Flamer's story was inspiring for viewers, but ended up being a bit awkward for CNN. Toward the end of the segment, CNN started to play the song 'Fantastic Voyage' by the rapper Coolio and didn't seem to remember that they should have looked for the clean version first.
CNN immediately noticed the error and snapped the video off the screen faster than you can say, "Which producer do we fire next?" The host, noticing the mistake, also issued an immediate apology to the audience.
Here are some thoughts about CNN airing the N-word. They called me today about an appearance next week, so perhaps I should be relatively nice.
1) This was an easy mistake. I hope the producer who made the mistake doesn't get fired. Music like this is everywhere and it's hard to avoid it.
2) Whites are probably more offended by the mistake than many African-Americans. For some people, any reference to the N-word or any variant of it (even "Negro") draws an instant, decisive and negative reaction. The hurdles for black people in America are not just the words people use to describe us. The real culprits in America are systematic and subtle racism. This does not mean that many African-Americans would not be offended by this song, but I honestly think that the sensitivity of the issue would cause CNN to avoid it altogether.
3) While there are certainly better words to use, I am also empathetic to the idea that the context and variant of the word makes a very real difference. I've heard black men use the variation ending with the letter "a" as a term of endearment, while an old white man from Texas using the variation ending with the letter "r" is troubling for most people. While it might seen hypocritical and contradictory to define the word differently in different contexts and to distinguish one variant from another, the truth is that this is human nature. For example, in China, the word "ma" can have a multitude of meanings depending on when you say it, who says it and how it is pronounced. If a simple two-letter word can be defined in so many ways, then I am sure that a word as storied and complex as the N-word can be just as interesting.
No matter what you think about the N-word (or any variation of it), I think that most of us can agree on the following: There are better words that we can use to greet one another, and CNN should stay away from it completely. They've apologized and it's over, but you couldn't help but laugh at the error.
21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
20-May-10 - A Memphis, Tenn., man was babysitting his girlfriend's toddler when she defecated on the floor. The man reacted to the accident by beating the 2-year-old toddler to death with a basketball shoe.
17-May-10 - Geoffrey Fieger, the attorney representing the family of Aiyana Jones, a 7-year old who was shot dead during a police raid, says police are trying to cover up the truth about what exactly happened.
18-May-10 - Vicki Valentine has had to live through the foreclosure nightmare that is affecting all of America. She recently watched a crew of men break the lock on her door and take possession of the home she owned for 30 years. Her father paid off the mortgage in 1984, only to see his daughter lose the home 26 years later over a $362 water bill.
18-May-10 - President Barack Obama's very colorful, very opinionated ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is making headlines yet again, but this time it is in the form of the written word. The Associated Press came across an explosive, missive written by Wright that talks about the president in a very unflattering light.
14-May-10 - Popular 'Today' show host Matt Lauer and his wife of 12 years, Annette, have split. Word on the street is that when Lauer was in Vancouver covering the Winter Olympics, he allegedly "bumped Uggs" with Whitney Houston's half-sister, Alexis Houston.
12-May-10 - Rap megastar Lil Wayne, who is currently serving time at Riker's Island due to a 2007 gun charge, was snitched on by a fellow inmate for concealing "unauthorized music contraband."
12-May-10 - The Kellogg Foundation is awarding $75 million over five years to undo the effects of racism on children in poor communities, I cheered the efforts of the Michigan-based nonprofit.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE "N" WORD. THIS WOMAN IS 103 YEARS OLD. THEY DID NOT NEED TO PLAY ANY OF THAT IGNORANT RAP TRASH AT ALL IN TELLING HER STORY.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANY RAP CRAP THAT WOULD BE FITTING TO USE IN TELLING A STORY ABOUT THIS WOMAN.
THIS WAS A RACIST THING TO ASSUME THAT ALL BLACK PEOPLE EVEN THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN WOULD WANT TO HEAR THAT TRASH PLAYED REGARDING A STORY ABOUT HER.
SOMEHOW I FEEL THIS WAS DONE DELIBERATELY BY THOSE ON THE JEALOUS OF EVERYTHING GOOD SOMEONE BLACK DOES COMMITTEE.
AS FOR THE "N" WORD; I HAVE NEVER USED THE WORD. YES I HAVE SAID B-TCH OR BASTARD; BUT I HAVE NEVER USED THE "N" WORD. I WAS BROUGHT UP TO BELIEVE THAT ONLY THE REALLY IGNORANT PEOPLE USE THE "N" WORD AND BASED ON MY RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS TO TRUE.
And really, if anything exhibits racism in this mess it's the fact that they would choose to play a Coolio song for 103-year-old Black woman in the first place instead of something more age appropriate. What? If you're Black you MUST love rap? Is that it? If she was White would they have played Barry Manilow?
I don't see a need to apologize for an innocent slip-up over playing the wrong song version, but it might be nice to see them admit they only played a rap song because she was Black and maybe learn something from this mess. A woman who is that age may or may not like rap music, but the perception either way still stinks.
I agree. The story was about an 103 yr. old woman and not about her race. A rap song wasn't the best music to play. Equally embarassing to playing any song with the N-Word was playing it for an African American woman old enough to have suffered through decades of racism in an era when the N-Word was likely commonly used even against her at some sad point. I'm sorry it spoiled her time in the spotlight, especially if her family and friends watched it, and with national coverage.
THE MERE FACT THAT THEY WOULD PLAY ANY RAP CRAP IN TELLING A STORY ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN IS RACIST.
THE N WORD BEING USED IN THE SONG TO ME IS MINOR BECAUSE WHAT RAP TRASH DO THEY HAVE THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE "N" WORD.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS NO RAP CRAP SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYED PERIOD WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN.
