The "N" word?

Of course I have to comment on Dr. Laura's attention in the media as of late. First I have to say I have enjoyed her books "In praise of Stay at Home Moms" and "The proper care and feeding of Husbands". I have been a long time listener of her talk show yet missed the broadcast when she let her colors show.

I read the transcript of the conversation. Been to her blog to see her side of things and all I have to say is this: The woman who was calling into the show was looking for advise about her in laws in respect to their insensitivity about her skin color. (She married a white man, she is black). Apparently the in laws throw around the "N" word amongst other things. She was calling for advise on what to do. Dr. Laura then went on and on about how when black people say the "N" word, it's fine (which I disagree and I am black and in an interracial relationship) but, when white people say it it's not. Then she made it a point of saying over and over during the conversation. I'm sure this was good for her ratings. The bottom line is, it's hard to advise on certain things when you have no clue about them.. If no one has ever called you a Nigger, or if a police officer never followed you for no apparent reason except that you were driving a Mercedes, you are black and not in your part of town, or if store personnel have never asked you not to try on their clothes because well, your black, then you sure as heck have no clue how to advise about the ignorance and blatant disrespect of this chicks in-laws. (and Yes all of the above incidents have happened to me).

It is never okay for blacks to call each other Nigger, Nigga , Nig or the like. I resent people that think so. And to think that all black people think that its okay to do so is stupid on the part of the person making the accusation.

To tell the girl she should not have married into a white family if she didn't want the flack is like telling a quadriplegic that they should not have gotten married to an able bodied person if she didn't want the in laws calling her gimp. Get real!!! Her comments and the way she handled the call was lets face it, blatantly racially insensitive. I know plenty of people who don't agree with interracial marriage but, that's the culture we live in. People marry outside of their race everyday.
I don't consider myself a pessimist but, I do not believe that their will come a day when any one people will stop saying Nigger or calling someone a Nigger or getting angry to the point where it just "slips" out. And as much as people both black and white would love to think that racism does not exist because we have a bi-racial president in office who is married to a black woman, they're mistaken. It does exist. It's felt more in different parts of the country and felt less in others. It's felt more in some families and less in others. Some because of the color of their skin never feel it- to them its so far removed and virtually does not exist because it does not touch their world and probably never will.