Tim Allen: N-Word Controversies Are Stupid And Confuse White People

Tim Allen’s n-word comments weeks after the Paula Deen scandal may shock some fans, but the Home Improvement star says that it’s important to wear out the word itself’s ability to cause discord.

Tim Allen’s n-word comments were made to the Tampa Bay Times, as he discussed why he thinks the actual term “the n-word” is more offensive than the n-word itself.

According to Allen, and much like comedian Bill Maher has said after Deen’s scandal, we’ve effectively transferred outrage about racist behavior to outrage over That Word.

And, Allen says, by just using it, the linguistic controversy may disappear — he begins:

“You want to take the power away from that word so that no one is offended by it… If I have no intent, if I show no intent, if I clearly am not a racist, then how can ‘n—–‘ be bad coming out of my mouth?”

The commentary may come as a welcome view to some white people, who feel that outrage described in Tim Allen’s n-word remarks describes how they feel that the word has become a surrogate for racial tension.

Allen says later:

“I’ve had this argument on stage a million times. I do a movie with Martin Lawrence and pretty soon they’re referring to me, ‘hey, my n—–‘s up.’ So I’m the n—– if I’m around you guys but 7 feet away, if I said n—–, it’s not right.”

Tim Allen’s n-word debating point seems to stem around the fact that, he says, white people can’t make sense of the word’s rules, and he continues:

“It’s very confusing to the European mind how that works, especially if I’ve either grown up or evolved or whatever, it literally was growing up in Colorado, with Hispanics and Anglos, that’s all I remember. So when Paula Deen (admits her language), they go after her, and now we’ve gone backwards in the world. She said n—– in ’83 or something?”

Tim Allen’s n-word remarks conclude with the former sitcom king opining that “when it gets to the comedy world, we’re not even allowed to say it, and I gotta refer to it as the N word, F word, B word … it gets all the way down the line. It gets really intense; we’re running backwards.”