No, it is not.

Words themselves are never racist out of context. I can use the word nigger in this sentence, see, like that, and not be racist. It ought to make one feel uncomfortable, seeing it sit there like that, all innocent, like it was simply the sixth word of my second sentence just like any other, but that use simply isn't racist.

So if I were to start singing "I'm a racist" here at my desk, that wouldn't be racist either. I might be a racist or I might not. But the context doesn't inform that determination.

However, if you imagine my singing that in a different context, one where I had just stopped a black man getting on a train, then it would not be unreasonable to consider the possibility that I might in fact not just be a racist, but also a deeply regrettable c**t.

You're welcome.

Posted By: Arizona Bay on February 18th 2015 at 15:36:14

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