By Craig Giammona
The resolution, which Comrie acknowledged would largely be symbolic, lays out the history of the word and the various connotations it has carried throughout history.”I think it will increase the level of discourse about the use of the word,” Comrie said of his resolution, which he plans to introduce on Feb. 1 to coincide with Black History Month. “We need to remove it from our lexicon as much as possible.”The resolution said the slur was derived from the Latin word “Niger” or French word “Negre,” both meaning black.”The word has its origins in the hate and contempt that slave masters had for their African slaves; no matter how it is spelled, the word has carried these emotions of hate throughout the centuries,” the resolution states.Comrie refers to a “neo-revisionist attitude” that attempts to “redefine the word ” in his resolution, but said he does not subscribe to this view.”We need to make sure people know when they use it they demean themselves,” he said. “People's vocabularies are more extensive, they don't need to use the word.”The “N” word is a clearly charged and offensive way to refer to a black person. But the term is used most prominently by rap artists, many of whom spell the word “Nigg-ah.” And some argue that it is not the word itself that is offensive, but the context in which it is used and the intent behind it.”The context is what gets people upset,” said Randy Fisher, the executive director of the National Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, based in southeast Queens. “You have to think in progressive terms.”Fisher said he supports Comrie's attempt to educate people about the history of word, although he expressed skepticism that rappers would stop using it.”As far as people now using it, that's like people not smoking cigarettes,” Fisher said. “People know it's wrong, but it's part of the culture.”Comrie said his resolution was prompted, at least in part by the recent racist tirade of Michael Richards, who played Kramer on Seinfeld. A camera-phone recorded Richards using the “N” word derisively in response to black hecklers at a Los Angeles comedy club. The tirade prompted Rev. Jesse Jackson to call for a moratorium on the use of the word by entertainers.Reach reporter Craig Giammona by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
