Comments on:

"Huckleberry Finn" and the N-word

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francine17 says:: As someone who was born and raised in the south.The-N- word what never a word that was never used in our household. Neither I nor my siblings ever grew-up using the -N- word.As Southern Afro-Americans we never used that word to greed each other,the use of the -N- word was used by uneducated blacks and whites who wanted us to feel inferior.Taken the -N- word out of Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn is changing the flavor, the texture of the story.Twain is telling a story that reflect not only the time in which the story takes place, but also the language of that period.Far too long this country had and still is running away from it's greatest Moral Sin.Whites don't want to take about it and far too many blacks want to forget to point of total denial.There are people both black and white who like to think that slavery just a short period in the history of America and there are generations of blacks who think they themselves invented the -N- word. The -N- word in Huckleberry Finn should and must stay in format the author wrote,to replace it with the word slave is taking away the integrity of the story.; reply

collier1080 says:

I have written a book titled Die ***** Die, The 1914 Execution of Robert Collier, who was the first Black Man in the State of Indiana to be executed by the very electric chair he help to build. He was my Great Great-Grandfather. There are many people who except this book for its history there are others such as the media who close their doors to this buried part of history. I ask you how can we heal from the past if we refuse to face it. please visit www.dieniggadiebook.com Thank you 60 minutes I wish other media stations were as open minded as you. Sincerely Latonya Collier


talita-koomi replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; See!! Even the censorship software used by CBS for this comment forum will NOT allow anyone to use the "N-word". Why? They don't want anyone writing in or calling to say that they were "offended" by its use in someone's comment (even tho it's part of a book title!) and that their feelings are hurt, so hurt, in fact that they may have to SUE CBS for "emotional distress"! Give me a break! To hell with all this "politically correct" B.S.!

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helenrosetucker says:

I was born in Houston, TX in 1941 and lived there until age 14. It was common in our home to use the word, "******." It was not used with malice, and it is my belief that the word was simply a southern pronunciation of "Negro" with an accent because it was pronounced more like "Nig-ra", which I believe evolved into ******. And, I believe that is exactly what Huck Finn was doing and this point is missed by anyone who never lived in the southern USA and especially in the deep south where the accent is especially "thickly southern." There was no malice intended with the use of the word "******," at least not in my family and among my relatives, and I certainly don't think with Huck Finn.....it is simply how folks talked during that time period in history. It was simply a matter of pronunciation in my opinion. When I left Texas, my family moved to Phoeniz, AZ and my English teacher asked me, on the first day of high school, "Where y'all from?" I've lived many places over the years since leaving Texas and currently reside in Seattle. I've long since learned to pronounce Negro. I'm well aware that ****** is offensive. But, I strongly think that this Huckleberry Finn issue totally misses the boat. It's completely ridiculous! Helen Fry, Woodinville, WA


Gerti Hamilton replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; As long as you are the one using the term and not being the one called it, I suppose it's not your problem. Gerti Hamilton

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michaelzike says:: I love David Bradley's point of view. Thank you for being an adult. Everyone with a problem with using the word ****** should go to his classes. By the way, you can see how PC this site is. It stars out the word as if it is profanity. It comes from the word Negro which southern drawl pronounced Nigra which was then shortened to ******. Simply a descriptive term to describe the people from Africa, ie. Negroes. Get over it!; reply