13284: Q&A: Should You Actually Say The N-Word When Narrating?

Raw transcript:

This episode is going to be um a
delicate one and one that I would
probably listen to with as few
distractions around you, as few uh
people around you as possible because
uh I’ll be discussing some things that
are a little sensitive. Um might want to
use earbuds, I don’t know. Uh but just
know that that’s the case. I don’t want
to trigger anybody, but we’re going to
talk about how to perform delicate
material in audiobooks and on stage.
Let’s talk about what you’re going to be
expected to do and if you’re willing to
do it. In this episode of the VO Heroes
podcast,
I got an email from a client who was all
up in arms about uh getting an audio
book to record that included uh many
uses by a racist character of the n-word
and other racial slurs
and they’re they’re uh you know
screaming
uh to the universe and asking me to help
them understand and how to talk to a
client about how inappropriate that was
to include in the manuscript.
And uh we had a conversation about it
where I kind of had to gently disabuse
them of the notion that
uh this was illegal or unethical.
Um and also talk to them about how they
felt about saying those words. I get how
uncomfortable that can be.
So, the n-word, uh, referring to Jews by
the Kword, uh, or other other ways of
talking, even things that we don’t know
are racial slurs or are derogatory about
an age group or a a minority group or a
group that’s at risk in our community.
When an author puts those words in a
work of art,
that’s their decision and it’s not yours
to second guessess.
Another thing to be aware of is that the
fact that you are saying those words,
that’s not you as your identity saying
those words. That’s you as a character
saying those words. It doesn’t excuse
how
just deadly those words can be to the
group affected. But it’s important to
separate you, you the artist, from you,
you, the character, the narrator, or the
character in the book.
And
you know, just listen to
best-selling novels
that include
racial epithets.
No narrator, actor, well-known uh
audiobook uh producer, narrator, etc.,
holds back from saying those words just
like they wouldn’t hold back from
describing a sex scene or an
extraordinarily violent scene. All of
which can be triggering. Racial
epithets, sex scenes, violence, it’s all
very triggering. Uh how do you deal with
a serial killer who’s murdering adults,
children? It’s like, you know, there are
so many ways that listeners can be
affected by the content that you
narrate,
whether it’s racial epithets or not,
that you really have to have kind of a
structure around this. And here’s the
thing, the question that was asked was,
why would they think I would say that
word?
Here’s why they think you would say that
word. Because they wrote it. they
included it. Now, you have every right
to not do the project. You have every
right to go, I’m not comfortable doing
this. It’s hard,
you know, especially when the n-word
isn’t used as uh slang by uh a black uh
character that’s talking to another
black character
and using it in a different way than as
an insult.
um when you know a white supremacist
is is using it to uh really terribly
insult
uh you know another character who is
black. Um how that word is used is used
in many different ways. How many words
are used are used in many different
ways.
But the fact that it was written by an
author and is part of the manuscript, is
part of the story is all you need to
know.
And
take heart
in the notion that you are telling a
story where villains are painted evily
and heroes are painted heroically.
and you’re telling a story where
hopefully the hero vanquishes the
villain and they get punished for their
use of the n-word.
And if that’s not what happens in the
story, then you don’t have to do it at
all. But what you don’t do is somehow
take the author to task for even
contemplating using that language in the
book. stage plays, books. Last bastion
of any sort of
uh sanitizing, any sort of
uh you know filtering or
uh any sort of of overseeing by some
body that is going to keep everyone safe
from language.
Uh,
and if you don’t understand this
framework, it can lead you to think,
“How dare that author use that word? How
dare they expect me to say that word?”
That’s just simply reaching the wrong
conclusion because your assumptions were
incorrect. you know,
um,
listen to any recent
um,
uh, story from Stephen King, the Holly
series, right?
uh where one of the main characters is
uh just a an incredibly deadly uh um
serial killer who is a racist and says
the n-word and other words hundreds of
times in this novel. And Will Patton,
who’s narrating the book, says them
because that’s how Stephen King wrote
the story.
And that rule applies to your client as
well. Now, this may be uncomfortable for
you. There are people who don’t do
certain types of books because they
don’t agree with it. They don’t feel
comfortable doing it. That’s great.
That’s your opinion. But don’t think
that the author is outrageous
for even writing that word and thinking
that anyone would say that word. That’s
that’s not how this all works.
I don’t do certain types of books. I
don’t do political books that I don’t
agree with. I don’t do uh faith-based
books that I don’t agree with. Uh you
know, people may have an approach to
both of those things that is different
from my approach. I’m not interested.
But I would never say to them, “How dare
you write such a thing and expect
anybody to say these things?” Because
somebody will somebody will say these
things. And and that’s great. That’s
that’s their approach. That’s their
framework. As an author, I respect
entirely
their artwork, their approach to art.
This is art, right?
And that’s why, you know, some of the
the recent activities by state
legislatures, by federal legislators to
curb language
uh in a way that I think is just
horrific and limiting to us as citizens
troubles me. But the one thing you can
rely on is that you are an actor. If
you’re asked to work in a stage play
that includes this kind of language, if
you’re asked to narrate an audio book
that includes this kind of language,
maybe do a a streaming show that
includes this kind of language,
just know
that no one is going to think that you,
actor John or Jane Smith, is a racist
because you say these words.
Now they make they may make that mistake
but
that’s not that’s not what your approach
is.
Your approach is to serve the artwork of
another creative being and that’s it. So
the question is when narrating
audiobooks should you say the nword?
Yes. If it’s written out, if it says
nword, quote, nword, then say n-word. If
it says the actual n-word, then you say
that actual word.
There you go. Give me your thoughts.
Let’s talk about it. What do you think?
Comment below if you’re on vioheres.com.
Uh, you know, definitely give me your
opinion on this. Tell me how you feel.
It’s natural to feel a little
uncomfortable when you’re doing that
because it’s not a word we normally use
all the time. And by we, I mean
everyone.
Um,
and you know, I I I want to hear what
you have to say. I want to hear what
your thoughts are. You can hit the like
button if you like what you’re hearing
in these episodes. You can uh subscribe
to the channel. You can click the
notification bell and know when these
episodes come out uh on a regular basis.
You can join my mailing list if you
scroll all the way down to the bottom of
the page. You’ll find the mailing list
form there. Get on the list now. We’d
love to have you on the list. There’s
other things that we share. Um, and
thank you so much.
I really appreciate you bearing with me
and giving me your time and attention.
I’m David H. Lawrence the 17th. I thank
you for watching and for listening and I
will see you in the next episode of the
VO Heroes podcast.

(from YouTube)