Lecture by Dr. Neal Lester: “Straight Talk about the N-word”
Memorial Ballroom, Hall Campus CenterThe N-word is a word that gets a lot of attention when celebrities say it. Paula Deen, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Mel Gibson, Hulk Hogan, Jesse Jackson, Kyle Larson, Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Richards, Joe Rogan, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Barbara Walters, or, Larry Wilmore are all people who have said it.
This word is also in songs, rhymes, and ditties that children learn, and it can be found in commercials, too. Some rap songs have this word in them, and it's bleeped out of TV shows and movies.
This presentation is an opportunity to discuss a single word that has been called "the most inflammatory, shocking and historic word in the English language." Ultimately, this presentation asks how words construct identities — individual, communal, and even national.
