The “N” Word - Comments

All those words are hurtful. The book is fine. The writer is just speaking the truth of what really happened then. And I'm part black. The thing that bugs me is that some African Americans say the "N' word like it's no biggy and then when other people say it,they're getting ready to punch someone out.

I honestly don't think that there is anything wrong with using the N-word. (And I am black, for the record.) The word "nigger" is just a common slang term that means ignorant person (nowadays), and because slaves were largely uneducated, that term applied to them. My family (and I) use it regardless of race - if you are ignorant, you are a nigger, plain and simple (this term is mostly used during politics or the news, and is directed to ANY person of ANY race.) However, to point out, the N-word is not used anymore unless it is derogatory. The word "nigga" is what black people, or friends of black people, call one another, and that is where most people make their mistake - this isn't usually considered the N-word. I have never met any black people, or people, who call each other "niggers" as a greeting (unless they were joking). When white people use it, they normally use the word "nigger", and that is why the black community gets riled up. if you are white, try saying nig-GA, (with an emphasis on the ga), and if you are friends with that person, I doubt they will care one bit (also, it depends on the person, I'm not going to say that every black person will be happy if you say "nigga", but they'll appreciate the sentiment more than likely.). Ignorance is banning a word because some people used it for detrimental reasons, and if we are going on that basis, would we even have any words at all? Everyone gets offended at everything nowadays, it's just idiotic - quit being niggers.
And it goes without saying that of Mice and Men should not be thrown out just because of one slang word.

Banning books is stupid for any reason.

No one should say those words.
I don't use them, and I'm black.
It's [i]not[/i] okay.
However, these books should [i]not[/i] be pulled, because they are classic literature.

Very good article. What I don't like is when a black person uses the "n" word, it's all fine and dandy. Then a white person says it and the world stops spinning. But it's alright for a black person to call a white person a cracker.
"Nigger" comes from "negro" which means black in Spanish. The Spanish were the people who started the slave trade to North America.

Good subject, but the first part of the last paragraph should have been left out. Articles shouldn't have opinions in them, they should only present the facts.

This was a wonderful article.
The thing that gets me about the censorship nowadays is that it's gone overboard. We've known for decades that the 'n-word' is bad, and only now we are doing something about it? If it was that big of a problem, they should have done it a long time ago. It's part of the books that we read and love, and taking that away would be taking away from the story.

In my family everyone uses the word nigger
Its not in a racist way
Its just what they call people who are being fuck-tards

The thought of classic literature being censored deeply saddens me :/ Great article subject.

Sister Asleep, actually, every character in "Of Mice and Men" is based on the American society as a whole during the depression. Did you know that John Steinbeck went around interviewing people when the depression hit? He wanted to show how the common people could cope with such a devestating blow to their economy. With the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, he portrayed the general traits he found in people through his characters. And with the 'every character wants to go to brothels', to be honest, that was a way to blow off steam during this time period. Why do you think people were so upset when prohibition came along and the depression hit? People snuck around with alcohol/spent time in brothels as a coping mechanism. Times were hard and it seemed like every pleasure they had was slipping away from them.

Think about that before saying it's inaccurate.

This is why people like my self are against censorship.

We're doing 'Of Mice and Men' for our English Literature GCSE.

Most of the book is actually totally un-politically correct; one of the characters is made to seem like Jesus, and many of them dream of spending there wages in brothels.

However, the word 'Nigger' is what would have been used back when 'Of Mice and Men' was written; it's a part of history, and in the present day hopefully won't be condoned as racism. In John Steinback's day, it was just the common word to describe a dark-skinned person, and as the nation as a whole was strongly racist, it wasn't Steinback in particular trying to be provocative.

good article =]

susie x

The word in books isn't a bad thing. If the chracter is racist do we expect them to be "hey buddy" instead. Or even call a woman a bitch. Especially if the books take place in the past. You can't hide the past or the real world. Why don't people just talk about the books instead of trying to hide them under the rug. Mice and Men is a good book though.