Duane "Dog" Chapman: Racist or Just Misunderstood?

I have just recently heard about this situation and personally I think it is just a misunderstanding. Lets examine the conversation and see what we can come up with. Following is a transcript of that infamous conversation that I received from: http://sandrarosenews.blogspot.com/2007/10/transcript-of-dog-bounty-hunters-racist.html after the transcript we will see what we can learn from it in context

This here my loyal readers is the scandalous portion of that tape. So lets see if we can make some sense of it.

Duane "Dog" Chapman:
"I don't care if she's a Mexican, a whore or whatever. It's not because she's black, it's because we use the word ni**er sometimes here. I'm not gonna take a chance ever in life of losing everything I've worked for for 30 years because some fucking ni**er heard us say ni**er and turned us in to the Enquirer magazine. Our career is over! I'm not taking that chance at all! Never in life! Never! Never! If Lyssa [Dog's daughter] was dating a ni**er, we would all say 'fuck you!' And you know that. If Lyssa brought a black guy home ya da da... it's not that they're black, it's none of that. It's that we use the word ni**er. We don't mean you fucking scum ni**er without a soul. We don't mean that shit. But America would think we mean that. And we're not taking a chance on losing everything we got over a racial slur because our son goes with a girl like that. I can't do that Tucker. You can't expect Gary, Bonnie, Cecily, all them young kids to [garbled] because 'I'm in love for 7 months' - fuck that! So, I'll help you get another job but you can not work here unless you break up with her and she's out of your life. I can't handle that shit. I got 'em in the parking lot trying to record us. I got that girl saying she's gonna wear a recorder..."

Tucker Chapman: "I don't even know what to say."

"I don't care if she's a Mexican, a whore or whatever. It's not because she's black, it's because we use the word ni**er sometimes here."

This is not Dog calling Monique a, "Whore", as so many claim it to be it is Dog saying," I do not care what nor who she is but rather it is because we use the word ni**er sometimes here", The reason for this concern is continued with Dog's next statement of

"I'm not gonna take a chance ever in life of losing everything I've worked for for 30 years because some fucking ni**er heard us say ni**er and turned us in to the Enquirer magazine. Our career is over! I'm not taking that chance at all! Never in life! Never! Never!"

Here Dog is expressing the fact that he is not going to risk loosing everything he has worked 30 years for, just for someone to take his words and use them against him since, as he said above, "we use the word ni**er sometimes here". As for the, "some fucking ni**er heard us say ni**er and turned us in to the Enquirer magazine.". He was naturally pissed and with good reason, words have a tendency to fly when you are mad and since the above statement was made to his son and they have all used those words it would come naturally. I know a lot of non racist people that speak like this when they are angered. But, there was truly no harm meant as we will find out later.

"If Lyssa [Dog's daughter] was dating a ni**er, we would all say 'fuck you!' And you know that. If Lyssa brought a black guy home ya da da... it's not that they're black, it's none of that. It's that we use the word ni**er. "

Once again Dog is expressing his concern over the use of the word there not the color of the skin. Not Racist just concern over his and his families' careers. He would not want a person of color around the show, not due to the color of the skin, but because of the over sensitivity in which he is now a victim. We will cover the major concern later in this article.

"We don't mean you fucking scum ni**er without a soul. We don't mean that shit. But America would think we mean that. And we're not taking a chance on losing everything we got over a racial slur because our son goes with a girl like that."

In the UK having a, "Fag in your mouth", tells a much different story than it does here in America. Since language leaves quite a lot to interpretation Dog is worried that America would take the ni**er statement completely wrong (in which they have) if it was said on his show.

"I can't do that Tucker. You can't expect Gary, Bonnie, Cecily, all them young kids to [garbled] because 'I'm in love for 7 months' - fuck that!"

With this following the above statement and it already being established that, "we use the word ni**er sometimes here". We would have to be senseless to not understand that this is a very important statement. It is not Dog being a racist here it is Dog's concern for the life that he has made for himself and his family. That word is used around his house and all of his little kids hear it and use it. So what is to say that if Monique or any other person of color was to be on the show that word would not end up in the public eye rather than what Dog thought was a Private conversation with his son. Who can expect them young kids to use politically correct speech?!? As the old saying says, "Out of the mouths of Babes".

"So, I'll help you get another job but you can not work here unless you break up with her and she's out of your life. I can't handle that shit."

Once again see the comment above. Dog will help his son get another job just not with him since he and the rest of the family is in the public eye. So here dog is saying I will give you a job with me if Monique is not with you but if you insist on being with her I will still help you get a job somewhere else.

"I got 'em in the parking lot trying to record us. I got that girl saying she's gonna wear a recorder..."

This is not the end of this conversation as most would have you think nor is this the beginning. Beth was already having problems with Monique and to hear the rest of the story as this is the only part that was transcribed go to this link, ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=4mFK0lOcbok ), and make the judgment for yourself .

Is Dog guilty of poor judgment? The answer to that would be a resounding Yes, but he did think this was a Private Conversation between he and his son. Is Dog guilty of letting his tongue fly when he is upset? Once again the answer would be Yes, and once again he believed this was Private between him and his son. Is Dog a Racist? I honestly do not think so, he was upset from the whole situation and had a lack of judgment when talking to his son which apparently he should have worried about from the beginning.

If you listen to this, "Rant", rather than focusing on the dreaded n-word you would realize that even in what Dog thought was a private conversation he continually represents the fact that he holds people of color in no less regard and if Dog was truly racist as people would have you think the conversation would have went much differently as Dog sounded as if ni**er was just another word to him as it is to many black people through out the US. It seems as if this is just another witch hunt to me.