NEW YORK - DIAMOND DAVE ON THE N-WORD

If you’re anything like us, all this n-word funeral business from last week has been weighing pretty heavily on your mind. We’d been doing some serious soul-searching after Monday’s burial, trying to reconcile the intentions of the event with its actual effect on language and racial politics and put the whole deal into its proper perspective, before it suddenly dawned on us that David Lee Roth had cut through all the attendant emotions and misperceptions and “laid it straight” a good ten years before the fact in his book Crazy From the Heat. We’re starting to think it’s a solid possibility that he earned his nickname not from the brilliance of his early 80s performances, but on account of the diamond-like clarity of his worldview.

CENSORSHIP

Censorship can become very dense and convoluted as quick as you can say “Bob’s your uncle.” Because if you read Source magazine, it’s hip-hop, it’s completely Dre and Snoopy and Coolio. In the magazine, if it’s friendly and affirmative―every single one of these acts refers to “Yeah, I’m hangin’ with me and my nigguz.” “Uz” means it’s cool. It’s not okay for me to use it, or anybody but that crew, okay? Nigger is negative. That’s old school. That’ll get you shot.

Okay. So what happens is, we move into this censorship way of
thinking, we give it a nice, friendly name, like “politically correct,” and
we start referring to things as “the N word.” We won’t even say the word anymore. As if, if we don’t say it, it’ll go away. Kind of like date rape. If we just don’t talk about it, then it doesn’t exist, right? A lot like wife beating, or child abuse.

Okay. So we’re all tuned in to “Court TV,” and they’re referring to the N word. Now, I think I know what N word is, I’m just not sure which version it is. Is it ­uz or ­­er, ‘cause that makes a difference.

We know what the F word means. And we kinda know what the S word means… what about the K word? That sounds like three different insults for the price of one, for me―all of them spelled incorrectly. But anybody who uses one of those insults frequently probably can’t spell. Now, where does that leave me? I’m a little fuzzy. ‘Cause one of the K words might be kiss my ass. I have a lot of friends who would have alphabetized that under K. I would have alphabetized it under A.

But anybody who uses that insult in their daily diet, more often than not, is probably coming from the former school of thought.

Anybody who uses the word cunt on a daily basis probably spells it with a K. So now I have to adjust the C word and the K word.

You can see how things spin right out of control. The joystick breaks right off, and things get desperate in a hurry here.

That’s censorship. Wait a minute… is that an S word or a C word?

Comments

[Trak]

Somebody give this man a talk-radio show...Oh, wait.

[captain obvious]

and WHY aren't you giving him a column every month?

[j]

SEE! they just censored me for using the N word! you fuckers.

[muse X]

Hell, if an imbecil & his Pappy's cabinet of henchmen can steal the seat of power, not once, but twice, then we owe it to ourselves & the world to set the course right & nominate Diamond Dave for the rightful election/elevation to that throne of power.
Now we just gotta worry of unseating the V.P.

[ohana]

hey if you got the balls to call a spade a spade then have at it

[Soggy]

I saw Van Halen on the 1984 tour and they were all so shitfaced you couldn't tell one song from the other, or what they were even playing. The only song I could make out was Hot For Teacher because of the drum solo before.

[dave lee summers]

i heard he studied tantric sex in INdia, to learn how to shlob his own knob., dave lee roth is gay as can be

[Jackomo Jim]

Fuggitall & fugyou

[Samanta]

what an illogical argument.

[Leslie THE GoToNegro]

As a black woman, I find it offensive that people call it the "N" word to soften it up.

If you want to make a point about how offensive the word is then use the actual word to show it's affect. That's what I tell my sons. If someone calls you that word, when go to tell a person of authority USE THE WORD to make the point regarding how offensive it realy is.

Do I believe the word should be "BANNED"? No.

Do I believe people should think about what that word has meant throughout history and not use it? Absofuckinglutely!

[bolo]

i got censored for using n###uz?
i put a uz athe end!

[dedly]

i just watched 'run ronnie run' by the mr.show guys, cross and odenkirk, but i almost squirted semen out my nose when jack black sang 'kick her in the cunt' --- sorry, you reminded me. (oh, i'm not gay...).

[Nooo]

N----rs are funny I am a niggazz

[stabacadaver]

real ninjas dont give a fuck ninja

[oh]

i saw "do the right thing" on channel 9 and they changed all the n-words to "neighbor." as in "neighbor, please!" super funny.

[Dieseljb]

It's really not words that are the problem, it's rather the demeanor in which they are used. Subtracting a word from language doesn't withdraw the feelings which embody it. Aren't we all a bit old to be talking in dumbed down baby talk? "He just used the 'N' word" sounds like censorship to me.

[phillip morris]

stop calling yourselves niggaz or niggas or nigguh whatever, even if you are black or not. when you start to hear children of all socioeconomic backgrounds start referring to themselves as nigguhs or niggas or nigguh- that's just the beginning of the end isn't it? please stop with the political correctness and joking about the word like it's a funny word especially if chris rock or similar ilk uses it, -colonialism, imperialism and now, Plainly Obvious Inequality, in society, does not need to be Popularized, please get away from tackling issues by rubbing it directly in people's faces, if poor people want to use it(nigguz niggas nigguh) for whatever reasons, don't judge them, if educated people want to use it- well, i don't think they hav an excuse, can you see where i'm going? there's just no Political Correctness to this whole issue, stop using racism in order to have MORE different types of racism PEOPLE.

[phillip morris]

furthermore:
no one needs to draw attention to themselves when dealing with these sorts of situations- someone wants to be an arrogant asshole- who should know better already- and then throw those three words around like there is no significant meaning to them, don't say to them, You're making matters worse!
ignore them outright, shun them, don't speak to them, they're in a Class onto themselves- No Class No Style and No Character!

[Slam]

Who cares already!? This poor old horse has already been beaten beyond obliveration. The fact that people are now calling it the 'N word' shows that it is taboo to non-Blacks and obviously not accepted (there is a high level of respect overall). I think that the major problem is that black rappers, actors and other influential Black youth have glamorized and popularized it and now Blacks are pissed that the word is still afloat. For crying out loud, the word has even spawned a few morphed versions of itself, because they have made it is so popular. It is those morphed versions that hold different meaning (based on intention and demeanor) and should be accepted, as their usage will NOT go away. Of course there will be a rare cases where non-Blacks out there will use the -er word with negative demeanor, (but those are isolated, racist cases and should be treated as such, like any other form of racism) so that is why the -er version should remain taboo, but everything else should be fair play. (-as, -uz, -am, etc.) In the words of KRS-1 "Word, what go around come around I figure Now we got white kids callin' themselves niggas The tables turned as the crosses burned Remember You Must Learn" I think society needs to accept that this word has a new meaning (other then the -er version) and understand that it's NOT going to go away any time soon. In fact it will NEVER go away, because I will always have hip-hop cd's that I sing along to, and there will always be a very large group of Black folk using it as a form of 'front porch' and 'back yard' slang backed by positive demeanor. And no, I am NOT racist in any way, shape or form so F-off! People need to focus on more important things! The sixties are gone, slavery is a thing of the past, being Black is 'in' and we need to move on and evolve! The End!

[Tracy]

Being Black is not "in" anyone who believes this is an idiot. As a black woman I know for damn sure that blackness is not the fashion. I learn this everytime a white person gives me a weird look for being at a rock show or my pale skinned sisters get all the attention at the club. and none of your bullshit about me being less cute than them cos that's not a fact, in fact I've got alot more going for me than they do.