Can someone fully explain what deep nuances and cultural references I missed in the Maher joke?

[JHan]

13. I think what you're asking is in the context of the joke itself which wasn't really a joke..

When Malcolm X was alive, negro and "n......" weren't synonymous. So comparisons with Malcolm's commentary now and that word in particular are a bit disingenuous.

The nomenclature of the n-word is also important. You'll read people say.. "well black people say the n-word all the time" - no we don't. I've seen "nigga" which is a form of ownership of the word, you will never hear a black person say that word with "er" at the end. The difference in nomenclature is significant. I never use the word personally but I'm just putting that out there.

W.r.t to Bill, he was referencing himself, which is not the same as using the word as a slur against someone else. He was referencing the historical paradox of the house negro vis a vis the field negro - The house negro is viewed as a traitor to their race, in Maher's context he referenced himself as a sell out. It was self deprecation using a very specific term using the n-word which is unecessary. He should not have used the phrase but the wisest response , in my view, is to not excuse the gaffe but examine

1) The selective outrage against pc culture ( republicans fine with the most egregious uncivil behavior in discourse, but quick to jump on cases like this and control the narrative)

2)why Bill's own railing against "identity politics" was wrong headed. Everything has to do with identity, it shapes history, how we treat with power, how we try to attain it. It's impossible to inoculate race or gender from social struggle right now.. It has defined American history - I hope at some point this occurs to him the next time he repeats the meme about the evils of "identity politics"