Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark says the ‘n-word’ again - six more times in a television interview defending his saying it earlier this week. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark says the ‘n-word’ again - six more times in a television interview defending his saying it earlier this week. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark says the ‘n-word’ again - six more times in a television interview defending his saying it earlier this week.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon said the word “holds a connection to a terrible and horrific history and shouldn’t be used”.
Clark defended the use of the slur: “I used provocative language, or used words that were recently in the media to make people think.”
He used the term during a speech about freedom of expression in art on Tuesday - drawing criticism from the audience, two of whom complained to the Otago Daily Times.
Clark used a racial slur during a speech about freedom of expression in art on Tuesday - drawing criticism from the audience, two of whom complained to the Otago Daily Times. Photo / ODT
“Does poetic expression override some of our society norms? So you have got to close your ears if you have got a sensitive mind now,” Clark said during his speech.
“But if we have art or poetry that uses words like queer, n****, f*** the b****, which I have heard recently, is that beyond our tolerance as a society and how does that interface with the right of people within the art world to have freedom of expression to push their points?”
In an interview with 1News last night Clark used the slur six more times as he rationalised his saying it.
“As a city councillor or mayor that owns and manages a facility on behalf of a community [that] has art expression that refers to things like queer to n***** — which you get in a lot of American art and American media — and then the f*** the bitch stuff as well,” he told 1News.
Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark defended the use of a racial slur. Photo / Luisa Girao
Clark said he hated the term and he was offended when he heard it in rap music.
“If a rapper says the word n***** constantly, do you be offended by that? Well, I personally am, and I’ll probably go to some lengths to stop that being in an art gallery that we have,” he said.
“But again, you’re up against art people saying you’re curtailing our rights to expression, so where does expression overlap with decency, freedom of speech, and hate speech.”
Regarding Clark’s choice of words, the Race Relations Commissioner said it was important not to normalise the use of derogatory or offensive words.
“Some language which is casually used among friends and whānau could fit into that category.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon said Nobby Clark's word choice 'holds a connection to a terrible and horrific history and shouldn’t be used'. Photo / NZME
“We are constantly on a learning journey. As time passes, our understanding of issues and the impact of language evolve and some words are just not appropriate in today’s world.”
Clark told 1News his speech was spurned by the Act Party leader David Seymour’s outrage at a Creative New Zealand-funded stage show adaptation of Christchurch author Tusiata Avia’s book The Savage Coloniser.
Seymour said the Government should withdraw funding for the “racist stage show about murdering James Cook, his descendants and ‘white men like him’”.
One of Avia’s poems “borders on hate speech”, Clark told 1News.
“When you have Creative New Zealand who were in the room, at the time, funding that show, knowing in advance that it has that sort of rhetoric, then there are some ethical debates for our community,” Clark said.
“I’m just prompting some thoughts with people,” he said.
After the initial shock at Clark’s word choice, one person told the Otago Daily Times it was not appropriate to use in any context.
“I don’t think is a word it should be used at all,” another said.
“I understood the context and knowing Nobby, you don’t get too surprised — but I don’t think it is the appropriate language that a mayor should use. Especially in a public event,” one of the sources said.
