What’s in an ‘N’ Word?

Last week, the New York City Council again mounted its legislative soapbox, overreaching into the private lives of the Big Apple’s citizens as it has been disturbingly wont to do of late. Yesterday’s target? iPod-wearing pedestrians. Today’s? Free speech.

In an unequivocally worded resolution, the Council promulgated a moratorium on the use of the word “nigger” in New York City. Though the Council’s resolution is symbolic—there is no penalty for uttering the forbidden word—it would be naïve to assume that it carries no weight. Undoubtedly, “nigger” is one of the most hate-filled, derogatory words in the English language. Nevertheless, legislative forays into our lexicon, even if symbolic, infringe upon the personal liberties that form the bedrock of our society.

From slavery to the civil rights era, the word “nigger” has earned its despicable reputation. We understand, therefore, the desire to send the word and all that it stands for into oblivion. Nevertheless, prohibition is counterproductive, merely exchanging one evil for another.

The duty to shape language and culture belongs to citizens, not government. Censorship will never be an acceptable form of governance; we find it no less repugnant in this case simply because the New York City Council’s action was a resolution and not binding law. Freedom of speech does not only apply to righteous citizens or noble speech for good reason—if we ban one offensive word, what’s to stop a wholesale inquest into our entire language?

In the end, New York City’s token ban should be considered for what it is: a symbol. A symbolically easy way to symbolically sweep the problem of recurring racism and America’s hypocritical past under a symbolic rug. Perhaps the resolution allows council-members to go home (or to voters) content, but with or without the “N” word, our society will still be bedeviled with racism. The only things we will lack, if the moratorium stands, is one word in the dictionary and a good chunk of our erstwhile-intact freedom.

“Nigger” is one of the worst words in the English language. But it should suffer the ignominious death of disuse, not the arbitrary end of a censor’s decree. Hatred and racism are ugly and despicable. But the only way to deal with them without lowering ourselves is through education and tolerance; fiat and prohibition lead only to other evils.