Either a Word is Racist or It's Not

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the radio host whose advice show is one of the most listened to shows in the country, tried to make a philosophical point about the use of the word "nigger" and ran into some trouble:

Talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is apologizing after using the N-word several times on-air this week.

Schlessinger said on her website Wednesday that she "didn't intend to hurt people" and that she realized she made "a horrible mistake."

"I articulated the N-word all the way out - more than one time," Schlessinger said. "And that was wrong. I'll say it again - that was wrong."

During Tuesday's show, Schlessinger used the N-word after talking to a caller named Jade who complained that her husband's friends made racist comments about her in their home.

When the woman asked if the N-word was offensive, Dr. Laura said "black guys say it all the time," then went on to repeat it several times.

Schlessinger said she used the word to suggest how often she hears it, suggesting that it should not automatically be cause for offense.

Radio Equalizer has more on the story including a transcript of the conversation Dr. Laura had with the caller. For most radio hosts who are trying to have a serious discussion of an issue this wouldn't have been a problem, but because Dr. Laura has espoused conservative positions the liberal media is in full cry.  And because she used the actual word "nigger" instead of the politically correct euphemism "N-word" she's now the target of the usual racial grievance crowd.

It's clear from the transcript that she wasn't calling anyone a "nigger" as actor Michael Richards did in an on-stage rant, nor was she referring to anyone with racially inflammatory language as Don Imus did. She was discussing the fact that the word is so frequently uttered by black comedians and such it can't possibly be racist.

The local news did a report on it last night and without revealing all the context of the conversation you would have thought she'd been riding through the streets wearing a white hood and carrying a burning cross. However, the viewers of the station are not that easily duped, and when they ran an online poll on the subject here's what the results look like this morning:

In case you're having trouble reading that, it's 75.7% NO.  The audio of the conversation that the local news has on their website was provided by Media Matters, a leftist organization that spends their days listening to conservative shows trying to find something they can claim is offensive.  They're a bunch of cranks.

My view - either the word "nigger" is racist or it's not.  If it is, it's wrong for anyone to use it.  However, if some people are allowed to use it, such as black comedians who seem to find a use for it in every other sentence, then it's okay for everybody and Dr. Laura's discussion of the subject and use of the word in that context was completely acceptable.  She had nothing to apologize for.