During a discussion about GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry's "Niggerhead camp" controversy on The View on Monday, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters ended up in a heated discussion over the use of the n-word.
"When I heard you say it," she said to Walters, "I didn't like the way you said it."
The discussion evolved into the age-old debate over who can use the n-word. Shepherd explained that she has no problem when Whoopi Goldberg uses the word but has grave concerns when Walters and other whites use it. Walters, however, argued that she should be allowed to use the word while reporting on a story and expressed complete shock that Shepherd felt that way.
The name of the camp in question was first reported by the Washington Post on Saturday. The paper said the name was painted on a rock at the entrance of property leased by Perry's family. He reportedly began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at the secluded ranch early in his career. Fellow GOP candidate Herman Cain has criticized the name of the hunting ground.
Shepherd is right. The word is offensive. While it has been desensitized during the age of hip-hop, we cannot let so-called political leaders propagate racist language and ideology. And whether or not some white people "get it," for many black people, who is saying the word does make a difference.
Read more at The View.
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