Nigger!?!

J Ball, I really enjoyed listening to your narration, which sounded more like a conversation, rather than being "talked at". I especially loved your poise in narrating a painful and anger-stoking incident. As a person of color, I love hearing (the still rare) stories of our experiences dealt with from our personal comfort zones, but which provoke dialogue and introspection - from both listener and speaker.

Listen to me talk:
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/893

I prefer Blatina to Afro-Latina, but that's just me.

I'm desensitized to 'n!gger' now, unfortunately. I just laugh like, "Is that the best you can come up with?"

I will cut a muthashutyomouth over 'redbone,' but that epithet comes from other Blacks...

I would really like to hear more about you, both related to your identity and apart from it.

--------------------------------------
Please listen, then vote and comment if you are willing, to my 2 minutes of funk (sans funk)
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/805

Because I absolutely hate that word. Glad I finally took the time to listen. This is a really solid entry-- you sound very comfortable behind the mic and are saying something with depth.

Good luck!

-kb

Looking for answers? After checking out my submission here you can find them on www.prx.org/pieces/18374.

I really liked your voice in this story. It's definitely a voice that I would turn the volume up on my radio to hear. I also like your imagery as well. I think the only thing I would change is your ending. I wished the story ended on a more solid note. Otherwise, good work!

My hat's off to JBall for the nice delivery of a compelling story. But the tone of previous comments, it seems to me, is rather telling evidence about the self-selecting, politically correct nature of many public radio listeners and content providers.

I'm a short white guy who happned to be a decent little high school and small college basketball player. I won't even insult your civilized sensibilities with the vile and thuggish verbal assaults I regularly endured when I brough my post college amateur game to the pick-up playgrounds of NYC and DC. Twice it went so far as to result in a knife being drawn on me (because I'd had the audacity to outperform a taller black opponent). Those particularly dangerous square-offs were only peacefully resolved when black teammates to whom I'd been dishing Stockton-like assists all afternoon reluctantly took my side.

If I did two sincere minutes on such an incident, I can't imagine too many public radio folks would make the time to listen, much less praise me to the sky.

All that said, God bless JBall, his fam and all the well-intentioned folks participating in this worthy exercise.

Darren in DC

Impressive! A very common story, unique in its delivery.

Most engaging piece I have heard yet. I am half mexican and speak no spanish. When I fill out a job application, I get a lot of questions in spanish without a question of abilities..Jason Z.(Jason Zaragoza)
jasonzaragoza@hotmail.com
"How big would you dream if you knew you could not fail?"-Unknown-

Good job of painting the picture of a difficult situation. I felt as if i was in the car with you.

I really like your piece. Obviously, this topic is something not easily covered in 2 minutes (or 2 hours for that matter), but I think you did a great job. I'd really like to hear these kinds of everyday encounters and incidents discussed more openly in public forums (fora?). You really whet my appetite for more in-depth discussion.
--
Julie
Please listen to my entry at: http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/148

I am certain that with the "blending" of races that one day we will all be the same color....what will people like that say to another then??? but unfortunatley until that day comes those comments will be exchanged in order to hurt you- wish it didn't have to be that way, but you and I know it just is...very much liked this audio. would love to hear more!

First entry I've listened to twice.

I felt like I need to say something, but it's taken me a bit to come up with a response. I've spoken elsewhere in these fora re: racism in America. Sadly, it's more American than apple pie. It *is* fundamental to an understanding of America and American society. As far as we've come, we've not come nearly far enough. Perhaps we never will. I don't know.

But what your exchange brought to mind was very personal.

A few years back one of my friends had me come with him to look at a starter house he was thinking of buying in a poorer section of town - "Felony Flats" as it is not so affectionately referred to.

Like JBall, I "pass", always have. My friend, however, didn't, doesn't. What you see is what you get with him. Anyway, as we were looking over the place a kid - mebbe eleven or so? - in the yard across the street yelled a rather pungent epithet at us, then invited us, as it were, to leave the neighborhood posthaste. Sitting placidly on the porch behind him were three adults, presumably related to him. They said nothing, or rather, they said *everything* in their conscious, unambiguous silence.

As I said, I "pass". I always find that hard to believe, but I do. I was shocked (still am) by how little prepared I was to deal with the fullness of the unreasoning hatred that had just been thrown at me.

I can't begin to describe all that went through me in those moments. That goes through me even now, thinking back on it years later.

We didn't confront, we simply left. Perhaps we should have said something. But what was there to say?

He never made an offer on the house.

Sorry for going on like this. You must have done a good job, to pull this out of me. Yeah.

*n*

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" - Oscar Wilde

honestly interesting about race...
I sense you'd be interesting about lots of subjects...