Learning The Hard Way

Laura Schlessinger seems surprised that her use of a word steeped in a history of hatred elicits hatred towards herself. She blames changes in society, but I think she just never understood society very well in the first place. That seething well of hatred has always been there - indeed, it was deeper and more poisonous 60 years ago - and she is finally becoming acquainted with it.

Nevertheless, it is interesting how the use of the n-word seems to change every decade, or two. In rap music in particular, its use is tolerated (and nevertheless deplored by folks like the NAACP) as a form of self-deprecation. But that doesn't mean outsiders (particularly white folks) are welcome to use the word.

Dr. Laura may feel it is an injustice not to have the full freedom to use the English language as she pleases, but that's just the way it is. We don't tolerate curse words on the radio for analogous reasons, and George Carlin notwithstanding, most people manage to adapt. She can fight that tyranny if she pleases, but she won't be able to keep her advertisers, or many of her listeners.:

A week after igniting controversy with racially charged comments on her nationally syndicated radio show, advice guru Laura Schlessinger went on "Larry King Live" Tuesday evening to announce that she plans to leave the program when her contract runs out at the end of the year.

"I want my 1st Amendment rights back, which I can't have on radio without the threat of attack on my advertisers and stations," Schlessinger said.

...Schlessinger drew fire last week when she got into a discussion with a woman who called in to get advice on what to do about racial comments made by relatives. Schlessinger suggested the caller was "hypersensitive" to racism and observed that many African Americans use the very racial epithet that they hate hearing non-African American use. Schlessinger used the N-word repeatedly in making her case.

Schlessinger apologized the next day, saying her behavior had been wrong. But she said on her program Monday that "as the media have rebroadcast my error again and again and again and again, compounding the damage which I shouldn't have done — and never intended to do in the first place — the effect has been that my words have offended many, many, many, many more people and there are many who are saying they will not accept my apology."

In that statement, which she also posted on her website, Schlessinger reiterated her apology, saying that "I made the promise that it will never happen again." But she complained of receiving "hate-filled diatribes" and reflected on how society has changed.

"When I first started out in radio," she said, "people would disagree — they disagreed, they didn't hate. They didn't try to censor, they didn't try to destroy an opposing point of view. Instead, they just argued and debated, and argued and disagreed, and debated and argued." Now, she continued, "self-appointed activist types breed hate, breed anger, breed destruction should anyone hold up a mirror or dare to disagree." She added that the phenomenon could be observed in all aspects of society, from politics to education to the workplace.