The College Fix has cross-posted an interesting op-ed appearing in Inside Higher Education. I am cross-posting it as well. It is written by Jonathan Zimmerman and concerns what happened to Princeton University professor Lawrence Rosen after he used the N-word in class on hate speech -in a completely appropriate context.
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/02/19/we-must-defend-free-speech-professors-who-are-verbally-attacked-class-opinion
When it comes to using ethnic slurs, context is everything. When I talk about anti-semitism, I often point out that in Hitlerian Germany, Nazis didn't not have to use words like kike to refer to Jews. The mere word "Jew" (Jude) was enough often spoken with a sneering tone of voice.
As to the N-word, it is good that we have come up with a substitute for the full slur. Words can disappear from languages through lack of usage, and slurs should fall into this category. That is why it is so discouraging to see the (full) N-word used in hip hop by young black males. It just allows the word to survive.
I would prefer that Professor Rosen just use the term, "N-word" to refer to the full term. However, he should not be condemned because he chose to use the full word in a completely appropriate, instructional context.
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