(ThyBlackMan.com) GOP Presidential candidate Rick Perry sweated bullets in issuing statement after statement claiming that he got rid of the offensive named “Niggerhead” rock on his family owned West Texas hunting lodge years ago. Though some say the name stayed on the rock for years after Rick Perry frequented the lodge, Rick Perry continued to insist that the racial epithet on the rock was blotted out years ago at his request and that he would not have personally condoned the vile word on any landmark on his property. But the “Niggerhead” rock revelation did two things. It loaded him up with another bag in the steadily growing locker room full of baggage Rick Perry is lugging around about his past, his actions, , and even his fitness for the presidency.
The revelation about the pejorative scrawled rock also cast another ugly glare on America’s long and shameful penchant for slapping the N word on streets, places and things in all parts of the country. More than a half century ago, the NAACP campaigned hard to get a spot in Southern California that was branded “Nigger Grade” renamed.
It got the change but as it turned out that was only the tip of the racially defaming iceberg. More than a decade later, the United States Board on Geographic Names scoured the country and found nearly 150 places with “Nigger” in the name. It changed them to “Negro.” The Board was undoubtedly well-intentioned in trying to purge the word from everything or locale that carried it. But it didn’t seem to quite get the fact that simply trading the harsh “nigger” for the gentler Negro was still race coding. In this case, the coding still pinpointed blacks. There was no record of any wholesale coding of locales and things as “Caucasian” or “cracker” to demean whites. But the damage had been done. In 2004, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education found that more than 600 locales and geographical features were tagged with “Negro” in their names. Despite the federal government’s profuse assurance that no place in the country carries the “N word” in its name, the term still has a pesky way of repeatedly cropping up There was “N Pond” in Pennsylvania that after some protests a few years ago was changed to “Negro Pond.” There was “Nigger Jim Hammock Bridge” in Hendry County, Florida. It took a bill by state Senator Steven A. Geller last year that mandated the elimination of all racially offensive names from locales and structures in the state. The legislature unanimously passed the bill. Yet the nagging question was what took the state so long t act and how many legions of Florida residents and tourists tooled across the racist named bridge in the decades that it carried the epithet.
Then there is the road, a stream and lake in upstate New York that a regional environmental researcher discovered and told authorities about in 2009 that carried the “N word” slur. Despite the “revelation,” state officials didn’t take immediate action. The Department of Environmental Conservation finally scrubbed the word from its website. The agency said there was no public outrage over the slurs. But it blithely attributed that to public ignorance of the slurs on the road, stream and lake. This requires belief that few, if any persons, ever drove, crossed, or paddled around the lake the road, stream, and lake. The DEC can’t rename the entities. That’s strictly a local matter. This in effect means that the racist name of the entities still officially remains their name. There’s also the suspicion that the New York case is hardly an isolated case where racial slurs remain on landmarks. There may well be more roads, streams, rivers, lakes, and ridges, and hills in out of the way places that have the “N word” in their title or are privately referred to it with the term by the locales.
A case can be made that as vile and despicable as slapping the “N word” on anything that’s tied down is simply part of the nation’s past, though horrid and shameful, is still just that a part of the historic past. And like other shameful things in a nation’s history, shouldn’t be totally altered but rather learned from. However, that rule doesn’t apply to a would be presidential candidate. What Rick Perry did or didn’t do when he saw the offensive named rock on family property is immaterial. The fact that it was even there and stayed there that long with no apparent objection from those in the region; a region that Rick Perry delights in claiming as the region where his roots are, and a region that has a long and checkered history of racial segregation, exclusion, and naked bigotry, makes one wonder just how much of that bigotry Rick Perry imbibed.
Written By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
One can find more info about Mr. Hutchinson over at the following site; TheHutchinson ReportNews.
Also feel free to connect with him through twitter; http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson
Let’s get a few things straight: The property does not belong to the Perry family. It’s a deer lease, which means the Perry’s (and probably other families) lease the property from another individual. Although he didn’t have the ownership rights to alter the rock, at least Perry’s father felt conviction enough to paint over the word anyway.
This is nothing more than political “mud-slinging”. Why did this just now come out? Haven’t the Perry’s been LEASING the property for decades? Try focusing some of this effort on something important to the American people. Also (to correct someone’s previous comment), the name, “Nigger” or “Negro” did not come from WHITE Europeans. It actually came from the Spanish and the Portuguese, which derived from Latin, means ‘black’ or ‘dark’.
