Dead birds and the "N- word."

The Philly Bar Association is hosting a fancy get together right about now, but I am going to have to pass. I hate hanging out with a bunch of lawyers after hours almost as much as I hate being in a room full of wingnuts. Besides, I wanted to get inside as soon as possible. I didn't want to have a bird falling on my head. Seriously, WTF? Birds falling out of the sky? I am starting to get a bit concerned, because it's not just the birds in Arkansas and Louisiana; dead fish and dead birds are popping up all over the place.

Of course, in order to keep crazy bloggers like moi from screaming the sky is falling, folks who are supposedly in the know are giving us all types of explanations for this phenomenon. From "cold water stress", (whatever that is) to fire works explosions; they are scrambling very hard for answers. "Repent and believe field, the end of days are upon us". Pray for me people. Pray for me.

The progressive in me wants to say that this is all a result of global warming, but I will save my I told you so speech until I get more information.

But enough about dead animals. I want to talk about an interesting case making the rounds here in Philly. I talked about it with some colleagues today and we disagreed on some issues.

It seems that this white reporter at the local FOX affiliate (surprise surprise) dropped the "N"- word" a couple of times in a staff meeting. He was fired and he sued to get his job back. On its face it seems like a slam dunk for the station. But not so fast. The court has found that his suit has merit and has moved the case forward for trial. His argument is this: Black employees at the station have used the "N -word" and they are still there. (Always a problem that pesky little "N-word") Also, he is a reporter, he used the word while discussing the issue of the NAACP burying the "N- word" with some other reporters and...why am I explaining all of this? Here, let me cut and paste for you:

"U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick has ruled that former Fox29 reporter-anchor Tom Burlington's lawsuit against the station, claiming a double standard and alleging that he was the victim of racial discrimination, may go to trial. However, Surrick denied Burlington's claim of a hostile work environment.

Burlington, who is white, was fired after using the "n" word during a June 2007 staff meeting at which reporters and producers were discussing reporter Robin Taylor's story about the symbolic burial of the word by the Philadelphia Youth Council of the NAACP.

Burlington, who began work at the station in 2004 and is now working as a real estate agent, was suspended within days and fired after an account of the incident was published in the Philadelphia Daily News. He alleges that he "was discriminated against because of his race," according to court documents. He claims in his lawsuit that at least two African American employees at Fox29 had used the word in the workplace and were not disciplined....

The dispute began after Taylor, who is white, used the phrase the "n" word during the 2007 staff meeting. She said participants at the burial had said the full word "at least a hundred times or more," according to court records.

"Does this mean we can finally say the word n-?" Burlington asked colleagues, according to depositions.

Nicole Wolfe, a producer and one of the three African American employees among the nine people at the meeting, exclaimed: "I can't believe you just said that!"

Burlington told Taylor that although he did not necessarily expect her to use the word in her story, he thought that doing so gave the story more credence.

Burlington says he used the word only once and approached several attendees after the meeting to explain himself. The Daily News account said he had used the word more than a dozen times." [Story]

I don't know Mr. Burlington; "Does this mean we can finally say the "N- word?" sounds a little like you have waited all your life to be able to use it. This is where my colleagues and I disagreed. We all agreed that, as a reporter, he certainly had a right to use the word in the context of the story. But he lost me with his little outburst. (My collegues didn't have a problem with it.) He went from being a reporter who was trying to do his job and get the best possible story for the station, to just another white guy who wanted the chance to say nigger, publicly. Publicly.

Let me know what you think. And remember to look up when you go outside tomorrow.