Rudyard Says The N Word
I was reading to the kids. I have started reading stories to them now that they are getting older. We’ve had some Roald Dahl, some Roddy Doyle and I thought we’d go for Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories.
We were reading How The Leopard Got Its Spots and we’re all really enjoying it and there’s about a page to go.
“But if I’m all this,” said the leopard, “why didn’t you go spotty, too?”“Oh, plain black’s best for a nigger,” said the Ethiopian.
…
He said nigger.
I said nigger.
Not to my kids, I mean, but just then. What I actually said to my kids was: “Oh, plain black’s best for a - er, person.”
For the record (because it’s a free internet and idiots read this page too) nigger is a term I despise. Nigger is why I won’t read them Huckleberry Finn. Nigger is now going to get me bad searches on this page. And I can’t describe the noun I want to use for the people who will be searching for that word, because that noun, combined with nigger, would get me even worse searches. And don’t give me that move look-back-with-cultural-acceptance bullshit. If it’s wrong it’s wrong. I live in these times. We can study why it’s wrong sometime, but talking animal stories aren’t the place to do it.
Normally things get more liberal instead of less. Lady Chatterley’s Lover wouldn’t cause many an eyelid to bat these days, and no one covers their kids’ eyes when Elvis comes on, but it is so not OK to use the n word.
So is it OK for an old children’s story to say nigger and not Doctor Dre? No. That’s why I can’t listen to some of my records. A word is a word, word?
I used to think I would be all Cool Dad and shit, but I am not.
It turns out I’m quite strict - a lot more than my parents were with me, and the last thing I want to be explaining to his school is how Rudyard Kipling is to blame for a recent misunderstanding in the playground.
I don’t care if he did write Finding Nemo.
June 1st, 2006 at 3:57 pm
touchy, touchy subject. On the one hand, the kids need to know it’s there because they’re going to hear it eventually anyway and they need to be prepared for it. On the other hand, ‘Just So Stories’ - some of my favorites, by the way - may not be the best launching pad for why it’s a bad thing. Unfortunately, you will have to explain ti sometime, because otherwise they will never understand it without the Hard LEsson.
June 1st, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Yeah, very, very touchy Ed, especially in Texas, I’d bet. This blog doesn’t shy away from the big questions though.
Tomorrow: Hemingway says mofo.
June 1st, 2006 at 5:46 pm
You know what they say- everything’s bigger in Texas.
That Hemingway- always with the shock value, the cheap pop.
June 1st, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Waiiit a minute! Kipling wrote FInding Nemo?!