“THE N-WORD” (2004)

Directed by Todd Williams

Polly Staffle Rating: **

Most words don’t have the potential to have documentaries made about them. Take for example the word “seamstress.” Who the hell would watch a film about the history of the word and what celebrity would take the time to sit and share their opinions and feelings about it? Sure the word sounds dirty and images of a tassel-wearing stripper and a secret rendezvous love affair may flash through your mind when you hear it. What? Oh, pardon me. So I’m the only one that sees imagery like that when the word is said. Regardless, “seamstress” is not powerful enough on it’s own to carry a 90-minute film. Now, what about that particular word that pops up in rap music and urban films and is fair game for a certain ethnic group to say, but off limits for everyone else? No, not “crackalacking” or “fashizzle.” It’s a racist term when it is said ending in “er” and is used as a term of affection when said ending with “a.” Yes, I’m talking about the “mother of all curse words.” There’s probably a lot that could be debated and discussed on the topic, right? It could make for a pretty good watch, one would think, but somehow “The N-Word” ends up seeming about as pointless as a documentary on the word that describes old ladies slaving away in a sweat shop sewing clothes big enough to fit my fat ass that cost more than they make in a week. Probably my number one gripe with this film is who we get to hear from. Had I talked with the film’s director on the phone and taped the conversation, but forgot to put Todd Williams on speaker phone, the one-sided transcript would go something like this.

POLLYSTAFFLE.COM

Hello, Mr. Williams. Las Vegas film critic of Polly Staffle on the line. I wanted to talk a little about your film “The N-Word.”

Ok. It’s a documentary discussing racism, so obviously strong African American leaders like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, Condoleeza Rice or Colin Powell are talked to on camera, right?

No. How about some of the biggest African Americans in entertainment like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington or Halle Berry?

Nope. Oh, I know, big name African American athletes like Tiger Woods, Serena and Venus Williams, Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant?

Not here either. Spike Lee?

Oh, have you seen “Bamboozled,” “Jungle Fever”or “Do The Right Thing” man?
Yeah, “She Hate Me” sucked, but…

Ok, ok, he was busy filming “The Inside Man.” I’ll let you slide this time. I got a few more names to toss at you… Hank Aaron? Mike Tyson? Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense?

Hmmm… What about Michael Jackson? Janet Jackson? Bo Jackson? Reggie Jackson? Randy Jackson? Tito Jackson?

No, I’m not making fun. What about Ice-T? Dr. J? Michael Jordan? Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, who wrote the book “Growing Up X?” George Foreman?
None of the above. How about some white folks that might know a thing about the power of the word like Eminem or Quentin Tarantino?

Neither. Oh, some white girl you talked to mentioned Eminem? Who was she?
Oh, just some student. What did she say?

He never uses the word in his songs? Yeah. He’ll talk about killing his wife, raping his mom and sticking a gerbil in his ass, but he won’t say the “n-word.” If you had talked to him though, you could have asked why he never uses that word, but freely calls homosexuals the “f-word.”

Back to Quentin.

Oh, you did discuss him with Samuel L. Jackson.

Sam had to be a good interview for the film. But no Tarantino?

Oh, you show a clip from “Pulp Fiction,” but not the scene with Jimmy going on and on about how his house isn’t a storage facility for “n-words.”

Yeah, he loves to have the word uttered through his films. I read before he says the more we use it the less power it has. It’s kind of like how in the movie “Scarface,” at the time it was made, “M.F.” was said more times that any other film in history and by the time we meet Tony Montana’s little friend and the movie is over we are so desensitized to hearing it that it doesn’t matter anymore. I think that’s what Quentin tries to do. But had you talked to him, he probably could have explained it better.

Since you didn’t talk to those “crackers” did you talk with any white folks that understand the power of any word in the dictionary? Like Bill Clinton, Howard Stern or Michael Moore?

Oh, George Carlin. Ok, I don’t think the “n-word” was one of his seven dirty things you can’t say on TV. They were “Sh*t, P*ss, F*ck, C*nt, C*cks*ck*r, M*th*rf*ck*r and T*ts!!!!”

Yeah, he was in “The Aristocrats” too.

What was it? Oh, it was another crappy made documentary like yours. It didn’t really have a structure to it and was just clip after clip of different people saying expletives. Also, like yours, there was no narration or anybody giving history, explaining things and setting up clips.

Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones could have narrated your film. People love to hear those guys. But you didn’t even think to talk to either one, huh?Anyway, who else did you talk to?

Huh? You got an interview with Bryant Gumble? Ok, not sure what he brings to the table.

No, I'm not laughing at you... But you might as well of gotten Byron Allen or Whoopi Goldberg.

Oh, you did get Whoopi. What about “black faced” Ted Danson?

No. Well, who else?

Chris Rock? He’s a good one to talk to. Chris loves to bash “n-words” in his stand up.
Oh and you have clips of Richard Pryor?

Yeah, I’d agree and say he was very influential. But you didn’t talk with Dave Chappelle?

You know, “I’m Rick James, bitch!”

Oh?

