Lily, the white girl who is currently making the rounds on the internet for saying the N-word in a video, was—shortly after that video went viral—fired by her employer. In a letter from her former employer made available to the public, it was stated, “A newly hired employee made inflammatory remarks on social media that do not align with the values and beliefs of our company.” While her use of the N-word is inappropriate and disrespectful, I do not think that she should have been fired because of it.
I’m not sure why anyone would want to use the N-word in a conversation, or why some white people are fighting for the right to say it as though their lives depended on it, or why right-wingers are defending Lily and making her into some sort of hero for “daring” to say the N-word, as if being offensive is a virtue.
But, despite my reservations about her use of the N-word in that video, I would defend her right to say it and not be fired for it. Saying an offensive word, which is not illegal, should not be a fireable offense. While I don’t mind social repercussions for literally being an indecent person, I do not think people should be fired for things they do or say outside of work.
I see it as a major overreach by businesses into their employees' personal lives to control what they are permitted to say outside of work hours in their own private life. No firm should possess an individual to the point that they rely on their employer's permission to express certain things outside work.
While I understand that companies do not want to be associated with unsavoury behavior, unless such behavior rises to the level of a crime, was committed during work hours or using company tools, or was committed in a capacity in which the employee was seen to be representing the company at the time, the company should have no right to fire such employee.
Like the saying goes, I may not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
On the other hand, I believe that using the N-word is rude, socially insensitive, and inappropriate, and the fact that black people use it doesn't make it any better. I'm African, and on rare occasions when a fellow African uses the N-word, I cringe. I don't like that word. It is a disparaging term linked to a specific group of people (African Americans) within a specific historical context in the United States. As a result, social etiquette teaches us that some things aren't worth the effort, even if we're theoretically free to do or say them. As the Apostle Paul stated, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient."
And for those black people who have a meltdown when a white person says the N-word, why do you care? Why allow people to have such power over you by reacting predictably to the use of a word? You give the offender power because they know they can push your emotional buttons just by saying a word.
I have been the recipient of racial abuse online, and I’m always amused that the abuser thought such abuse would offend me. Someone once called me a monkey because I was whooping his ass in an intellectual exchange, and I asked him if saying that was supposed to be offensive to me. In every conceivable way, that comment cannot offend me because I’m not a monkey. That is not to say people shouldn’t get offended by unsavoury words, but at a point, you have to realize that having an emotional reaction to certain words when the person saying it is deliberately trying to get a rise out of you is not worth it.
To white people, why exactly do you need to say this word? What sense of fulfillment do you get from it? What do you lose if you don't say it? To me, the answer to is none, so why go through the hassle? Why bother.
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About the Host
Charles Ekokotu (Pharm. D.) is a bibliophile, prose fiction writer, poet, and playwright. His first novel, Hotel Shendam—a crime fiction novel featuring a debate on race and colonialism—is available on Amazon. If you love interesting crime fiction thrillers, you would love this.
He also has a collection of poems called Fairy Tales, now available on Amazon. Fairy Tales is a collection of poems based on the author's experiences and captures key events in the author's life and his expression of his feelings through poetry. It runs across themes like loss, grief, excitement, nature, romance, and joy
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This was a good read and goes to the heart of questions of civilization and governance. Employers have boundaries too and they have no say on issues not directly linked to or dependent on the contract of employment. Every nation state handles this differently and Google has different rights in its various national markets. Flexibility is a prerequisite in international affairs and every case should be seen as unique. Activists who see all matters as a function of group identity whereby all disputes are predetermined according to skin colour or gender must be confronted and defeated in argument. Any other way lies authoritarianism.
Charles another thoughtful commentary. While I agree with the sentiments of your comments, I think in practice applying the strong case free speech standards when one is talking about an employer-employee relationship is more complex.
Any comment made on social media by any individual is likely to be seen by 100s, 1000s, even millions of people. So even when an employee is outside of work outrageous, offensive or abusive statements because of social media make all conversations highly visible to a large audience. An employer must be concerned that abusive or offensive statements may somehow communicate to the public that the employer shares his vocal employee’s sentiments.
So while I agree with you in general, employers should not be monitoring or sanctioning employees for statements made outside of work—even abusive and offensive comments and statements—employers face the challenge of knowing that an employee making an offensive statement in his or her private life may reflect badly on the employer and his or her business. My guess is that, even though this may be uncomfortable for many, each of these types of incidents should be handled on a case by case basis.