity called the Hendrick Home for Children. Chuck Wilson, the manager, declined to comment about the word on the rock, whether it was ever there and, if so, when it was removed.
“I will tell you one thing,” Mr. Wilson said. “There’s nothing to see out there. I’ve been handling the property for 10 years, been all up and down it, and I ain’t never seen that rock.”
Frankly, I don’t care whether the rock existed or not. What I do care about is the lack of any perspective on the issue of the use of the phrase “N-Head” on this or any other geographical site in the United States or elsewhere. Just a little research, starting with that not-always-accurate-left-leaning-Wikipedia produces a lot of information on the use of the term “N-Head.” But I suppose even that research is too much for the mainstream media to conduct, after all they’d need a laptop or some other source to log on to the Internet. Poor things, we should try to raise some money to get them a computer and Internet connection.
If you want to see a comprehensive review of the use of the term “N-Head” from around the world, take look at this report from someone with first-hand experience encountering the phrase while traveling. The list of places and objects where the name is still in use is astonishing, something that I never realized until this subject came up.
What I do know, though, is that most of us are probably ignorant of the larger picture that the Washington Post and the liberal commentators refuse to discuss or consider before going after Rick Perry’s family. The exception? Jon Stewart. Watch the following:
Anytime, on any issue, we need to maintain a little perspective. The use of the “N-Head” is offensive. But to go after Perry without any substantive evidence that he or his family had anything to do with the yet-to-be-seen-rock is lazy, incompetent journalism. Naw, I’m not surprised, just trying to bring a little perspective to the issue.