Full disclosure: I’m white. I’m a reformed Republican turned Libertarian because I want people to take responsibility for themselves. I do not identify with any of the Republican candidates except for Ron Paul and Gary Johnson, and Herman Cain on some issues.
Now, as for the N word, this should be a dead issue. It is the taboo of the word that makes it such an appealing epithet to use against black people. And to those who say it is used to empower black people and that is why they say nigga, stop kidding yourselves. How many Mexicans do you hear calling each other beaners or spicks? How many Irish people do you hear calling themselves micks? How many Germans call each other krauts? How many Chinese say slant-eye or chink? Or Southeast Asians saying guk? It just doesn’t happen.
It’s time to let go of this trend of disrespect-turned-empowerment. True empowerment comes from taking responsibility for yourself and supporting a government that allows you such an opportunity.
What’s In A Name?
Copyright by Victoria Rowels ©1983, 2011
What’s in a name? The young student asked.
And why is the future connected to the past?
And why does that word that starts with a “N”,
Incite violence in the most peaceful of men?
The teacher looked perplexed and didn’t know where to begin,
To explain that word that starts with a “N”.
The dictionary seemed like a good place to start,
But it didn’t even touch upon the most important part.
How can a volume designed to define,
Words and phrases formed in the mind,
Give meaning to and take apart,
A concept of hate formed in the heart:
Of men who deny the humanity,
Of darker hued people who look like me.
Of men who believe that their lack of melanin,
Makes them pure and incapable of sin.
Of men who prayed and held Bibles in their hand,
While they raped and pillaged humanity’s motherland.
Of men who built empires, fortunes and fame,
By promoting a concept we mistakenly call: “a name”.
What’s in a name? The teacher asked.
And why is the future connected to the past?
And why does that word that starts with a “ N”.
Incite violence in the most peaceful of men?
The student tried to answer but he was a little confused.
So he stopped in mid-sentence and asked to be excused.
The teacher asked the student why he suddenly had to go.
At first the student looked down and said: “I don’t know”.
Then the student decided to reveal his newly made plans,
To go and study the history of all hue-mans.
What’s in a name?
“Rick Perry can go jump in Nigger Lake for all I care !!!”
He would have to go to New York however.
Nigger Lake.
http://thedjholla.com/?p=5630
Or he could go to Florida and jump off the Nigger Jim Hammock Bridge in Hendry County, Florida.
Feel free to blame those on Rick Perry too.
I can appreciate the sensitivity of the subject, even from where I sit (in Australia). My concern is one of “correcting” history, and I feel that the original names of these places speak far more eloquently than a classroom full of history teachers can about past indifference to racial inequalities.
I’m quite sure that since the 60’s, ANY political candidate would seek to obliterate any such landmark names from any area they might be even remotely associated with, but I think you play into their hands if you let them get away with that. And if it’s a name that’s been in place for over 100 years — not that this was, perhaps, but I’m sure there are even older and maybe even more offensive names in other parts of the world — then I think we all end up a little more impoverished by “whitewashing” them, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Now look who’s scaring the peeps in the streets…..neither party has clean hands!
I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer like y’all big word using folk, the funny thing is this: if it were a Democratic politician his/her careers would be OVER!!!
Republicons condone this s#@t. Say hello to President Rick Perry. Byrd and Thurman are dead in the grave. Our next prez wears a white hood w/little eye holes cut in it!
@QueerjercC:
Actually hoodgirl was right: Byrd did filibuster civil rights legislation, was a member of the Klan, and was a Democrat, not a Dixiecrat.
Big however: the senator who *was* a Dixiecrat, Strom Thurmond, was a Democrat before he switched to the Dixiecrat party, also filibustered civil rights legislation, ran for president on a segregationist platform and served out the rest of has years…as a Republican.
@hoodgirl. Byrd was a Dixiecrat not a Democrat, you know history you know there’s a difference. Don’t rry to steer peeps in the wrong direction. The (R) stands fo racist.
@Nicholas, your beloved democratic party allowed Senator Robert Byrd who opposed the 1960s civil rights legislation and a Klansman to serve 51 years in the U.S. Congress until his demise in 2010……you are BRAINWASHED!
This is just another DISTRACTION and black americans should refrain for speading presious time and enegy on this subject. The point is, Black America is aware of the historic racism, connected with the republican party, this is just is another reminder for us and his big dollar donors just where his ideals stand. Herman Cain said Blacks who support the Democratic Party are brainwashed and a few negroes applauded that position. This is another example of why we vote Democratic.
