“Any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest
form to any child at any stage of development.” — Jerome Seymour Bruner,
from The Process of Education (1960)
No matter how young or old one might be, politics is open to us all.
In much the same way, language is open to our individual interpretations.
That is especially so for young people. There are many young people in
my life. I hope that all of them will have a positive impact on this world
of ours.
They certainly have a positive impact on me. My grandchildren and young
friends have inspired me to make some drastic changes in my communication
habits. That is to say, I no longer knowingly use words or phrases that
can be construed as sexist, racist or profane.
Because of this, I feel the need to clarify something about my essay,
“Using the n-word”, which appeared in Green Left Weekly #428, November
15, 2000. I do not say or spell out the n-word in my original article for
this “looking out” column. Therefore, if you see it written out in one
of my essays here, it means that the editor has used his discretion to
alter my original text. He did that three times in the essay I am referring
to.
I want readers to know that sometimes the words presented in this column
are not entirely my own.
Having made it clear how that happens, let me add that I do not want
readers to think that just because an editor changes a writer's words,
that (s)he is insensitive: It simply means, more often than not, that the
writer and editor see, understand and respond to certain words differently.
So then, to all of the young people who read this column, I hope that
this provides all of you with a good example of how a word can mean different
things to different people. Keep in mind that editors edit and writers
write. In the end, be it happily or grudgingly, we must all work together.
BY BRANDON ASTOR JONES
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He welcomes
letters commenting on his columns (include your name and full return address
on the envelope, or prison authorities may refuse to deliver it). He can
be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G3-77, Georgia Diagnostic
& Classification Prison, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA, or email
<BrandonAstorJones@hotmail.com>.
Jones is seeking a publisher for his autobiography, Growing Down.
Please notify him of any possible leads. Visit Jones' web page at <http://www.BrandonAstorJones.com>.]
