This is not a movie review, a history lesson or a call to action. It is simply a 
statement of truth.
I could go to painstaking lengths, detailing how deeply offensive and unfunny the repeated and gratuitous use of N**** in the movie The Hangover Part Two was, but the damage in large part has already been done. This bell can’t be un-rung.
Nevertheless, this much must be said. The use of N**** is not funny, appreciated or acceptable in any context, by anyone who utters it.
Hate crime legislation and the FCC are clear in regards to the word, the rest of us need to be clear too.
I could create a historical time line ranging from Birth of a Nation in 1915 to The Hangover Part Two in 2011 and illustrate how N***a is nothing more than the cinematic cousin of N***er and equally offensive when employed as a tool to generate laughs. But let’s just keep this simple.
The use of the N-Word (N***er or N***a) is not funny, appreciated or acceptable in any context, by anyone who utters it.
In fact, if I were so inclined, I could hyperlink readers to each and every story about the lack of diversity in Hollywood and juxtapose this reality with The Hangover Part Two. There was a plethora of Asian actors but not a single utterance of an Asian epithet or showcasing of a negative Asian stereotype. Conversely, The Hangover Part Two did feature all types of references to African-American “culture” and managed to weave “N****” multiple times into a script written by zero African-Americans and movie (save Mike Tyson cameo) featuring none.
How screenwriters Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong and writer/director Todd Phillips felt comfortable enough to give a co-starring role to N***a but also manage zero African-American actors is odd and curious at best. Opting for ethnic jokes about people not on screen, instead of ones relative to the people on them…odd and curious.
Though mostly rhetorical, the question still should be asked. Who exactly was the sounding board in this process?
A production devoid of African-Americans in the writing process can not be used as the reference point or stamp of approval for N***a being either humorous or acceptable. It is ridiculous to argue otherwise.
Mazin, Armstrong and Phillips have no business trying to tell me the African-American the use of N**** is either hilarious or is mainstream.
It is neither.
No amount of movie receipts changes these facts. Former actor and unfunny comedian Michael Richards knows this to be true. Dog the Bounty Hunter knows this to be true. And surely more recently Mel Gibson is clear on this distinction. Not with an “er” or a “ga” serving as the last syllable. The etymology and associated history are the same.
The use of the N**** is not funny, appreciated or acceptable in any context, by anyone. Not by Chris Rock, Zach Galifianakis, Jesse Jackson or Ken Jeong.
Yes, we could spend all day rehashing and rebutting screenwriter/director Todd Phillips’ assertions that his screen work specializes in “mayhem” or that a lot of thought and concern went into the inclusion of N****.
Whatever.
The use of the N**** is not funny, appreciated or acceptable in any context, by anyone. Not in rap music, not in Black comedic routines. Not in movies. Not by Latinos. Not by Asian comedians in movies, not by White comedic actors trying to test the boundaries of comedy in movies. Everyone who uses it deserves blame and sanction. It is ridiculous to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Freedom Riders and see the cavalier use of N**** in The Hangover Part Two in the same month.
You can’t celebrate both and I won’t celebrate both.
I suspect that Mazin, Armstrong and Phillips did not consult any surviving Freedom Riders before including N**** in their script. Just because something is done under the pretext of humor, it doesn’t mean it’s either funny or inoffensive. Going further, for as supposedly over-the-top the Hangover movies are purported to be…there weren’t any jokes or epithets targeting Jews or gays. And that’s ok too…there shouldn’t have been. The omissions were noticed nonetheless. There are some lines Mazin, Armstrong and Phillips consciously choose not to cross, that’s the good news. The bad news is that they felt comfortable enough crossing this one.
I guess it’s just “funnier” to see the White character say N**** in relaying a text from the Asian character containing N**** or refer to the Middle Eastern character as N****.
Chuckle, chortle, sniggle, guffaw. Yes, “N****” always makes for great laughs.
Funny? Hardly. Noticed? Absolutely.
This is not about boycotting the movie, this is about being on the historical record. People walk away from that movie wrongly believing that N**** is somehow funny or acceptable.
It is neither.
When someone emotionally in between sees the movie and is unsure, there needs to be a record of someone telling the truth, setting it straight and making it plain.
This word has no place in our cinema, our music, our poetry slams, our lexicon. Its non-use symbolizes growth and tolerance, not the converse. Its power is not usurped by any supposed attempt to make it more mainstream. Its etymology is inextricably linked to N***er and that history has been well-documented. It is not in need of a makeover, we need to be done with it once and for all.
