Coerced To Use The N-Word?

Randy Marsh's gaffe had to do with the fact that he used the word "nigger." But to understand the true source of the humor, satire, or irony (whichever are at play) in this episode of South Park it seems that one must take into account the context of the situation that Randy uses the word in. The fact that he is appearing on national television, on a show (Wheel of Fortune) that is perhaps the most iconic shows on American Television is important. It seems to me that the humor in this episode is more directed at American culture, represented by American television.

In this episode it is not as if Randy says nigger to a buddy or to a black person in a social situation. Rather, he is almost literally coerced to say the word. As he says on the ride home "the only reason [he] said it is that he thought he would win money." He was only playing a game on a television show in which he was compelled to use the word nigger. He felt it was okay to use the word if he could win some money, although he knew he wasn't supposed to. He was not motivated to use the word because of any underlying hatred or bigotry. I think this brings up two important issues. To me it highlights the fact that using the word nigger is really profitable. Take any rap album. The word is thrown around without any consideration of its racial implications. So, the use of the word, while it may offend some, is really part of a broader cultural movement in which its use is accepted if not encouraged. When money is involved it seems as if people ignore the bad connotations of the word and allow its use. Like in movies or rap music people are allowed to use the word. It is as though its use is harmless in these contexts. Second, it brings up the issue of whether we, the American public, who literally hear the word nigger being used all the time in movies, music, and television, are wrong for using the word ourselves. It is almost impossible not to use a word being thrown at you all the time. There is something unfair about hearing a word used profusely in popular culture and not being able to imitate this usage of the word. I think the episode is commenting on this.

This episode also it brings up the question of whether it really is wrong to use the N-word if there is no hatred behind it. Randy's wife, on the car trip back exclaims "I can't believe you used the N-word on national Television!" No one expresses any dissatisfaction with Randy's use of the word, but more so with his use of the word on television. So, while it is pretty much universally acknowledged by everyone in the episode that Randy is not racist, and therefore the word was not used by him in any bigoted way, its use in public is still not acceptable. We all know that nigger can be used as a term of 'social-leveling', as a term of endearment, or as an insult, but does the meaning intended by the person saying the word not matter? Maybe this is the case. Maybe, publicly the word simply will never be socially acceptable—at least by a white person. Almost everyone in the audience, at the filming of Wheel of Fortune, and watching in South Park are white. They are the ones shocked by its use. The only black person whose reaction we see is the camera man. I could not help but understand the black camera man's expression as meaning "white people cannot use this word, it is our word." I think there is some truth to this statement. When white people use nigger it is seen as wrong. And historically there is a reason for this: it was used by white people to degrade black people. Therefore, no matter what meaning a white person intended the word nigger to have when saying it, it is simply wrong for white people to say the word because of the historical implications of a white person using the word.