"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Apparently, in your world, one can not use the word "gibberish" in
the same sentence with the word "black" and not be a racist. That's
bull ****!

Thanks, Dudley, for the spirited defense -- but you're ****ing on
deadwood here.

You can't convince the paranoid that we're really not out to get them,
any more than you can change a person's misinterpretation of the
English language. Just imagine if I'd have used a really
controversial word, like "niggardly"!

Your description of the news coverage was well taken, and you could have
avoided the controversy and made your point just as well by not using
"gibberish" the way you did. Contrary to Dudley and your view of the
subject, when I read your original sentence, I also felt it was
inappropriate.

In the context you used it, it was heavily laden with historic meaning.
You are a northern, white, middle class observer of the southern socio-
economic condition. Whether you intended to or not, many readers will
infer that your view of blacks speaking with a southern dialect is that
they are uneducated, and can't put a coherent sentence together.

As I said earlier, you could have made your point without phrasing
things the way you did. Don't compound your mistake by trying to defend
the use of the word.