ONLY A JEALOUS ENVIOUS SICK PERSON WOULD THINK OTHERWISE.
THIS WOMAN SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME JAZZ MUSIC, R&B, ETC. JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BESIDES RAP.
I HAVE LOST RESPECT FOR CNN...AND WILL DEFINITELY BE TUNING INTO SOMETHING ELSE.
THIS TO ME WAS BLATANT RACISM.
I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN WHITE PEOPLE....NOT ALL BUT ENOUGH WHO ARE JEALOUS AND ENVIOUS OF BLACK PEOPLE.
THIS LITTLE STUNT BY CNN PROVES MY POINT THAT THERE ARE WHITE PEOPLE WHO ARE JEALOUS OF BLACK PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.
THE STORY ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN IS PROOF OF JUST THAT.
NO RAP B.S. SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYED PERIOD, AND ANYONE WITH AN OUNCE OF COMMON SENSE SHOULD KNOW THAT.
THE MORE I THINK ABOUT THIS STORY AND HOW CNN DID WHAT THEY DID MORE I KNOW I WILL NOT BE WATCHING THEIR B.S. SHOWS ANYMORE. THEY HAVE SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLORS.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (211)
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By: Mimi on 5/29/2010 12:30AM
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE "N" WORD. THIS WOMAN IS 103 YEARS OLD. THEY DID NOT NEED TO PLAY ANY OF THAT IGNORANT RAP TRASH AT ALL IN TELLING HER STORY.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANY RAP CRAP THAT WOULD BE FITTING TO USE IN TELLING A STORY ABOUT THIS WOMAN.
THIS WAS A RACIST THING TO ASSUME THAT ALL BLACK PEOPLE EVEN THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN WOULD WANT TO HEAR THAT TRASH PLAYED REGARDING A STORY ABOUT HER.
SOMEHOW I FEEL THIS WAS DONE DELIBERATELY BY THOSE ON THE JEALOUS OF EVERYTHING GOOD SOMEONE BLACK DOES COMMITTEE.
AS FOR THE "N" WORD; I HAVE NEVER USED THE WORD. YES I HAVE SAID B-TCH OR BASTARD; BUT I HAVE NEVER USED THE "N" WORD. I WAS BROUGHT UP TO BELIEVE THAT ONLY THE REALLY IGNORANT PEOPLE USE THE "N" WORD AND BASED ON MY RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS TO TRUE.
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By: David1 on 5/27/2010 3:30PM
Clean or dirty version they shouldn't have use that rap crap in a story about a 103 y/o black woman.
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By: Perri on 5/27/2010 6:17PM
Thank You!!
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By: tara on 5/28/2010 9:14AM
I thought the same thing when I saw this!
And really, if anything exhibits racism in this mess it's the fact that they would choose to play a Coolio song for 103-year-old Black woman in the first place instead of something more age appropriate. What? If you're Black you MUST love rap? Is that it? If she was White would they have played Barry Manilow?
I don't see a need to apologize for an innocent slip-up over playing the wrong song version, but it might be nice to see them admit they only played a rap song because she was Black and maybe learn something from this mess. A woman who is that age may or may not like rap music, but the perception either way still stinks.
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By: Kathy on 5/28/2010 9:21AM
I agree. The story was about an 103 yr. old woman and not about her race. A rap song wasn't the best music to play. Equally embarassing to playing any song with the N-Word was playing it for an African American woman old enough to have suffered through decades of racism in an era when the N-Word was likely commonly used even against her at some sad point. I'm sorry it spoiled her time in the spotlight, especially if her family and friends watched it, and with national coverage.
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By: Wish Belkin on 5/28/2010 9:23AM
"If she was White would they have played Barry Manilow?"
Tara; Sadly, probably.
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By: pema on 5/28/2010 9:52AM
absolutly. its sterotyping, couldnt they find their sammy davis junior albums?
banging head on keyboard
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By: Mimi on 5/29/2010 1:23AM
THE MERE FACT THAT THEY WOULD PLAY ANY RAP CRAP IN TELLING A STORY ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN IS RACIST.
THE N WORD BEING USED IN THE SONG TO ME IS MINOR BECAUSE WHAT RAP TRASH DO THEY HAVE THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE "N" WORD.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS NO RAP CRAP SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYED PERIOD WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN.
ONLY A JEALOUS ENVIOUS SICK PERSON WOULD THINK OTHERWISE.
THIS WOMAN SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME JAZZ MUSIC, R&B, ETC. JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BESIDES RAP.
I HAVE LOST RESPECT FOR CNN...AND WILL DEFINITELY BE TUNING INTO SOMETHING ELSE.
THIS TO ME WAS BLATANT RACISM.
I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN WHITE PEOPLE....NOT ALL BUT ENOUGH WHO ARE JEALOUS AND ENVIOUS OF BLACK PEOPLE.
THIS LITTLE STUNT BY CNN PROVES MY POINT THAT THERE ARE WHITE PEOPLE WHO ARE JEALOUS OF BLACK PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.
THE STORY ABOUT THIS 103 YEAR OLD WOMAN IS PROOF OF JUST THAT.
NO RAP B.S. SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYED PERIOD, AND ANYONE WITH AN OUNCE OF COMMON SENSE SHOULD KNOW THAT.
THE MORE I THINK ABOUT THIS STORY AND HOW CNN DID WHAT THEY DID MORE I KNOW I WILL NOT BE WATCHING THEIR B.S. SHOWS ANYMORE. THEY HAVE SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLORS.
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By: taff on 5/27/2010 3:38PM
Just do what you do best, Dr. Watkins. Find a way to excuse the great white father.
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By: charles on 5/28/2010 1:13AM
I was about to post the same thing .I think people who try to speak for everyone need to stfu
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