Bob Collins
There’s still no more powerful word in the English language right now than the “N-word.”
To prove it, we give you the coverage of President Barack Obama using it. He did so on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast, “WTF.”
“Racism, we are not cured of it,” Obama said. “And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say n****r in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don’t, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.”
The “N-word” will get most of the coverage today. But the president’s answer was far more substantive than the shock value of his using it.
Much of Obama’s focus in the hour-long discussion was on guns and gun violence. He said he doesn’t see any action being taken until the American public wants to see it changed.
“It’s not enough to feel bad,” he told Maron.
From the archive: The ‘n word’ (MPR News)
Related: Stop waiting for racism to die out with old people. The Charleston shooting suspect is 21. (Vox)
