April 9, 2008
Village Voice Media Editor Michael Lacey Says N-Word, Journos' Lids Flip
Michael Lacey--co-owner of Village Voice Media, the nation's largest alternative newspaper company--upset dozens of Arizona journalists last Friday after using the racial slur during a speech at the Society of Professional Journalists Awards gala banquet. According to the East Valley Tribune, while speaking to the audience, Lacey jokingly referred to his buddy, the late Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Tom Fitzpatrick, as "my (n-word)."
Oops.
We cannot accurately report whether Lacey used the "-ga" or "-ger" suffix. As far as we know, no one will dare print the word--that word--in its entirety regarding this story.
He later semiapologized, saying "[m]y words, meant to honor a friend, were inappropriate ... [i]t is regrettable that any phrase of mine offended those attending a First Amendment awards banquet." Potty-mouth Mike Lacey, if you recall, recently saw his company (owner of SF Weekly) lose a lawsuit to local alt weekly SF Bay Guardian for predatory pricing practices.
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Mike Lacey seems to lack a certain amount of sensitivity and decorum, however, as the following link to an article on the n-word will attest to, there is more to all of this than what meets the eye.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/06/18490895.php
Nigga please! If anyone can say it then EVERYONE can say it. Drop the stupid argument that some people can say certain things and other people cannot because of race. It's the English language and if "ebonics" can be acceptable as part of the English lexicon then "nigga" is allowed.
Political correctness is dead. Stop defending it.
Is "nigga" different than "nigger"? Is "spic" different when I am joking with my wife because she is latina or if I say it to some Mexican dude in the Mission? Absolutely. Get a fucking brain.
It all depends on the crowd and the understanding between people. And these days, people are retarded and don't speak to one another.
Do I use these slurs? No. Can I? Absolutely.
Did I make my point? Sadly, probably not.
Most of what people do at the VV is examine themselves to the nth degree, then spout something so predictably, politically-correctly risque that it has to be cool. Getting a bunch of people from outside New York upset about it counts as double points.
KWillets, are you a regular reader of the SF Weekly's blog? Same m.o., imho.