The N-Word Controversy: Comedian Tim Allen Questions Why He Can't Say N*****

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Tim Allen wants to talk about the n-word.

He doesn't want to use that often-derided euphemism, either. He says the word itself with a directness that hearkens to his self-professed comedy heroes, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce.

But it also comes close to sounding like a well-meaning white guy who may not understand how tenuous the ground he's walking on could become. "(The phrase) 'the n-word' is worse to me than n-----,' " said Allen, who spoke to me on a day when the controversy ignited over Paula Deen's admitted use of that slur in 1986.

For him, the criticism that keeps any nonblack comic from using the word is a step backward from the days when Pryor and Bruce were breaking comedy boundaries by purposefully using street language in ways middle-of-the-road comics wouldn't dare.

"You want to take the power away from that word so that no one is offended by it," he added, telling a 50-year-old joke by Bruce about how President Kennedy could defuse slurs by using them to describe Jewish, Italian and black people in his cabinet. "If I have no intent, if I show no intent, if I clearly am not a racist, then how can 'n-----' be bad coming out of my mouth?"

As he brings his standup comedy tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall tonight, here’s an extended sample of our conversation:

Seems the comedy world has shifted a bit. Now we’re debating whether standups can joke about rape.
A: I’m just … I’m just watching Paula Deen.

Oh boy.
A: “I’ve had this argument on stage a million times. I do a movie with Martin Lawrence and pretty soon they’re referring to me, 'hey, my n----- ’sup.' So I’m the n----- if I’m around you guys, but 7 feet away, if I said n-----, it’s not right. It’s very confusing to the European mind how that works, especially if I’ve either grown up or evolved or whatever, it literally was growing up in Colorado, with Hispanics and Anglos, that’s all I remember. So when Paula Deen (admits her language), they go after her, and now we’ve gone backwards in the world. She said n----- in ’83 or something?
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Thoughts, GAF?
 
Because he's not Louis C.K.

He's that guy from that show with that family and tools. That's it. Stay living in the 90's Allen.
 
What does n----- sound like? Is it like "Nnnnnnn" or "nnnuh"?
 
I think everyone should roll a die, and whatever number comes up, thats how many times you have to say it.
 
He's got a point in that words are given too much power to the point of sillyness. I'm reminded of that South Park episode where they said "Shit" more than 150 times within 22 minutes.

SnakeXs said:
That said, merely saying the words, without intent to hurt or without any malice, or talking ABOUT the words by paraphrasing or quoting, should in no way be frowned upon.
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Yup.
 
Lol the European male mind still can't comprehend that there's actually one thing they're not allowed to get away with huh Tim?
 
I'm not exactly disagreeing with Tim. You should be able to go all out in comedy routine, be absolutely vile on your stage.. Just watch your mouth outside.
 
mernst23 said:
Please send your comments to Tool Time c/o Tim Taylor P.O. Box 32733: Detroit, MI 48252
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Perfect

massoluk said:
I'm not exactly disagreeing with Tim. You should be able to go all out in comedy routine, be absolutely vile on your stage.. Just watch your mouth outside.
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At the same time it depends on the routine, but yes in general I agree with you on that. Like all things, it's about context.
 
This is two separate issues, one about using the word nigger without malice, which I think should be fine. Context matters.

The other is nigger vs nigga, and again context. I can't imagine Tim throwing around "nigga" in the right context, even if he was so adorned by Martin himself.

That said, merely saying the words, without intent to hurt or without any malice, or talking ABOUT the words by paraphrasing or quoting, should in no way be frowned upon.
 
Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay. Black people kill each other every day, but if a Hispanic guy in Florida does it, there's outrage. The US government is constantly doing shady shit to control other countries and even its own citizens through intimidation, violence, or fear. But if someone else does it in this country or another, they are terrorists.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.
 
It's a word with a lot of awful history. I'm not for complete censorship, but people should exercise a bit of judgment. If a comedian is running out of material to the point he/she feels compelled to say 'nigger', I think they need to work on their routine a bit more.

Carlin has an interesting take on this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pksx_IAHDE
 
I agree, it's context. But people will still fly into a righteous panic if you say it, and then call for a conversation on race in this country. That's just the reality. The more casually a white person says it, ala Louis CK, the better it seems. It just comes off as innocuous.

I feel like this will be especially confusing for kids growing up now.
 
AVclub said:
Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reappropriation

Reappropriation is the cultural process by which a group reclaims—re-appropriates—terms or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group.
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AVclub said:
Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay. Black people kill each other every day, but if a Hispanic guy in Florida does it, there's outrage. The US government is constantly doing shady shit to control other countries and even its own citizens through intimidation, violence, or fear. But if someone else does it in this country or another, they are terrorists.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.
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The moment you have to preface something you're about to say with "I have black friends" is the moment you should probably stop and reevaluate what it is you're saying.
 
AVclub said:
Double standards suck. Women call each other "bitch" all the time, but if a man says it, there's hell to pay. Black people kill each other every day, but if a Hispanic guy in Florida does it, there's outrage. The US government is constantly doing shady shit to control other countries and even its own citizens through intimidation, violence, or fear. But if someone else does it in this country or another, they are terrorists.

As a white dude with lots of black friends, I've been "given permission" to use the word "nigger" around them because, I was told, "You're one of us." I turned it around on them and said, "How about I treat you like white people then and forbid you all from saying it?" To which nobody would ever agree.
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even if you say it around your black friends, it is still wrong to say it in general public around ohter people that you do not know.

If an older black man walks by and gets offended that a white man is using the word = you are using the word wrong because you are offending someone with a racial derogatory term.
 
I think more comics should just nut up and pull a Louis C.K.

Say it if you want and explain why. It never made sense to me how someone chocolate toned calling me a nigger is ok yet I'm supposed to be all up-in-arms if some other ethnic group does. I think it's a stupid, disgusting word and that this plan to "take the power away from it" is silly at best ... I only every use it out of anger and never liked being referred to as one. It's one of the many strange and backwards things in our community.

If people REALLY want to take the power away from it then maybe they shouldn't pick and choose who can say it.
 
Ezenzer said:
The moment you have to preface something you're about to say with "I have black friends" is the moment you should probably stop and reevaluate what it is you're saying.
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That's bullshit, in this particular case because the story would make no sense without including the race of the people who gave me the permission to use the word in question. In fact, whenever you generalize about anything, you are wrong by definition, whether it's about one word or a set of words.

So maybe YOU should stop and reevaluate what you're saying.

gutter_trash said:
even if you say it around your black friends, it is still wrong to say it in general public around ohter people that you do not know.

If an older black man walks by and gets offended that a white man is using the word = you are using the word wrong because you are offending someone with a racial derogatory term.
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The point was, that I DON'T say it...and tried to get my black friends not to say it either...but they wouldn't go for it.
 
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