What’s done is done. We can’t un-ring the bell of The Hangover Part Two, but I will in no way be complicit with the idea that N***a, in any form, iteration or permutation is humorous, acceptable or indicative of racial progress in America. It was born in ignorance and continues to thrive only in places of ignorance. No amount of jokes written will ever change this truth.
Mazin, Armstrong and Phillips would be wise to employ better advisors the next time they seek to both generate laughs and avoid flagrantly offending members of the African-American community. They have carelessly put forth the idea that N*** is“ok” in 2011
It’s not and never will be.
The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For more Mo’Kelly, https://mrmokelly.com. Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at [email protected].
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8 responses to “‘N***a’ Will Never Be Funny…Especially in The Hangover Part Two”
Thanks for representing the consciousness of the Black community and for letting the same old Hollywood know that we demand our dignity and respect!
Is the use of the n’words not okay because it’s never okay or because it’s non blacks or more specifically white people using the terms. I understand if you’re offended by the terms regardless of who uses them, but if the offense conditional, then that too is a form of racism. I’m not saying they were right to use the terms, but if you want equality then equal treatment should be given to the hip hop culture and gangsta movies.
Brian…how did you manage to dismiss the part of the piece where I referred to rap music? Your question and point are moot…it is all in there.
What is it you want?
We went from ni–as to porch monkeys, to negroes, to blacks, back to ni–as again – Pharoahe Monch ‘Clap’
Because in no uncertain terms, it’s not whites, latinos, or any other race feels this way about African Americans, or lets just put it in real life terms: Americans. Why just Americans? Because the NAACP, and commentary like this is the reason why no one can just leave the topic alone. The only group that’s complaining about ‘being black’ IS the black community. And why is that?
Because it’s about class. Class is about morals. It’s about having not just a heritage, or a distinction. It’s about having actual moral values that define people as humane, and not just animals. However, because individuals CHOOSE to lack class, they choose to distinguish themselves as low class, or in this case, give themselves a moniker that should have just become extinct. The use of the N word is because hate has bred this topic again and again. The mentality that “I am a different color, so I should be treated differently”, or “I am a different color, give it to me for free.” The use of the word, and the use of ones skin for some is nothing more than a reason to get a free ride. But because the NAACP complains like a 2 year old toddler to get it’s way, people (of EVERY color, including black) just want to shut them up, while the black community feels entitlement. That’s low class.
It’s also a two way street. I’ve experienced an elderly American woman of dark skin who while her OWN CAR WAS BURNING told me in no uncertain terms that she didn’t want help from “People like me”. (I’m hispanic, not white, not black, not etc). Who has become the unjust?
The sheer nerve of comparing a pos movie to the Freedom Riders. That’s shameful. The Freedom Riders were about removing segregation, about being above the color of their skin, and about abolishing the moniker, WITHOUT bringing it into the conversation. Why can’t you?
So yes, the term was used in a movie, by a set of ignorant idiots. Don’t go to the movie. It’s puerile comedy at best, the equivalent of monkeys flinging fecal matter. But in all fairness, whites started it, blacks kept it going. We’re just reverting our class back a few decades. Good job.
Your view of “history” Mr. No is so flagrantly inaccurate it is not even funny. From your incorrect “nomenclature” (we never referred to ourselves as “porch monkeys” for example) to the omission of “colored” etc. Your grasp on history is loose at best and in need of a book or two or twelve.
This is not just about one movie. Hence the reference to comedy, music and language in general. I don’t believe you are actually Black…but will play along to share this point. In fact, your post is reminiscent of a banned poster.
You didn’t read the article, you skimmed it. Go back and read it and then I won’t have to waste more time educating you.
Brilliant. Bravo. Standing O!!
Well said and well written.
Give us your thoughts about the use of tokens in place of racist language.
For instance, when Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for the 1980 Presidential elections, he did so at Stone Mountain; that site is a token of anti-black sentiment so severe that the KKK considered it sacred territory, after all, it has a relief sculpted into its side depicting Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee and General Sherman on horseback. It was begun by the man who carved Mount Rushmore. Reagan captured the Dixicrats and gave birth to the Reagan Democrat image.
Another: the current ‘take America back!’ rant of the conservative Republicans begs the question, ‘from whom?’ Their short answer in code is from the blacks and Hispanics on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security and administering those plans.
How about giving us your deconstruction of some of this?
Thanks.
Joe I will do just that as we near the presidential election. Most folks are just struggling with this simple idea of the overt harm of “N****”. Code and historical significance of subliminal racism is or another day…but definitely on the menu.