By Steve Rhodes
Neil Steinberg, a white guy, recently complained that “Black people prefer to be the sole arbiters of all things racial.” (See No. 4)
But it’s really white people who want to control the dialogue on race.
For example, the Rev. James Meeks was recently in the news for his use of the “N” word. The white media demanded an explanation – and an apology. The mayor was also offended and weighed in. The same mayor who once reportedly said that Chicago needed a white mayor (aides later clarified that he meant a “wet mayor,” though they couldn’t explain what that would entail or how it would improve the city).
Maybe people of color should be the sole arbiters of how the “N” word is used. Maybe us white people should stay out of that one; like Germans who aren’t allowed to legally form neo-Nazi parties, our ancestors have forfeited certain privileges for us, regardless of our technical lack of responsibility for historic abuses. Maybe the best way for us white people to recognize and repudiate those abuses is by accepting such sacrifices as having little or no say in who, what, when, and where using the “N” word is acceptable.
Posted on August 31, 2006