Speaker: Ta-Nehisi Coates, an African American male, he states “black people (like me).” He mentioned he has 6 siblings, so he is from a large family. He also stated that he is married.
Occasion: Incident with Miami Dolphins Richie Incognito (white) addressing his teammate, LA Clippers’ Matt Barnes (black) tweeting, and Philadelphia Eagles Riley Cooper (white). This led to sports commissioners’ being urged to ban the use of the word publicly. The media coverage brought the issue back into cultural focus.
Audience: African Americans are the primary focus. Specifically those who either use the word openly or may disagree with the usage. In the article, he uses the term “we” several times in the article.
Purpose: Stress the significance or weight of word(s) used within specific communities, that become unacceptable when used by other groups especially when used in derogatory terms. Urge people to not ban the use of the word out of fear other groups will feel entitled to use the words with malice.
Tone: Angry. “what we are really saying to black people is, “Be less human.” This is not a fight over civil rights; it’s an attempt to raise a double standard. It is no different from charging “ladies” with being ornamental and prim while allowing for the great wisdom of boys being boys.” “If you could choose one word to represent the centuries of bondage, the decades of terrorism, the long days of mass rape, the totality of white violence that birthed the black race in America” “the signpost that reminds us that the old crimes don’t disappear. It tells white people that, for all their guns and all their gold, there will always be places they can never go.”
Calling his father by a family nickname is not comparable to calling his wife and her friends bitches. Although it would most likely be awkward and strange for him to address his father in that manner, it is not inherently derogatory.
