I Think Extradition is Still an Option

A few years ago P and I were having a party at our place. The drinks were flowing, and mid-way through the night (maybe 2am?) one of his cousins came up and gave me a big hug and said "What up my NIGGA?"

I didn't want to be confrontational, so I pulled him aside and let him know that although I didn't personally take offense to his statement, he may not want to go around saying that to just anybody, due to how a more racially-sensitive person may react. He was stunned that he could have potentially offended me, and apologized profusely, tears got in the mix and we ended up outside having a long discussion on why, in the US, it's just not appropriate sometimes.

He's not from here, and I knew his intentions were not to be racist, but instead he used the word in an effort to connect with me and I got that, even though it's not a smart idea since he is Latino. But really, I'm all about intention. If you are ignorant, fine. Lesson learned. But if you are shouting out racial epithets to demonstrate how racist you are, burn in hell.

I don't usually delve into the entertainment realm here on my blog for the simple fact that I really don't usually care enought to comment on it, but this Dog the Bounty Hunter thing is starting to piss me off.

Yes, he shouldn't have said Nigger.

Yes, he's an idiot, because from most reports, the girlfriend is Puerto Rican, not Black.

Yes, I agree that all these tear-soaked aplogies are probably his regret at being caught and his show getting yanked.

Maybe he really does feel a connection with Black folks, and thought he was in the clear to use the word.

BUT, I have a strong objection to the context of his slur, not only because of the intent of his rant was to talk shit about the girlfriend, but also under the pretext of his private conversation being taped.

Look, this guy is no Don Imus, and I know if this were a popular blog I'd catch heat for saying this, but give him a break. He didn't say it on his show. He wasn't on the radio shouting out racially-charged statements or in a comedy club yelling it at people. This was supposedly a private conversation between himself and his son, and I wish all the people who are persecuting him would swear on their mothers' graves that they never used a racial slur in private before.

I'm not saying it's okay. I am saying that I've made prejudiced jokes about all kinds of people, and occasionally used slurs. I called Boogie a Beaner the other day, forwarded a (pretty funny) racist email to Teresa yesterday, and said that a movie was "gay." That doesn't mean that I love Boogie, Teresa, Vic and Ally any less, it just means that sometimes I'm not as sensitive or PC as I should be, especially when it comes to humor. I know they make jokes about Black people, I'm sure they've said Nigger before in their lives, but they are not out in public saying these things, and I don't really get why everyone has to charge up this one slur into monumental proportions.

Slavery ended almost a hundred and fifty years ago. I think it's time that we focus on moving forward, instead of dredging up all the pain in the past. I don't believe in punishing children for what their parents did. And I think it's unfair, considering all the people who have been discriminated against that the only word that ever gets this much press is Nigger. I should say that I personally dont' use it in everyday conversation, but I have. And if I'm only half-Black, does that make me racist too? If Boogie said it, being only a quarter Black, is it still okay? Where do we draw the line?

I also think Dog needs to grow some fucking balls, man up and admit that he was pissed and used the word in anger, rather than this blubbery-pussy shit. It's almost more degrading that he can't just admit to screwing up, and has to explain away a pretty human reaction. He's a bounty hunter for christsakes, not a damn priest.

I've never seen his show, and I'm not interested in watching after this hoopla. But I think there are very few uber-PC people in the world who don't slip once in a while. It happens. Can we get on with life now?