"That word should never be spoken aloud, certainly not by the likes of me, a white guy who is old enough to know better. It doesn't matter the context in which it was said," he said.
"It doesn't matter that I was retelling a story, or that I was actually quoting someone else's usage of that word. That horrible and divisive word should never come out of my mouth. And it never will again."
To believe Nicholas Campbell's take, Campbell was suffering from Wendy Mesley syndrome. The telling of a story where you somehow have to use an offensive word (the n-word) as if you are quoting verbatim because someone allegedly used the word in the context of a story.
Nicholas Campbell's apology above would have been marvelous if telling a story from a very long time ago and not using the actual word. Except this apology stems from using the actual word in 2021 on a Canadian film set.
Andre Mike, a Black grip technician from Pickering, ON, says Campbell used that word twice while working on the film Impasse in Orangeville, ON.
"That horrible and divisive word should never come out of my mouth." Yes. So why did the word come out? Campbell and Mesley are white people even older than your humble narrator. A cheap argument is that well, they are old. Being old is not an excuse. Plenty of old people don't use that word.
Campbell suffered a stroke in 2014. Can't imagine that had anything to do with it.
Your humble narrator heard that word a lot as a child, the actual word. One relative in particular and quite a few people in the area where I grew up. I knew, as a child, many years ago that the word was a bad word and you shouldn't say it. Don't say it in anger or casually say the word.
The largest source of anger, sadness, and frustration goes to the Black people who heard it on set and to Black people who are reading this story. I can say I'm sorry he used that word in your presence, even though I know that means little.
Though Campbell is still in the film, the Canadian actor has been kicked off of Coroner (CBC/CW) while an investigation ensues. As someone who has a parent with dementia, I have bonded with Campbell's character, the father of Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan) on the CBC drama. Campbell's carelessness and ignorance may rob us of that character in future episodes.
We generally like Mesley but she was absolutely wrong for what she did. Being a journalist means understanding words and the power that they have. When you are the boss of a TV show, you hold extra power over your employees. The power of words combined with your power makes using such language even worse than a casual conversation in an office.
We wrote those words in talking about the Wendy Mesley issue.
As much fun as a film or TV set might be, these are workplaces where people work together as a team. Respect, encouragement should be the tones. Tearing down people isn't acceptable.
Campbell and Mesley had the same excuse to use the actual n-word: telling a story. Not really sure why this became an exception for white people: somehow the word is okay if you use "air quotes" in telling a story.
The Andre Mike version of the story tells of a casual use of the word, grouping human beings into a preconceived stereotypical box built from ignorance.
Using such hurtful words makes people question your past behaviour: if he or she would use that word in front of a person who would be directly hurt, what else has that person done against people of other races in the past?
The Black Academy will have an awards show on CBC in 2022
There is a part of me that would love to see Campbell and Mesley have a small presentation on that first awards show talking about the evils of using the n-word. Not about their careers but as human beings showing that they really understand why that is a bad thing to do. That is a bit naive and optimistic on the part of your humble narrator.
"It's degrading, embarrassing. We're not in the Jim Crow era anymore. We've passed that, it's 2021. We're fighting for such diversity, inclusion and acceptance”: Andre Mike, Black grip technician on the film set. "Black people have come too far to let these things stop them from pursuing their dreams."
Damn straight.
According to CBC News, Sean Kohnen, the American producer of Impasse, said "two Black crew members were given the option to leave the production with full pay and opted to leave. CBC News has confirmed one of them was Mike." Campbell is still part of the production. Shouldn't that be the other way around?
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Use words to uplift and encourage. Treat people as individuals. Recognise that if you belong to a group that doesn't have that history of being demeaned by language, don't use those words against them. There are no exceptions. No technicalities. Doesn't matter if someone else uses that word. Just stop saying those words out loud, whether you are with other people or alone. Just stop.
video credit: CBC News
photo credit: Coroner/CBC
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