I imagine you've probably read or heard about 'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards' outburst in which he screamed racial epithets at African-American members of his comedy club audience. In doing so, Richards has sparked an often angry discussion on just how far comedians can go to get a laugh. In the aftermath of the incident, Paul Mooney, a prominent African-American comedian, has decided to renounce the slur, vowing never to use it in public again, and said he would campaign to get all blacks to stop using it. (Read more in this story at Recordonline.com.

In thinking about these issues myself, I wondered if the Nashua Public Library had any books on these topics and sure enough we do. The first is
Nigger : The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word written by Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy. According to a review in Booklist, Kennedy "examines the most socially explosive word of insult in the U.S. His approach is comprehensive, both from a historical and a contemporary perspective...Kennedy also explores the contemporary use of this taboo word, notably in rap music and the youth culture."

Back in 2002, Andy Rooney offered a commentary on Kennedy's book which I found in a book recently donated to the library, Years of Minutes: The Best of Rooney from 60 Minutes. In his commentary, titled "The N-Word", Rooney states that the best way for any of us to get rid of a problem is to hold it up to a bright light and look at all sides of it. That's what Kennedy does in this book."

Perhaps Michael Richards' recent outburst and the aftermath is forcing society to do this once again. What do you think? Please leave us your comments.

Other recommended library books:
* White guilt : how blacks and whites together destroyed the promise of the civil rights era / Shelby Steele.
* Sundown towns : a hidden dimension of American racism by James W. Loewen.

Other online resources:
* Google News Search for "Michael Richards"
* TMZ.com article