Well, he had this show on Comedy Central that was huge and he up and left it. Yeah, he would push the envelope with skits like a blind African American who was the head of the KKK.

Not funny? See he didn’t know he was black because he was blind and neither did the followers because he always wore a hood.

No, he didn’t get fired because of that skit. He left the show because he said it got to a point where he felt like “whites” around him were laughing at him and not with him. He had another skit called “The Miggers” and there was on about a racial draft…

What?

Yeah, we can move on.

Oh, John Singleton. He was probably another great one to talk to.

What do you mean you only got a few sound bytes from him? You couldn’t have talked to him a little longer? I mean the guy made “Higher Learning,” which was a brilliant look at racism. I’m sure he has plenty to say. You remember the scene in that film where Omar Epps tells his white roommate that thinking racism and saying it are the same thing?

What’s that?

You sure like to change the subject don’t you?

Oh, you got a couple of the stars from “Higher Learning.”

Michael Rappaport?

Ok, yeah, he was the white roommate. Remember, he shaved his head and joined the skinhead group.

Yes, it was a sad movie. But wasn’t it kind of one-sided and racists when Rappaport’s character climbs on the roof of the building and starts shooting people and we see his victims die in slow motion with blood everywhere and then we don’t see Rappaport’s character die on screen? People clapped in the theater at that part. That’s racist.

What?

Next question? Ok. But before we move on, did you know, I used to think Rappaport thought he was black until he started doing that goofball TV show “The War at Home.” Either he woke up one day and realized he wasn’t black or something because he sure seems one hundred percent honky now.

Ok. Ok. Ok. Who else did you chat with?

Oh, Ice Cube? He should have been a good interview…

So you did talk about N.W.A. with him. That was probably interesting….

What?

What?

I feel like Chappelle spoofing Lil Jon. Remember that?

What?

Oh, ok. Well, I’ll let you go. Just a few quick questions…

Somebody in the film said something about Americans started calling it “the n-word” around the O.J. Simpson trial. I’d disagree. I think I’ve heard people refer to it as that all my life. That’s like I heard one time someone said Oprah claims she came up with the word “wigger,” but I’ve heard that word most of my life as well. By the way, why didn’t you talk about the word “wigger”?

Yeah, yeah, yeah…. I will let you go. But answer me this, in your opinion what is it about the “n-word” that gets people so upset?

No, there’s nothing you can say to me that would offend…

Wait, you can’t say that.

No, no, no. I disagree. Saying “Die, whitey, die” is not the same thing.

No, I don’t smell like bologna.

No, I’m not a redneck.

I’ve never had sex with a family member.

I’m not a serial killer…

Ok, call me white trash. That is fine.

White devil? Sure.

Yeah, I eat mayonnaise.

Sir, do you honestly believe I bathe in mayonnaise?

Look this conversation is over. By the way, I thought your movie had a great idea, but you didn’t go anywhere with it.

(click)

Hello?

There you have it. To wrap this up I want to say, to me words are just words. What makes the difference is the meaning being put behind it when you use it. At the same time you have to be smart with your words. You can’t just go around saying whatever you want just because someone else says it. Overweight people can call themselves fat and can joke about their weight, but so-called fit people better not think of going there unless they want to be called anorexic. The same can be said for the “n-word.” Being a gringo, I personally do not use the “n-word.” But I don’t use the “b-word” or the “c-word” to describe all women either.

From a creative standpoint, I can understand why Eminem never uses it and why Quentin Tarantino over uses it. Neither hurts or helps mankind as a whole. They are at two opposite extremes. One is “all” and the other “nothing.” I think they both do it out of respect for all African Americans. Both come from poor ghettos and are heavily influenced by black culture. Eminem chooses not to utter the word because he sees it as disrespect to the African American community. It’s not that he doesn’t want to offend them. The rapper offends plenty of people and his alter ego Slim Shady lives for controversy. Quentin Tarantino tries running the word into the ground so that it can no longer be used as an insult. To me these are the only options. The “n-word” should either be locked away in a box and never heard from again or spoken on a daily basis in casual conversations. Now as far as individuals that reserve the word for use against specific people because of their skin color or their social class with the sole purpose of insulting, degrading or invoking rage; they’re the ones hurting mankind.

It can be argued that the use of the word by African Americans is just taking a negative and making it positive. I don’t know that I fully agree with that. Chris Rock says whites don’t get to say it because it’s the only thing blacks have. To me this makes perfect sense. You’ve got to remember, not all African Americans fully embrace the word. Perhaps many that adopt the label, do it for the same reason Tupac Shakur coined and embraced “thug life.” The rapper/actor tattooed it on his chest and screamed it proudly in his songs. Everyone needs something to be a part of. We all need something to cling on to and call our own. This is the reason religion is still in existence. For those that do not understand, think about this, if you were born into this world and placed at a disadvantage on day one just because of the color of your skin, what would your view be of the word? Now some maybe thinking, well, I don’t have dark skin, but I was still born into an unfair life with odds stacked against me. To you, I’m sorry to say, but you’re just going to have to find your own word.

- CCF, May 2006