"The truth is that the bigger problem might be the disembowelment of the word "racist" to mean anything that people want it to mean"

The above quote comes from a discussion at Jackson Free Press about the story I covered yesterday, in which publisher Michael Lacey was excoriated for referring to a white colleague as "my nigger" (and no, I WILL NOT censor that word). In the thread, poster "ladd" expresses his disagreement with the idea that the use of the phrase is acceptable because blacks use it, too, and he quotes me in the process.

After selecting the relevant quote from my post, "ladd" says:

"I guess we should thank the rappers? (Ducking from the chair Kaze is about to throw at me.)

The loose use of the word "racist" simply drives me crazy, folks. While we're all grousing about the n-word, the truth is that the bigger problem might be the disembowelment of the word "racist" to mean anything that people want it to mean. In a sense, that's more insidious."

I'm a little confused by what exactly "ladd" is saying here, but let's examine it briefly.

"ladd" talks of the "loose use of the word racist". In this I assume he is questioning the last sentence of my post, in which I asked whether blacks deciding that a certain word is acceptable for them and not for others is in fact racist. And I stand by such a statement. After all, in any other circumstances, a group of people deciding that they are allowed to use a certain word while all other races are not would be deemed racist, regardless of the history of that word. These days, the word "racist" is almost synonymous with the word "white", so would it be fair enough to say that only whites can use the word "racist" since it is always used as a slur against them, and all other racial groups must not use the term lest they possibly be arrested for hate speech? The fact is that calling a white person "my nigger" is no more offensive than calling a person a fool even if they aren't a fool. Should fools be offended?

"Nigger" is just a word. It is not a nice word, and it is not one that I would use under any normal circumstances, but nevertheless it remains only a word. I would suggest that if blacks find it that offensive that it blows all reason out the window, they need to simmer down and chill, perhaps with a spliff (OK, that last bit was deliberately offensive, just because I think it will be funny to see people's reactions). I do not believe it is ever justifiable to ban a word. Racism is more than just a word. All words are harmless; it is the way that people ACT upon those words that is dangerous. And especially when someone is using a word in a context that is OBVIOUSLY not meant to be offensive, no one should raise an eyebrow. I support freedom of speech, including speech which I find repugnant. It's a shame many people don't.

Earlier on, "ladd" asks the question: "If you're a member of a historically disciminated [sic] against group, how would you feel if a word for your culture (k*ke or sp*ck, g**ks or even f*g) was used in this way?" My answer is simple: I would not care, because it is only a word.

Anyway, the second part of "ladd"'s response to my post is the most telling: "While we're all grousing about the n-word, the truth is that the bigger problem might be the disembowelment of the word "racist" to mean anything that people want it to mean. In a sense, that's more insidious." Exactly! And what you will find is that more often than anything else, the word is used to mean "you talked about a black person". You don't even have to talk about a black person negatively anymore to be considered racist. For example, there was this story about a TV ad starring Stephen Fry which was accused of racism because it depicted a black man as a stud. The intention of the ad-makers was quite OBVIOUSLY to present the young, attractive black man as the opposite of portly old "square" Stephen Fry, but some idiot complained that the ad was designed to maliciously present black men as sexually promiscuous and only there to serve the whims of white women. Is this what "ladd" means by the use of the word racist "to mean anything that people want it to mean"? If so, then yes, I would consider such political correctness to be a very insidious creep on our rights of free expression.