In Language, Context Matters

When David Howard, an aide to Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams, used the word “niggardly” to describe how he managed his office’s funds, it triggered a firestorm of protest. The word means stingy or miserly but sounds like a pejorative offensive to blacks and many others.

While Williams, who is black, acknowledged that “niggardly” is not a racist term, he nonetheless said that Howard, who is white, demonstrated poor judgment in using the word. He initially accepted Howard’s resignation but later rehired him for a different job.

Area students shared their views on the issue with MARY REESE BOYKIN.

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CHANTAL RANDOLPH

19, sophomore, USC

Because blacks were involved, the word “niggardly” was an insensitive term to use, even if the term is not, as it was misunderstood to be, a racial epithet. If I were talking to a homosexual and intended to say that he is a happy person, I wouldn’t say, “Oh, you’re so gay.” You have to be sensitive to your audience. Even if it was an impromptu remark, it was still not the term to use. I am not saying he meant it as a racial slur, but it’s the wrong term to use with black listeners.

I think that minorities are more aware of what people say because they want to make sure that they are not being treated unfairly.

Of course, sometimes it is necessary to discern between being overly sensitive and taking a stand on an issue.

In the early 1990s, the concern was political correctness. That became a nuisance to everyone. The white male majority began to complain of reverse discrimination. In the late 1990s, we find the issues of bias taboo or tiresome, so we tend not to talk much about them.

While some argue that the meaning of the word “niggardly” was misunderstood, what they fail to understand is that any inkling of the “N-word” automatically triggers something negative for many blacks.

We have to remain sensitive to the effect of words on others. A couple of my friends who are light-complexioned or of mixed race refer to themselves as mulatto. I’ve had people say to me. “Oh, you’re mulatto, too.” Well, to me, that’s a slave term. Why not go further and call oneself a quadroon (person of one-fourth black blood) or an octoroon (person of one-eighth black blood). I correct them by saying firmly that ethnically I am a Creole but racially I am an African American. My response is not overly sensitive; it is a matter of accuracy.

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TY HOLLAND

16, junior, Inglewood High School

Ilearned the definition of the word “niggardly” in the 10th grade.

When you are speaking, you use the words you know; you don’t think about what other people know or don’t know. For that reason, I don’t think that David Howard should have resigned. He should have explained the meaning of the word more thoroughly, and if others were still upset, then there is nothing else he could have done to assuage their disapproval.

I think that people take things a bit too personally. Not everything should be taken to heart. I’ll admit that if someone said to me, “What are you doing here, N-word?” I would be insulted. But in this case, the remark was innocent.

Some people may use the incident with the word “niggardly” as an example to show that an innocent person was misunderstood and attacked as viciously as if his statement or behavior was racist.

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KIMBERLY CALVERT

20, junior, UCLA

I think the use of the term “niggardly” is a reason for concern, but the mayor’s action may have been too extreme. What’s bothersome to me is that some whites are having too much fun with the word, saying we blacks are too sensitive. Some are getting a kick because “niggardly” sounds so close to the term they may wish to use.

I was listening to a radio show when the announcer said that he couldn’t say the word “niggardly” because he’d get attacked because he is white. But I would not refer to a happy person as a gay person because the connotation of gay has changed with the times.

Context is important. But the exposure given to this incident points out a historical truth: If African Americans can be made to look ignorant, there are plenty of people willing to point out that ignorance. What amazes me is the major attention given to a superficial incident when time could be better spent in restoring the world’s faith in and respect for America. This incident has no impact on the economy or on our current political issues.

As a student in the UC system, I have far greater concern about the effects on Proposition 209 on the enrollment of other black students into the system than I do in those spending time to consult dictionaries about the word “niggardly.”