Black Coffee discussion

I'm currently reading a book that is by a white author and there is a scene between a black woman and a white woman and the ww asks the bw about "using the n word when you're not black". The bw replies, "Black folks kind of hate it when people say 'n word'. Either say n when talking about racist terms or skip the subject. N word is a slippery way of saying n while trying to be PC."

Does anyone feel this way? Because I do not and don't know a single black person who does. I heard this as a white author's voice coming through one of his black characters in an inauthentic way. I am not sure how to interpret this? Is this maybe his own ignorance of how we actually feel? Does he maybe know some black folks who do feel this way? Or is he expressing his own thoughts through a black character he is writing?

In the black community, we are so divided on the use of the word. Should we use it? Should we not use it? Is it ok to say when speaking in historical context? Or just among ourselves? Honestly, I feel like it’s a debate that will never end.

I personally have never given anyone outside of the culture a pass to say the word...regardless of the context or situation. It does sound as if he was speaking with someone black and came up with this philosophy. But the opinion of one is not the opinion of all especially with something so sensitive.

Lulu wrote: "In the black community, we are so divided on the use of the word. Should we use it? Should we not use it? Is it ok to say when speaking in historical context? Or just among ourselves? Honestly, I f..."

Thank you Lulu for responding. It made me mad when I got to that in the book and it changed my whole feeling about the book and possibly the author.

Charmer, you're right that the author seems to have injected his own opinion, projected onto a character, and that it's not a very well-informed perspective. I mean, I'm sure there are people who do think that way, but to project it out as a general consensus of black folks is a bit weird.

What's particularly odd is... was it literally written this way: "Either say n when talking about racist terms..." ?

The author actually used just the letter 'n' in the dialog, rather than spelling it out, in the mouth of a character who is encouraging a white woman to just say the word?
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Here's another take: This author seems to be taking what might be reasonable advice to an author about writing and strangely putting it into a dialog where it rings false. As a writer, if one of your characters is going to say it, I think you have to write it, even if it makes you uncomfortable. It should make you uncomfortable.

I think language taboos are relevant and important when it comes to public discourse. But authors play by different rules. Characters in a book do things I wouldn't do, and they say things I wouldn't say. To authentically represent the world, you have to be willing to sometimes put in some of its uglier aspect.

Thank you, Zadignose, for your comment. I realize there is something I should have been more clear about in the quoted text. I did not indicate my edits. I did not spell out the word but then did not specify that I was applying my own edit to the word.

The author spelled the word out.

Later in the book the author used the word again, this time in the mouth of a different character that was telling how his father used it about certain music. I had not read that far when I made this post. So the scene was a white character using it in the way the author had previously excused because they were reporting on its usage as a pejorative but not using it themselves as a pejorative. I am more convinced now that the author is reflecting a personal defense of having used the word in the past, maybe in another book or maybe in his personal life.

Is this book a novel? If so the author can make up anything. If it is nonfiction, I believe age plays a huge part. When I was young we did not commercialize the N word. I’m 65. Younger generations have decided to make it public in music etc. I’m not happy about it and many of my peers agree with me. Younger people feel it’s fine and use it openly in front of people out of the race. We NEVER did that. We could use it as a term of endearment amongst ourselves and it was understood it should stay that way. Among us only. Once it hit the airwaves as music it became much more easy to offend Black people as a race. Certain books were banned that were casually using the word also, but it is easier to chose not to read a book than it is to not turn on the radio.

This book is fiction. I agree about the use of the word in music, it's ridiculous. I'm going to finish the book and then be done with his books. It's not a word I need to see/hear in my books.