racist literature

[cacian]

what is racist literature?
should the writer ease off the usage of racist words in order to ease off racist views?

FOR EXAMPLE;
is the use of the N word ever acceptable to use because the plot requires it?
OR
Is it best to avoid crossing racist references with stories because that means out of sight out of heart?

[Marcus1]

To use your example, by definition the N word is used to condescend against a particular race (African). If an author seeks to address the issue of race, I don't think there's a need to use these words, especially since what is considered morally acceptable lies in thought which gets reflected in his prose. This does not mean to ignore or avoid such touchy issues but to openly engage the reader, using terms which reflect the historical/social landscape but not abusing them merely to elicit an emotional response.

Another concern which illustrates the point further is 'exploitation cinema'. When does it become excessive is when it ceases to advance the message or idea that the auteur intended to convey. BUT farce and parody are also aesthetics, just like humor and wit, and therefore I can understand the opposing viewpoints.

So this leads us back to the question of aesthetics or ethics, and it has always been a struggle to reconcile both, while seeking to explore new ground or "push the envelop".



*I apologise if I sound awkward because English is not my mother tongue.

[Pompey Bum]

I haven't any sympathy for ill-bred taunts. No more have my sisters, nor my cousins, nor my aunts.

But there is a vast moral chasm between a character or subjective first person narrator (in effect another character) and an objective third person narrator. Characters need to speak consistently with their characterization, and if that means using racist epithets, so be it. It is understandable that some readers will not be able to enjoy books about such characters. They should read something else. The epithets themselves, of course, are vile. But as the ancient Roman potty-mouth (and poetic genius) Gaius Catullus observed, although the poet should be chaste, it does not follow that his verses need be.

Marcus: Your English is impeccable.