Essay 1786

Watching what we say in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The New York City Council approved a resolution asking people to voluntarily stop using the N-word. “Using that word is a very dangerous and hateful thing to do,” said Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “It is a hateful word that we all need to stop using.” No rebuttal comments yet from Michael Richards or 50 Cent.

• A state senator from Miami wants to ban the term “illegal alien” from state documents. “To me an alien is somebody who is from another planet,” said the state senator. “There are so many other synonyms that would be more dignified for human beings. … All of us are immigrants except the American Indian. … Now how would we like it if they called us aliens?” Technically, most Blacks in America might not think of themselves as immigrants.

• Is “That’s so gay” a slang term or hate speech? A lawsuit in California seeks to answer the question. When a high school freshman used the phrase, she was sent to the principal’s office and reprimanded. Her parents filed a lawsuit, charging the kid’s First Amendment rights had been violated. The girl testified in court and insisted the phrase means, “That’s so stupid, that’s so silly, that’s so dumb.” The school argues they are protecting students. “The district has a statutory duty to protect gay students from harassment,” said the district’s lawyers. This is all so retarded.

• An editor from the weekly newspaper AsianWeek — the self-labeled Voice of Asian America — apologized for publishing a column titled “Why I Hate Blacks.” Following complaints from Asian American and city leaders, the editor called the decision to run the piece a “mistake” and “is sorry that this got published.” The editor insists the piece does not reflect the views of the newspaper. That’s so gay and retarded.