Rick Perry and 'N***erhead Ranch' Gate

It happened to President Barack Obama; it now happened to presidential nomination hopeful Rick Perry. Racially charged insensitivities are threatening to derail the candidate's run and smear his reputation. Will they?

Racial Slur Set in Stone

A West Texas hunting camp frequented by Gov. Rick Perry features a large flat rock at its entrance. The Washington Post explains that the name painted on this rock featured the racial slur that is now commonly known as the "N-word." At issue is not whether candidate Perry finds the word objectionable. Instead, there is controversy when he chose to address an "offensive name that has no place in the modern world."

Does Paint Cover a Multitude of Sin?

According to the candidate, Perry's father began covering the "N***erhead" notation after 1983, shortly after leasing the site. Supposedly the elder Perry agreed to the paint job after his son mentioned the offensive nature of the word to him -- sometime in 1983 or 1984. Multiple coats of paint have been added to the 1980s covering -- at the behest of the candidate.

There Is No Arguing Offense

As far back as 1990, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission offered case law showing that the use of the term "n***erhead" is indeed a racial slur -- even though the respondent in the case applied it to a small boulder. Going back even further in American history to 1863, the Penn State University Library highlights an excerpt from the New York Herald. In it, "N***erheads" is a term applied to congressional Republican abolitionists, who had taken to calling their Democratic opposition "Copperheads."

What's Good for the Goose Is Good for the Gander … Or Is It?

The electorate will remember that President Obama had spent ample time in the congregation of racist preacher Rev. Jeremiah Wright. A Y!CN analysis of the speech given by Wright at the National Press Club offered some lowlights of the preacher's politics. It is noteworthy that there is no record of Obama vociferously opposing racist theology delivered on Sunday mornings before becoming candidate.

Is Rick Perry's "N***erhead" Ranch Gate just another tempest in a racially charged election season's teapot? Will those offended discount Obama's failure to speak out when he had a chance to act?

Author's Note: Please note that some news outlets have chosen to fully spell out the offensive name of the land in question. I have deliberately opted to refrain from doing so.

Sources

Washington Post: "Rick Perry family's hunting camp still known to many by old racially charged name"

Iowa Civil Rights Commission: "Frank Robinson vs. Metro Pavers"

Penn State University Library: "New York Herald"

Y!CN: "Analysis - Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club"