So there are now two "N" words...
I'm glad I know that, because I need to know what I can't say...

The first big "N" word (rhymes with 'bigger') came out during the O.J. Simpson trial; obviously that word had been around ages before that but it was during O.J.'s trial that the media seized upon it, since the word (and phrase) was thrust upon the national stage, and that word has become taboo, and rightfully so. Yet, years before that, Richard Pryor, a black comedian, released an album titled, "That (N-word)'s Crazy!" So I guess the word can be said, but it can't be said by just anyone. And among those who can't say it are white guys who host television programs, as we found out about five weeks ago. And, I suppose now, in these ever-sensitive times, people are going to be hesitant to express themselves in a colorful way, because they're afraid they'll offend somebody, somewhere, and the 'ax' will fall.

I will go on record here, by saying that I miss the Imus program, for he was one of the few people on the planet who didn't bull "S-word" (rhymes with 'fit') his audience. He told it like it was. I've heard a lot of people in my own life speak forthrightly like he did. Alas, he went too far, and Al Sharpton was listening. And now Imus is gone. I guess the "I-word" can still be used, though. As in, "George W. Bush is an "idiot". Only not in quotes. Okay...George W. Bush is an IDIOT. (I almost forgot to include the "W." I gotta be careful which George Bush I'm referring to, after all.) And now, the argument being bandied about is, that the reason Imus fell from his lofty perch was because he repeatedly called the Vice President a "war criminal", and often referred to Hillary Clinton as "Satan", and so political pressure was levied upon CBS to fire Imus' "A-word" (rhymes with 'gas'). You can tell I'm being extra careful in this post. I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm a "rotten B-word" (rhymes with 'mastered').

Since I could write an entire book on sleeplessness (I would title it, "Adventures Of An Insomniac"), I am oftentimes up fairly late. Too much fun stuff to do at night. Like blogging, for instance. (Well, my blog might not be fun to read, but I enjoy writing it.) So I regularly tune in the first hour or so of the MSNBC network around 3am, the time Imus used to be on. MSNBC is 'trying out' different substitutes in an effort to try and fill a three-hour time slot as cheaply as possible. The first two days of this week, a black talk-show host by the name of Larry Elder has hosted a quote-unquote "serious" news-oriented interview-type show. He may be black, but he sounds a lot whiter than most WHITE people. (Is that racist? I don't know.) I am going to take a firm stand, and apply the "B-word" to Mr. Elder. (No, not the "B-word" I used above. I was thinking "BLAND". Because he IS.) Imus tossed in humor and irreverence to spice up his show. And Mr. Elder, as learned as he may be (and he sounds like he is), seems to be incapable of doing that. And so, I'll apply the "D-word" to his show: DULL.

If the 3-hour early morning time slot beginning at 3am on MSNBC is any indication, society as we all know it is just dying off. Nope, no more locker room jokes. No more ribald observations. And if you smack yourself in the thumb with a hammer, you'd better think fast before you swear! "OH, SH------UCKS!!!" Everyone is so 'offended' by 'so much more' these days, it seems. People are offended when they see the ten commandments installed on the lawn in front of a courthouse. They're offended when the "G-word" is included in the Pledge of Allegiance. (That would be "God".) They're offended when they see a Nativity Scene display during the Yuletide season. In fact, it got so bad a couple of years back that big-box stores ordered their clerks not to wish customers a merry CHRISTmas. Oh, "S-word"!!! ("Sheeeeeeesh"!)

I'm afraid that we're going to become a "Malt-O-Meal" society, totally devoid of color or flavor. Blecccccch. There was a big controversy a few years back when the Atlanta Braves were in the World Series. The Atlanta fans would do what they called the "Tomahawk Chop"...and Indians' Rights Activists all over the place said that what the fans were doing, making a tomahawk-chopping motion with their arms, was rude and offensive. Other advocates said that the caps of the Cleveland Indians' baseball team, which included a rendition of a grinning Indian, were rude and offensive. Whoa, Nellie. Hang on there a minute. No one's trying to offend anyone here. They're ROOTING FOR THEIR TEAMS, f'cryin' out loud! Perhaps those in the Indian population should be proud that they're getting attention! I don't know. Indians are a part of the history of this country, and like everyone else, there were bad indians and GOOD Indians. And now, so-called "ethnically-oriented" team names are being removed left and right because of their "offensive" nature. Gosh.

Anyway, the other "N" word is the one that rhymes with "happy". And you certainly don't wanna go around using that particular "N"-word, especially in conjunction with the "H"-word (rhymes with "toe"). So I'm still watching the black guy doing his earnest best to sound intellectual (hey, a lot of whites try in vain to sound that way, too, so I'm not being "selective" here). And the question I'm dying to ask, is his hair "N"-word-rhymes-with-happy"? Oh my gosh, I think I am treading on shaky ground now, huh? I had short, curly hair in high school. And, when I worked at a grocery store back then, a few of my politically-incorrect co-workers asked if my family had a "N-word" (rhymes with 'jigger') in the woodpile, and they asked me if I liked Watermelon! I didn't even know what that meant at the time! Of course, NOW I have an idea of what they meant. I suppose I could have gotten all hurt and offended by the ignorance of my co-workers, and indeed I didn't feel too great about their insults, but life goes on. Things are gonna be said. And it's up to us to just deal with it.

I am sure the young ladies on the Rutgers' womens' basketball team were shocked by what Imus said, but I'm sorry, people who speak like that are out there. That doesn't make it right, I know. But we all make mistakes. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes, and life goes on. I think we all expect that life is supposed to be fair, and I'm sorry, it isn't. Certainly we shouldn't go out of our way to hurt each other, but we're all imperfect beings, and I'm sorry, "S-word" (rhymes with 'sit') happens! I suppose I don't see how a team name can hurt a segment of the population; how long have the Cleveland Indians had that team name? Close to a century? Have people been offended by that team name for all that time? I don't think so. But ya never know.
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Sometimes it seems like the human condition is like a blister that won't heal. We don't dare
enjoy life; instead, we all look so hard for something to become offended by, then we take pleasure in tearing down that 'something', and in doing so, perhaps we all increase the space between us. "H"-word (rhymes with 'leaven') help us all.