Ice Cube Schools Bill Maher on the N-Word: 'That's Our Word Now. And You Can't Have It Back.'

[DonViejo]

The legendary rapper sat down with the comedian on ‘Real Time’ to teach him a thing or two about racism and the legacy of the n-word. Maher looked stunned.

MARLOW STERN
06.09.17 11:39 PM ET

Last week, Bill Maher did a very bad thing. During an exchange with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) on his show Real Time, the political satirist casually dropped the n-word.

Responding to a silly dig by Sasse (“We’d love to have you work in the fields with us,” he joked), Maher quipped, “Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house nigger.”
The backlash was appropriately swift, with Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson and MC/activist Chance the Rapper calling for Maher to be kicked off the air, and the Rev. Al Sharpton digging up a vintage clip of Maher cavalierly tossing around the n-word and defending his use of it by citing the way African-American rappers regularly use it in their songs. The comic, for his part, issued a rare apology: “Friday nights are always my worst nights of sleep because I’m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn't have said on my live show,” he wrote. “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 I'm very sorry.”

Well, on Friday night’s edition of his HBO program Real Time, the host first welcomed close pal Michael Eric Dyson on the show for his mea culpa. But that exchange, a black friend of Maher’s serving as his character witness and shield of sorts, was transparently disingenuous.

The real exchange occurred later in the program when the iconic rapper turned actor Ice Cube joined the program. Cube, who served as frontman for the hip-hop group N.W.A. (which stood for “Niggas with Attitude”), gave Maher a piece of his mind.

“I knew you was gonna fuck up sooner or later,” Cube told Maher. “I did. I did. I love your show, you’ve got a great show, but you’ve been buckin’ up against that line a little bit. You know, you’ve got a lot of black jokes. You know what I’m sayin’, you do.”

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-cube-schools-bill-maher-on-the-n-word-thats-our-word-now-and-you-cant-have-it-back

[samnsara]

1. good point...but...i hope Ice Cube knows the 'C' and the 'B' word is ours now

[Loki Liesmith]

3. Cube writes screenplays now

I'm pretty sure he's written at least one of those words therein and will continue to do so in that context.

[mucifer]

2. I'm not used to Bill listening to his guests. He is usually interrupting them and talking loudly.

It was a good segment. He was respectful.

[uncle ray]

4. quite hypocritical on Cube's part.

his career was built on shocking, offensive language, including gay slurs, misogyny, etc.

[AngryAmish]

5. I suppose wrestling is real too.

This is a TV show.

[JimGinPA]

6. Ice Cube Is Welcome To His Opinion...

And people are welcome to agree with him. It seems kind of silly to me that he thinks he can claim ownership of words.

As an old white guy who's had many very close relationships, as well as lifelong friendships, with many POC, I'll also say this; I've been called the N-word many, many more times by black people than I've used the word myself. And I've never used it as a descriptor or to be derogatory. It offends me when I hear white people using it in a racist manner but I still don't think Maher was being racist when he said it.

I believe context matters.

[Major Nikon]

19. It's really just another form of word policing

When context doesn't mater when you decide which words can and can't be used, then you are a word cop. Certainly everyone is entitled to an opinion, it's just that some are more relevant than others.

[CatWoman]

7. ok, but Ice Cube is completely full of shit

He and his ilk made a fortune calling women bitches and whores, all the while hurling the word "nigger" in between.

This is bullshit.

This is NOT "our" or "my" word.

I get appalled whenever I see family members freely use that word on facebook. Especially my grandkids.

I admonish them every time.

And I think it's bullshit and hypocritical when I see the phony outrage whenever a white person uses it.

EVERYONE needs to stop using it.

And Blacks need to stop owning it.

[JenniferJuniper]

9. +1000

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. You have grandkids?! Holy shit! How long have we been here?! nt

[CatWoman]

12. LOL

Smartass!!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

15. I know, right? That was my whole takeaway (It really wasn't) from you whole post. But

I remember you talking about your daughter. I know it sounds stupid. But I think of you as too young to be a grandma.

[CatWoman]

16. that's sweet

LOL

My back hurts when I get out of bed, and my patience with the younger generation runs too thin.

I'm slowly morphing into my own grandma

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. Ha! When I'm scolding my girlfriend's daughter. I can't help to think. I've turned

exactly into what I used to mock.

You and I go back at least 15 years up in this piece. When I see some of these younger members posting here. I'm all "You kids don't know shit!".

But anyway. I'm a hypocrite because even though I've been called that word myself (not in a friendly way either). We would also use that well known variation of it to address each other. Not anymore though. But I still listen to plenty of music that uses it.

Now raising a biracial child it's a hard one to explain to her. And I shudder at the thought of the first time she comes home after someone calls her that. I have no doubt it will happen. But I have to say her generation seems way better than mine when it comes to some of this shit.

[Towlie]

8. I'd love to hear Quentin Tarantino's opinion on that.

[MindPilot]

10. First thing I thought of!

[Goodheart]

13. Meh.... I don't like the notion that one group of people can "own" a word.

I DO believe that people should refrain from using it if they're respectfully asked not to, but socially criminalizing a word is a slippery slope that can lead to other restrictions.... even criminal ones. I wonder which word would come next, and which legal punishments would be imposed upon people for the mistake of uttering them.

[MindPilot]

14. Bill Mahr cannot be kicked "off the air"

I wish people would stop saying that shit. Bill is not on the 'air'. His show is not broadcast; it is on a premium cable channel that you have to pay extra to watch. You can't just turn on your tv and accidentally hear Mahr say a bad word.

You can certainly argue that Mahr should be reprimanded in some way: I don't happen to agree with that, but let's at least be accurate about the medium.

[imanamerican63]

17. Any words that insults someones heritage or beliefs, is wrong!

I know several African Americans, a few native American, some Irish, some Polish, a few Orientals and I respect them for who they are and what their beliefs are, just like the LGBTQ community. It is their character, which they stand by, that I respect. I don't like it when people are mistreated for the their looks, the color of their skin, where they live and where they are from, what their religion is, or how much money they have. But on the other, don't use the words as a crutch! Things gets said, but mostly for a laugh or like our president getting attention. There is a saying, treat others like you wanted be treated. Respect each other and than you will be respected. Our attitudes needs to change or we will all harmed by this.