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Jewish World Review /Feb. 1, 1999 / 15 Shevat, 5759
Tony Snow
Verbal vortex
(JWR) --- (http://www.jewishworldreview.com) DAVID HOWARD COMMITTED A POTENTIALLY FATAL CAREER MISTAKE on
Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. The then-head of the Washington,
D.C., Office of Public Advocate, while talking to colleagues about budgetary
matters, used the word "niggardly."
Now, we all say stupid things. No doubt Howard, who is white, felt like a
dope at that instant because he used a term that was a near homonym with the
"N"-word. But nothing happened right away, and one imagines Howard heaving
an inward sigh of relief.
If so, he underestimated the power of demagoguery. Before long, a
whispering campaign began. Within 10 days or so, the tale of his bum mot
became public lore -- and like most urban legends, it took on all sorts of,
um, colorations. One version had Howard grousing that he was "tired of all
these (N-words) calling me with their problems." He hotly denies the
allegation.
Before long, a retinue of hot dogs and race-baiters took to the street
corners, demanding swift justice. On Jan. 27, they won. Howard apologized
for his language and then resigned.
Note several things: The word "niggardly" has no etymological relationship
to the "N"-word. Howard used it appropriately.
More importantly, nobody ever accused Howard of racism. He's a restaurateur
who gave up his career to promote the candidacy of the District's new mayor,
Anthony Williams. Nobody ever accused him of lacking commitment. Some
mayoral aides describe him as "the glue" of Williams' election campaign.
Nobody ever accused him of bilking the public. He worked long hours and took
a pay cut to work for the city. Nobody ever accused him of insensitivity. He
has lived in the city for 16 years. Nobody who endured through the Marion
Barry era can be bereft of hair-trigger racial sensitivities.
Nevertheless, Howard is gone and, worse, the mayor lauded his decision,
citing the need for people to exercise appropriate discretion when talking.
If this episode doesn't capture the sublime weirdness of our age, nothing
does. David Howard got fired because some people in public employ were
morons who a) didn't know the meaning of "niggardly," b) didn't know how to
use a dictionary to discover the word's meaning and c) actually demanded
that he apologize for their ignorance.
It seems odd that in contemporary America we punish verbal lapses
ruthlessly, while celebrating true crimes. On the same day Washington
hotheads were defenestrating Howard, a group of millionaire rock stars --
members of Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys and Bad Religion -- were
preparing to put on a concert to raise money for Mumia Abu-Jamal, who
resides on Pennsylvania's death row for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia
policeman Daniel Faulkner.
(The Musicians of Conscience evidently didn't
think to set aside a few pennies for Officer Faulkner's family.)
While many people raised hell about the concert, nobody in public life
defended Howard. This gets us to the sticky issue of race relations. There
exists in our society teams of people who make great sums of money teaching
whites and blacks how to feel maximum suspicion for one another. We call one
group Klansmen. We call the other "diversity trainers." Both instruct people
in the arts of hypersensitivity, especially on matters of language.
Some consider such lessons an essential element of modern etiquette. But as
the late Emily Post knew, the purpose of manners is to civilize public life
and make it easier for people to conduct their daily affairs in an
atmosphere of pleasantness and mutual respect. The Bowdlerization crusade
aims at the opposite result. It pits each against all, and it puts
provocateurs in charge of setting the ground rules.
As a society, we have watched this development in near-silence, giving an
impression of approval. As a result, race-baiters operate without fear of
resistance or reprisal.
Our language makes us all susceptible to being suckered by the votaries of
division and derision. The English tongue features more words and nuances
than any other. Bigots regularly appropriate everyday words for vile uses.
But do their abuses mean that nobody can use such locutions as "chink in the
armor," "a nip in the air," "spic 'n' span" or "cheese and crackers?"
Racism lives. It festers when good people refuse to take on hatred's
apostles. David Howard got sucked into the vortex of politically acceptable
suspicion. His linguistic lynching can only make life more perilous for men
and women who already hesitate to speak freely, for fear that someone will
attribute evil motives to innocent words and
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