Former Ku Klux Klan Kleagle (a Kleagle is a paid
recruiter), Senator Robert Byrd, the undisputed King of
Pork Barrel spending, while expressing his views on U.S.
race relations, said on Fox News, "There are white
niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time, if
you want to use that word.". It should be noted for
context purposes, that Senator Byrd has a long-lived
opposition to early civil rights legislation.
Shortly after these horrific comments, his office issued a
statement in an obvious effort to head off any media
speculation about just who the "white nigger" he was
thinking about might be. The statement said::
"I apologize for the characterization I used on this
program. The phrase dates back to my boyhood
and has no place in today's society.
"As for my language, I had no intention of casting
aspersions on anyone of another race. In my attempt to
articulate strongly held feelings, I may have offended
people. . . ."
Senator Byrd was obviously not thinking about a black
person when he talked of "White Niggers." What, exactly, IS
a "White Nigger?"
Robert Byrd was a "boy" following World War I. The
term "nigger" had a very specific meaning back in those
days. It was not a term used for all black people. Black
people were called "Negroes," a Spanish or Portuguese word
meaning "Black." "Negro" merely described their skin. It
was not inherently derogatory. It was merely descriptive of
their skin color. When Robert Byrd was growing up "nigger"
was a term used to define a black person of low character
and loose morals.
The very concept of "nigger" is one born of white bigotry
and ignorance. It is a word that should be used sparingly
and with concern given its horrible history and
inflammatory nature. Senator Byrd, by his glib use of the
word “nigger,” gave clear indication that he, also, stands
to benefit from overdue work on his own stance on race
relations.
And as for using words in context, I see you have no
problems taking Senator Santorum's words out of context for
your purposes, so why the double standard? |
