It is hard to believe that I wrote this over 35 years ago. It is an actual conversation I had with a new friend in the US after spending 5 years in England. (Do not be offended)
The other day I had s discussion with a friend who was looking through my old high school yearbook.
“What did you call niggers in England?” inquired my friend.
“Well,” I started to reply, “it depended . . .”
“Oh, on what?”
“Well if his name was Robert, I’d call him Bob, Rob or Bobby. If she were a girl named Charlene, I’d call her Char or Cherry . . .”
“You mean you didn’t call them spades, fuzzies or niggers?” asked my startled friend.
“Why should I have? The never called me honky, whitey or redneck. In fact the only words really used for each other were friend or bro.”
I didn’t see much of my friend after that, I suppose he saw me as a threat to white supremacy. A very wise man once said, “And just as you want people to do to you, do the same to them.” Sometimes I wonder if we really read all the books we say we do?
“What did you call niggers in England?” inquired my friend.
“Well,” I started to reply, “it depended . . .”
“Oh, on what?”
“Well if his name was Robert, I’d call him Bob, Rob or Bobby. If she were a girl named Charlene, I’d call her Char or Cherry . . .”
“You mean you didn’t call them spades, fuzzies or niggers?” asked my startled friend.
“Why should I have? The never called me honky, whitey or redneck. In fact the only words really used for each other were friend or bro.”
I didn’t see much of my friend after that, I suppose he saw me as a threat to white supremacy. A very wise man once said, “And just as you want people to do to you, do the same to them.” Sometimes I wonder if we really read all the books we say we do?
RSS Feed
