I should really be writing a post about Bush right now but I am going to wait and see what he has to say during tonight’s State of the Union speech. In the meantime, a local story in today’s paper caught my eye.
"Brazoria Mayor Ken Corley wants offensive use of the "n-word" to be punishable by a fine of up to $500 in his town.
"It’s not a particular problem in Brazoria," Corley said, "but it’s a national problem."
Corley said he got the idea while watching two black ministers talking on television about how offensive that word is. "I just think it would be great if this little town of Brazoria, with 2,800 people, leads the way in fighting against this offensive language," said Corley.
He said if the ordinance passes, he may ask for it to be expanded to include other racial slurs. He believes Brazoria would be the first place in the country where the racial slur would be outlawed. But at least one legal expert said Monday that such an ordinance may not stand up in court.
The ordinance wouldn’t forbid anyone from saying the word, Corley said, but would outlaw using the word in an offensive or aggressive manner. Violators would be charged with disturbing the peace, he said.
"It would be up to somebody who was offended to file a complaint, like any other disturbance complaint," he said.
The person charged would appear before a municipal judge and be liable for a fine of up to $500, he said. Corley said he met with area ministers and about 60 percent favored the ordinance. "Even some of the ones that opposed it said they applauded me for doing this," he said.
Corley, who is 62, white, and grew up in Brazoria County, said he often heard the "n-word" as a youth, but now mainly hears it in rap music and used by young people to greet each other.
"Our kids are hearing this word on the radio and they’re bringing it home," he said.
The ordinance would allow the word to be used as a friendly greeting, he said."
The rest of the story here.
Brazoria is a small community not very far from where I live. The mayor admits that racial slurs are not a big problem there. Also, it will be permissible to use the N-word as a "friendly greeting." So how many incidents of actual "aggressive" use of the word will the town of Brazoria have to contend with? Do you get the feeling that the mayor is trying to get his name on the national news? I mean, is this a worthwhile endeavor by the city council? And ironically enough, although the N-word is a slur against African Americans, under this ordinance, Mayor Corley will probably end up fining more members of the very community he is trying to shield from offensive speech. In reality, few non-blacks except the most reckless, go around mouthing this epithet in public (unless they are having a Michael Richards moment). The group that is most likely to get snared by Mayor Corley’s civility radar will be young black males who are prone to say the word publicly both in anger and jest. What a silly waste of time by a public official.
Accidental Blogger 