Big Brother had no choice. Keen to shake off its reputation as the obstreperous child, it had to expel Emily Parr — or give ground to those critics who say Channel 4 is happy to capitalise on racism. Emily has been the rather unlucky fall guy in Channel 4’s bid to appease Ofcom. As can be seen in the debate that has erupted, it is not at all clear that this is a racist incident, although it was offensive to many. Some argue that if it is OK for hip hop artists and their corporate bosses to profit from the word “nigger” then why is it racist when a white middle class girl from Bristol uses it in familiar banter — especially in the context of Charley using the word herself previously in the house, possibly giving Emily the impression that it was then OK for her to use it too.
Many white people do not appear to understand why the N-word is off limits for white people when they hear black people using it so often as a term of endearment or as a joke. Some black people do not know themselves or at least cannot articulate why this is the case. Misinformation breeds misunderstanding and plays into the hands of true patronising racists.
For example, supporters of Ron Atkinson have tried to defend his outrageous use of the “N” by showing that he was clearly a “friend” to black people having developed the careers of several black footballers and therefore could not have been a racist.
If people thought of the N-word in the same way that they thought of other insults, it might be easier to understand. The general rule of insults is that they will be accepted from a certain friend in a certain context. For example, as a joke. I can call my friend a “bitch” and, if the circumstances are right, she will take it for the joke it is meant to be. The worse the insult, the more careful you need to be about who you are talking to and the context.
Why is this so difficult for both black and white people to understand? At first glance the N-word is an insult but people are free not to take it as one if they so please, just like any other insult. Personally, I find the N-word to be an insult, whether it comes from a black or white person. However, I am not necessarily offended if it comes from a friend or I hear another black person saying it. That is my choice. Everyone is different.
What Emily and many hip hop rappers fail to understand is that the general public is not their “friend” and they offend many when they use the N-word, however well meant. The legal principle that you “take your victim as you find them” could apply here. You cannot use a violent word such as this with all its savage implications carelessly and then blame others for being too sensitive when you cause offence. If you are not confident of using the word without offending, the answer is simple: don’t use it at all.