The N-word Needs to Die

Hello all -

I just saw that I have had lots of page views recently - here and at Daisies and Diamonds.  Would be REALLY great for some of you to leave a comment once in a while - let me know who you are.  Let me know if what's here is worth reading (I surely hope so :-) !!!)  C'mon, don't be shy!  

Well, I think everyone is aware of the incident of the racist chant by members of the Oklahoma University chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and the house mother's video. Free Speech or not (what a discussion that is!), I have absolutely NO use for the n-word or for ANY racial slur whatsoever.  We need words to build us up and bring us together, not to lower the caliber of our communications. The idea of getting rid of the n-word (and I absolutely would include any and all other racial slurs), is something that comes up usually when something like this happens.  I totally agree that we need to DROP IT and DROP IT NOW! As most of you readers know I'm mixed race and this clearly hits home for me.  In my family, we NEVER used the n-word (and I myself have NEVER used any other ethnic slurs, either), and never felt that it was appropriate in any context.  

Tonight I caught some discussion about the incident on CNN.  I totally agree with Alumni SAE brother William Bruce James II and also with Ben Ferguson (although I probably would not agree with him on a lot of things) that the word needs to die.  

Therefore:

           That Notorious Slur Needs to Die

That notorious word needs to die, along with every ethnic slur
It needs to die one thousand deaths for one is not enough
It needs to die at the hands of all of us
Using small acts of goodwill to accomplish the deed
It needs to die by respecting self and respecting others 
And reflecting thoughtfulness in the language we choose
It needs to die by someone simply stating 'That isn't right'
And challenging such divisive words
It needs to die by realizing that what might seem funny at the time
May open wounds in others
It needs to die by educating ourselves
And learning who really lies behind our perceptions
It needs to die and on its grave
We should plant words to raise us
And bring us closer to what should be our goal
Being one nation, one people