Denmark: Using the word "nigger" is acceptable

Walking the streets of Copenhagen........Denmark has a number of free newspapers that are quite popular among those who ride the trains and buses. They all give smilar versions of the same stories and some extend themselves with columnists, features stories, recipes and distinct sections.

The two most popular are MetroXpress and Urban. Last week, in Urban, one of the columnist wrote something on Madonna (the singer) and her in-progress adoption of a child from Malawi. The title of the article?

Madonna har købt en neger

(Madonna has bought a nigger)

It was written in Danish, of course, and the word was "neger" which caught my eye because, frankly, it obviously is what it is. A glance through the Gyldendal's Ordbog, the red "bible" dictionary in Denmark says that "neger" means a Black or African person. Hmmm. Uh huh. Oh yeah. Are we supposed to think there is nothing pejorative happening there with the use of that word?

I asked a friend in Denmark about the use of the word. Without hesitation he said, yes, the writer clearly meant what in English would be "nigger" ; and then said that Danish society "does not have the issue of racism with blacks that the USA does" so therefore calling someone a nigger is not going to be problematic.

Hmmmm. Not problematic for WHO?

He also pointed out that the author is a humorist and the article was allegedly meant to be funny. I doubt any person with dark skin will find it funny if you call them a nigger.

This word is offensive, pejorative, derogatory...

Is this Danish freedom of the press? Is this intelligent writing?

Is this Danish humor?

For the sake of Denmark, one would hope not. First its problems with immigrants and refugees from Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, now it looks the other way when the word "nigger" is printed in its newspapers.

There was recently also in the Danish newspapers an indepth interview article with a Danish woman who talked about how "white women must only have children with white men" to preserve the "purity" of the pale skin. A plain woman, overweight and dressed in a sweatshirt, with her statements/idealogy she could easily have been a membrr of Neo-Nazi white supremicist groups in the USA who advocate the same thing.

It makes this country which is supposed to be so intelligent, educated, developed, civilized and egalitarian seem like a nation of backwoods, low-class, ignorant folk dressed up in finery.

Ethnic discrimination and oppression has been and is leaking out into the streets of Copenhagen like blood dripping from the bottom of a closet where murdered people have been hidden. With each new murder fresh blood bubbles out...and the stains are horrific and indelible....

Denmark: No defamation here

A final(?) ruling in Denmark on the editorial cartoons printed in a newspaper there over a year ago:


AARHUS, DENMARK — A court ruled yesterday that a Danish newspaper did not libel Muslims by printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that unleashed a storm of protest in the Islamic world.

Seven Danish Muslim organisations brought the case, saying the paper had libelled them with the images by implying Muslims were terrorists. One cartoon depicted Mohammed with a bomb in his turban.

Jyllands-Posten, which published the 12 drawings in September last year, hailed the ruling, saying any other outcome would have been a catastrophe for a free press.

A Muslim imam said that the plaintiffs would continue to fight in higher courts.

The cartoons were reprinted elsewhere and at least 50 people were killed as angry Muslims rioted in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Three Danish embassies were attacked and many Muslims boycotted Danish goods.
Many Muslims consider it blasphemous to depict Mohammed.

“Of course it cannot be excluded that the drawings offended some Muslims,” the Aarhus court said in its ruling. The court ordered the seven organisations to pay the newspaper’s court expenses. The plaintiffs have appealed to a higher court.

The ruling said some of the cartoons did not depict Mohammed or have a religious subject, while others fell outside the scope of defamation laws.

But the court did find that three of the cartoons fell within what the law could deem as insulting.

Ahmed Abu-Laban, a Copenhagen imam in one of the organisations that brought the lawsuit, said: “Freedom of speech has been the issue from the beginning. It is seen differently in Europe than we see it.”

He urged Danish journalists to exercise self-censorship when dealing with sensitive subjects and said he hoped Denmark would pass laws guaranteeing “the dignity of people”.

In March, Danish prosecutors declined to charge the newspaper under blasphemy and antiracism laws.

Reuters