One of the biggest shocks for me was that it was actually the politically correct term for black people for a long time. Wikipedia has provided me with some eye-opening insight about the history of the word “nigger”. The word “nigger” wasn’t always used toward black people. The fact that a classic book like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn had to be edited to make people feel more comfortable shows that the battle over the word is not over. The definition of the n-word is a major block in continuing to move forward. The word “nigger” represents the time period of the degradation and dehumanization of a people. The word “slave” can refer to anyone around the world who was enslaved, but “nigger” denotes the slavery that took place right here, in the United States. Replacing the word “nigger” with “slave” does not convey the impact and the baggage that the n-word carries. Getting rid of the n-word just softens the United States’ extreme prejudice at the time. The word ‘slave’ doesn’t make sense with the story since a “slave” during the mid 19 th century was actually a freedman. It destroys the historical context of the novel. Getting rid of the word “nigger” in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn causes several problems. I think the reason why the book falls off reading lists because some parents and teachers are too lazy or uncomfortable to go into the difficult conversation of how the United States was extremely racist and what the word meant. He thinks that the n-word “never seems to lose its vitriol”, so he thinks avoiding the conversation altogether would be more beneficial in a classroom. In this new version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the word “nigger” was replaced with the word “slave.” It was changed because Alan Gribben, a professor of English at Auburn University did not like that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was “falling off reading lists” because the word “nigger” was in it. People prefer to laugh over difficult topics than to listen to intellectuals sit around a table talk about the issues.īoth The Boondocks and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are known for the excessive use of the word “nigger.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a historical text and its meaning was erased when the word “nigger” was removed from a version of the book.
The Boondocks places critiques while grabbing an audience that would normally opt out of the conversation of race. Watching The Boondocks has made me think about the regression happening and the hurdles that still need to be worked with to mobilize again. The black community has moved forward resiliently, but let’s not regress. As Black History Month was approaching, we think about the strong and brave leaders that have moved the black community to a better position in society.
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