@libsarewrong:
Look of the word “context” in your favorite dictionary.
Then read the definition again.
You’re welcome.
Van,
Feel free to start a Caucasian American college fund. No one is stopping you, it’s a free country and people can use all the help they can get to pay for an education.
Actually, the FMAFE is already on it.
The only other thing I can add to this is that this is starting to fall on deaf ears. You can see even libs are turning on each other. Watch the segment on the View where Walters is told she’s not allowed to say the word but Whoopi is. The reason is is that it doesn’t “sound” right coming from Walters. I’m sorry, but it’s the same dang word no matter who says it. Walters brought up a good point, a reporter should be able to use the word if it’s a news story no matter what the color of their skin is. I grew up with diversity and I believe that racism only exists if we keep the fuel burning.
The racist issues in the country are ridiculous. Why is OK for one group or race to call something racist but not another. Rap stars have been using the word in their songs for years, and people buy millions of their records. Black people use the word like I use the word whatever!
The difference is, its only racist when a white person uses it or has it displayed somewhere! That’s the issue behind the entire race war in this country. Its only one sided…
Take for example, BET, The Negro Collage Fund, and now the Mexican American collage fund. That’s all good, but what if we had an all White channel. Or an all white collage fund “RACIST”!!!
Wake up America, we are all slaves under this government and big business. The only difference is the way its portrayed in today’s world!!!
This is the problem with America. You gotta let this go. Niggerhead is used throughout the world. In most cases, it has no connection to any people(s). It’s also an island in Australia. The issue here is is that We’ve become too PC’d about what we can say and not say with respect to only one segment of the population.
Here’s a thought…
1) If you truly don’t want the use of the word, don’t use it amongst yourselves even jokingly. It sends the wrong message to everyone.
2) We should ensure that all people are treated the same and we should call out when blacks call whites negative names as well. (The media will avoid that like the plague)
3) QUIT using the race card for explaining everyone that doesn’t agree with you or the president. It has the EXACT same effect as “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
Its about time we all put this stuff behind us. It is not Perry who named that rock or property as the fellow before points out. If we continue to side against each other and only look at our color of skin we will always be moving backwards. The fact that many people have bought property that were named unjustly and it is not the fault of an owner that owns it now why it was named as such. There will always be prejudism, for those who continue to be so thin skinned about it you have to get serious.
Its time that ALL stand together as AMERICANS, not hyphonated AMERICANS and look past our ethnicity and only then when we can say for all and not just for our group or our skin color cause we can move on. We will always be SLAVES if we chose to be or we can turn away from those of our own that continue to take us back to what we want to move away from or that is what we say. Cant have both. We are either black or we are American. I being a blck man firs an American I am not african and not to many of the people I know that are black as me are african either, but how we love to be slaves. Lets get over it and move on.
I disagree with Jason’s comment. It has EVERYTHING to do with calling us Niggers. If a Niggerhead is a rock or group of rocks on an unpaved road, the euphemism is loaded. It implies two things. First of all, it implies that it is OK to drive over the heads of Black people. Secondly, and more heinously, it implies that Black people are subhuman and so insignificant that if they were to drive over our heads, no one considers the damage to the person. They care more about the damage done to their tires. I find this type of thinking totally despicable and unconscionable.
If Rick Perry’s father just repainted the sign in 1983, then the parties involved still upheld that kind of thinking in recent years. This was 1983, not 1883. Wake up Black people, especially in Texas where they recently dragged a Black man that they knew personally like he was a piece of meat.
niggerhead; An antiquaited logging and trucking term used to define a large round rock or outcropping of rocks usually on an unpaved road bed that could damage a vehicle.
It has nothing to do with people calling us “Niggers”. Get over yourself.
Rick Perry can go jump in Nigger Lake for all I care !!!
In 1983 Perry’s dad painted the rock. Typical leftist nigger shit
Perry would be 1000 times better than the race baiting half whitey’s regime.
Another typical leftist maggots just trying to destroy another Republican
I have in my possession, a USGS (United States Geodetic Survey) map of the Texas Hill country. On that map, just north of Inks Lake, is a hill that has been a landmark since our forefathers settled the great state. That landmark was called Niggerhead Hill as can be seen by the aformentioned map. Yes, it’s been changed to Negrohead hill, but the first name was sanctioned by the United States.