“While I find any use of that particular word to be vile and completely uncalled for, it’s quite a stretch to accuse Bill Maher of normalizing the “N word.””
Bill Maher came under fire for using a racial slur on his show “Real Time” while he spoke with Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb. As the men spoke, the senator invited Maher to Nebraska, jokingly saying, “We’d love to have you work in the fields with us.” In response to this, Maher replied, “Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house n****r.” The senator looked uncomfortable and speechless, and the audience responded with almost audible cringes. While he tried to reassure everyone that he was joking, the damage had already been done.
The following day, HBO condemned Maher’s language, calling it “completely inexcusable and tasteless.” The network claimed that any subsequent airing of the show would not include the racial slur. Bill Maher followed suit and released a public apology for his use of the word, stating, “Last night was a particularly long night, as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive, and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”
While the senator did look incredibly uncomfortable, he didn’t initially speak up during the show and continued the conversation with Maher. He received some backlash from the Black Lives Matter crowd for not jumping on Maher immediately for using the word. However, the senator did take to his Twitter account to state that he did not agree with Maher’s choice of words. According to him, in hindsight, he should have spoken up about the inappropriate language that Maher chose. He was also apologetic.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Al Sharpton to show up and tweet about his organization wanting to meet with HBO “asap about normalizing the use of the N word. I know and love Bill Maher but this is unacceptable.”
The fake social media outrage needs to be directed at all who use the “N word,” and not just toward a comedian of Maher’s caliber who is known for pushing the boundaries and quite frequently comes under fire for his tasteless jokes. The liberal comedian and political commentator was blasted on social media for being racist and a slew of other accusations that claim Maher has somehow single-handedly set black people back a hundred years.
While I find any use of that particular word to be vile and completely uncalled for, it’s quite a stretch to accuse Bill Maher of normalizing the “N word.” The word is used throughout pop culture and among artists ranging from comedians to performers in the hip-hop community.
It’s time to quit with the fake outrage and accepting certain words only when used by certain cultures. I’m pretty sure Bill Maher used the word because it has been normalized by none other than the African American community.
All of the pearl-clutching needs to stop, because the context of the word has changed over time. Although Maher was clearly using it to reference slavery in his distasteful joke, he isn’t solely to blame for feeling that it’s acceptable to use the word.
