[1523] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: NYTimes.com Article: An Ugly Game
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Ray Jones)
Fri Oct 17 14:33:01 2003
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 13:54:48 -0400
From: Ray Jones <thouis@MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <a05230104bbb5bd09419f@[18.239.1.199]>
Elizabeth Burr <lizb@MIT.EDU> writes:
> Why? Because the N-word has a tumultuous history in this country, and
> there are some provocative guidelines to its use.
I'd love to see a copy of these "guidelines". Especially if I'm going
to be punished for breaking them. Am I allowed to quote someone else
using it, as along as that use was acceptable? Am I allowed to
discuss the word itself, its history, its etymology, the social weight
that has been attached to it? Am I allowed to use substitution, as in
"take every occurrence of the word 'them' for that other word."? Am I
allowed to tell other people not to use it? Can I get in trouble if
someone I'm talking to uses it, and someone else overhears?
I expect that the answer is pretty much, "If you're white, you don't
get to use it." But is that MIT's policy? I really couldn't guess.
Is there any possible way to use it that is guaranteed not to bring
a complaint of harassment against me?
I expect MIT's policy to be something like "it's handled on a case by
case basis." Which might as well be, "do you feel lucky, punk?"
Thouis Jones
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