Thursday, September 25, 2008

Words of Power, and the Power of Words

Hey, did you guys hear the new Kanye song?

Although I missed the MTV VMA's where Kanya debuted that song, I have been paying a bit of attention to the other great cultural barometer of our time, the UB Spectrum. Apparently there's been a bit of controversy over an opinion piece that appeared in the September 15th edition.

The piece was written by "Senior Sports Editor" Steven Marth and dealt with the N-word. The article is online and I would suggest reading it if you haven't, because the rest of this post might not make as much sense.

Before I get into the article and its implications, I should also note that if you haven't been following the Spectrum lately (and I wasn't until yesterday, luckily I found back copies strewn about the Grad lounge) there has been a pretty serious backlash directed at Mr. Marsh. The Black Student Union, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Alliance and the College Democrats have since published a response calling for his dismissal. A separate letter from the editor suggested that Marsh has been shouted at on campus and personally threatened.

A quick reading of the article begs several questions. First, why is the sports guy getting into an extremely touchy racial subject? UB Football is 2-2! We beat the spread against Missouri!

The second question I have is with his argument that a double-standard exists because the N-Word is "free speech" where derogatory terms for homosexuals or different ethnic groups are hate crimes. I'm no legal scholar (barely any kind of scholar for that matter) but I think he's wrong here. I don't believe using a derogatory term is itself a crime, and if it is, I certainly don't think it should be.

Thirdly, he argues that groups such as the Black Student Union and BET are, by their natures, propogating racism. I think he's looking at these entities the wrong way. Groups like the BSU exist not to emphasize differences but to help ensure that those differences are rendered as non-existent as possible. And as far as BET encouraging racism, I really think that's just a sophomoric argument that doesn't befit a Senior anything. Does that mean the Food Network progates obesity? Or the Do-It-Yourself Network progates splinters? Networks are allowed to cater to audiences.

So other than me thinking the Senior Sports Editor of the Spectrum is wrong and probably shouldn't have even published his opinion on the matter (and yes I recognize the irony of publishing my own opinion regarding it), what does this have to do with our class? I think its a pretty strong reminder of the power of words, and where that power comes from. Perhaps even more pressing for the historian, it reminds us that words are subject to different interpretations.

When Kanye uses the N-Word we all hear it differently, not unlike how you could read the source about Francis in The Many-Headed Hyrda differently. Context is crucial, of course, but ultimately our own cultural and itellectual experiences inform how we process a certain word. One could (and has) defined culture as the medium that gives meaning to what we experience. I think understanding the power of words is absolutely critical to any historian, but especially one studying race. What connotations did "blackymoor" have when that document was written? Was it as powerful as the N-Word is today?

So with apologies for the length of my ramble, and a sincere plea to Senior Sports Editor Steven Marth to not sue me for libel, I'll draw this to a close, and do encourage and await your comments.

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