Opinion: Mark Twain and the Word That Dares Not Speak Its Name

Mark Twain's classic "Huckleberry Finn," one of the most frequently banned books in America and one that is increasingly erased from reading lists and curricula across the country, is about to re-emerge in a racially cleansed format that makes it palatable for our oversensitive times, erasing a word I dare not mention, along with its historical significance in the process.

The word rhymes with trigger and originated from the Latin word niger, meaning black, and in these politically correct times must be written in a manner I find ridiculous -- its first letter proceeded with a dash and the word "word."

According to Publisher's Weekly, Mark Twain scholar Alan Gribben from Auburn University at Montgomery and publisher NewSouth Books are set to release a version of "Huckleberry Finn," in a single volume with "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," substituting the "N-word" with the word "slave."

In 2006, following a racist tirade by comedian Michael Richards of "Seinfeld" fame, the Rev. Jesse Jackson alongside Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., suggested that the word itself should be "unprotected" from a First Amendment standpoint -- declared "hate speech" as it were -- and encouraged hip-hop artists to refrain from using it in their lyrics anymore.

For years, the word "queer" was used as an epithet against gays and lesbians until they had the good sense to co-opt it and own it, be empowered by it and refuse to be victimized by it.

There are still homophobes who would toss the word "queer" as a hateful epithet, but it simply doesn't have the sting it once did.

Hip-hop artists did the same thing. Jackson's wishful thinking -- that the entire hip-hop community would suddenly stop using the N-word -- was not only delusional but connoted the raising of a white flag in any attempts to co-opt it as a tool of empowerment or at least take the bite out of it.

The use of the word as an epithet by racists today -- and certainly back in Mark Twain's day -- was to derogatorily refer to blacks, no matter how much we try sugarcoat it or rewrite it. Slaves were enslaved because they were regarded as racially inferior, not because they were slaves to begin with.

Enslavement is and was a different concept entirely. Slavery is about the deprivation of will, not the color of one's skin. To pretend racism didn't exist is as appalling as pretending slavery didn't.

How would Mr. Gribben suggest that teachers using his revised book to teach about slavery in America -- and who also happen to teach the Old Testament -- refer to Jews enslaved by Pharaoh? Do we ignore the victims of modern slavery or human trafficking -- primarily for prostituting women and children into sex industries -- and insinuate that they are all and only black?

To erase the dreaded N-word -- especially in the classroom -- is to cloak reality with a toxic, sanitized denial that demeans historical accuracy and ignores the pervasive use of the word in popular culture today.

It insults the memory and past of those who suffered enough. It denies the ability to contextualize the word, educate about it and generate meaningful dialog regarding its time, place and usage in a broader dialog about race in general.

That was Mark Twain's intention. Dr. Gribben, of all people, should know that.

Clinton Fein is an artist and writer and serves on the board of the First Amendment Project. In 1994, his multimedia CD-ROM "Conduct Unbecoming," based on Randy Shilts' book of the same name, won the Critics Choice Award. Visit Fein on Red Room.