Papa with his granddaughter on his 90th birthday
My great-grandfather, Ed Rinne, was born in 1880 in Illinois. As a young man, he spent a short time farming with his father in Alabama. I am lucky to have an audio interview with him done sometime in the late 70’s when he would have been 90+ years old. But I was shocked when I listened to him talk about his time in the south. He uses the the word “nigger” repeatedly in telling this story. I vacillated about posting it. Would listener’s understand the language usage in the era he grew up in? He clearly is not using it in a pejorative sense. As a matter of fact, he has scorn only for the white southerners. But it is shocking to hear, nevertheless.
This has been an issue in the past with Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As well as Shakespeare’s language in The Merchant of Venice that is derogatory toward Jews. Are we using any language today that will be shocking to our great-grand kids? Should we, or even could we, hide or sanitize our past use of language? Here is his story as he told it, warts and all. (Note: The “they” he refers to at the end are the white towns people.)
Papa Rinne on working in Alabama
