We all know the n-word is a sensitive word, for obvious reasons, but some however don’t quite get it. A white substitute teacher is under review by the Louisiana school district after a video of him arguing with an African-American student over the use of the n-word went viral. The substitute teacher believes the word has been commoditized and anyone can say it.
“That’s racist as shit,” responded the student. “Why can you not understand that it’s racist for a white man to say ‘n****r’ to a black man? It’s fucking racist.”
The student asked his white classmates if they felt free enough to use the word, and they said no. The coach on the other hand just felt that the word didn’t have the same offensive/degrading meaning that it had in the past.
“Do you know what a commoditized word is?” he asked. “The word has been commoditized so that anyone can use it, and it’s not a negative connotation.”
“For you to say it to me is negative,” responded the student.
The coach tried to defend his stance by pointing out that a lot of artists use the word in the songs, but the student quickly let him know that usually black men are the ones saying it.
“If you say a word, it means friend. If I say a word, it means something different,” Coach Ryan continued, adding “That’s not true.”
One of the other African-American students in the class stepped in and tried to help Coach Ryan understand, but who know’s if the message got through.
“When you’re black, it changes the whole way people perceive you and the way people look at you. Realize that it’s not just a word when you say stuff like that. Realize all the charges and all the connotations it has in it. And just make responsible choices. If you’re a teacher and you don’t want to get fired, maybe you don’t want to say this.”
Source: http://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/a-louisiana-substitute-teacher-is-under-investigation-after-video-of-him-defending-saying-the-n-word-goes-viral/
