Into the N-word

America is treading water and showing its ass again during another Black History Month that finds non-Black people sharing their views about why it should be okay for them to, once and for all, erase the “N-word” from their vocabulary and replace it with the full N-word slur in all its evil, vile, and harmful glory.

The struggle Americans across all demographics are expressing is their sincere consternation at being shamed and faux-canceled because they said the “Word that shall not be said,” is truly incredible to witness.

In what has become an annual outpouring of N-word angst during Black History Month, white, Asian, young and old, and those with large platforms and small, are sharing the “whys” behind their feelings on being allowed to say the N-word.

Think about that for a moment. 

The worst insult and most evil word in the English language is the word non-Black people want to discuss… during Black History Month. 

If you ever wondered what many Americans think of Black people… check out what they talk, post, tweet, and TikTok about during Black History Month.

The big story is Spotify being embarrassed after their star podcaster, Joe Rogan, was exposed as an avowed racist following the release of a video with dozens of clips of him proudly saying the whole word “ni***r” with many different guests. 

The video was shared by India.Arie and quickly went viral, contributing to Spotify losing billions in market value and its embattled CEO hastily but half-heartedly apologizing to his staff, before his company deleted hundreds of Rogan’s old podcasts from its platforms.

But they didn’t fire or suspend him. 

Black History Month was starting to get good.

If we have learned anything in America it is that wealthy white men have a lot of excuses and  rationalizations for their racist behavior, and people – white, Black, and Asian – who will speak up for them, no matter how awful they are.

And right on cue, Rogan’s supporters spoke up for him: The Rock said he’s a great guy and definitely not racist.

Andrew Yang said Rogan has Black friends, so could not be racist.

The Young Turk-jerks gleefully promoted a video clip in solidarity of all the times they said the N-word on their show.

“Freedom of speech” they all clamored; “no cancel culture” they cried; “wokeness run amok” they yelled in solidarity with the $100-million-dollar white man who has not been canceled, who missed no paychecks, and who continues to podcast as if nothing has happened to him… because nothing did.

Black folk are used to America’s guilty consciousness exploding like a hatred fireball during Black History Month, but this year it seems worse than prior celebratory months.

It may be because we are coming off a year of vitriol directed at Vice President Kamala Harris, white nationalists getting light sentences after trying to take over the Capitol, and Nazis holding marches in multiple cities.

We are in the midst of attacks on our history being taught in schools, of our books being banned and burned, and more no-knock warrant murders – Amir Locke in Minneapolis being the most recent.

Of course, non-Black folk are using all the same old tired excuses for why they believe they should be able to say the “N-word:”

It is just a word.

It is no longer an insult.

I have freedom of speech.

And the hall of fame excuse…

Rappers use it, so why can’t I?

Insert the largest eyeball meme, gif, emoji you can imagine here

It remains baffling that the people who have the most:

Money 

Homes 

Management jobs 

Savings and investments 

CEO jobs

Jobs

Highest wages

Venture capital investments

And hold the every Republican Senate seat and most Democratic Senate seats, every governorship, most mayors and state legislature offices, and hold most of the jobs for chiefs of police and sheriffs, police officers and firefighters, military leadership, prison guards, and most jobs in the CIA, FBI, NSA, Homeland Security, and ambassadorships….

…Who are president of most colleges and universities, who get the most small business loans, who got the most PPP loans, who get the most welfare, Social Security, and Medicare… who hold most jobs as scientists, doctors, lawyers, judges, construction workers, airline pilots, landlords, and teachers… who have the most life savings, the most life insurance, get the most home loans and credit cards at the lowest rates…

…Who have the least amount of polluted air, water, and cops in their neighborhoods…

…Who have the most speaking roles on television and movies, get the most book contracts, the most TikTok and YouTube views and monetization, even when stealing content from Black creators, and who get the most verified accounts across all social media, and the fewest targeted suspensions…

…Who get the highest wages at every level regardless of education, get the most franchises, most podcasts, and even get multiple states, just for them, where they can run every aspect of, well, everything:

States with the highest percentage of white people:

• Vermont 95.6%
• Maine 95.4%
• West Virginia 94.4%
• New Hampshire 93.7%
• Wyoming 92.0%
• Montana 90.9%
• Idaho 90.2%
• Iowa 89.8%

And yet….

In true world-domination and colonization energy, white people and other non-white people aren’t satisfied or actualized as human beings because we, Black people, have denied them “permission” to use the N-word.

It is not enough to have literally everything set up for their benefit because they will not truly be happy until they can stand on every street corner, every boardroom and office, every classroom and Walmart, every church and in the halls of Congress and yell “NIGGER!!”

Once they’ve done that, I honestly believe they believe they’ll fulfill the final requirement needed to enter into their imaginary all-white heaven.

They want to harm us more than they already have for four hundred years by speaking to our faces what many speak when we are not around.

But wait a minute. Maybe we are on to something here. 

Maybe, just maybe, there is an opportunity to make a N-word Deal ™ . 

Okay, hear me out, white Americans, because I think in the spirit of openness and fairness, we can arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement around you wanting life-long permission to say the N-word with impunity, and us wanting something else of equal value. 

Here is what we want:

Reparations.

Here is what you get:

You get to say the N-word.

Fair? Do we have a deal?

Seems fair to me. 

Pay us the trillions owed to us and you can have free reign to utter the N-word in the full glory of that hard “r” you dream about.

Once we get our money, we will issue an official proclamation giving you permission to use the N-word to your heart’s content.

We know that contracts made with you tend to be subject to interpretation in later years and then get tied up in the courts – See, for example: 40 acres and a mule, Civil War pensions for Black soldiers, GI Bill for Black veterans, Agent Orange settlements for Black veterans, voting rights, and hundreds of treaties with Native Americans. 

So, we will need to include a Retraction of N-word Rights Clause that will be actionable by any Black citizen at any time – think of it as our N-word H.O.A, managed by millions of Auntie Bettys.

I think we are making strides here. I know I am feeling better already.

You all think about it, meet in small diners and churches – places where you don’t have to worry about seeing us – and let us know if you agree with this mutually beneficial solution.

Once you’ve caucused at the Iowa Pork Fest, get back to us. You know how to reach us because,  when we are in public, you seem to always have eyes on us, and we will take it under consideration.

Your response will be considered in due time and if you wish to expedite your order, simply pay fifty percent in advance and pay the remainder by next Black History Month.

Until then, the old social contract remains in effect for anyone who is not Black: 

You cannot say the N-word.

Period.

© 2021 by Myron J. Clifton.

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Myron J. Clifton is slightly older than fifty, lives in Sacramento, California, and is an avid Bay Area sports fan. He likes comic books, telling stories about his late mom to his beloved daughter Leah, and talking to his friends.  

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