What shape his mouth makes or whether it sounds more like an M or and N (I have no confidence in anyone’s, including my own, ability to confidently make the distinction) is of little concern to me. The idea that someone like Rich Lowry, or almost any other white person, is going through life with the N word constantly on the tip of their tongue to the extent that they are at risk of slipping out of their mouth during a recorded interview is such a profound and bizarrely distorted worldview. That he might winkingly say it intentionally is an even more ridiculous failure to model the mental state of others.
Somebody’s never been down south lmao. I’m from Louisiana, and it’s extremely plausible to me that a 56 year old white guy from Virginia would use that word when talking about black people enough that it might slip out.
I think it’s clear at this stage that the people who participate in these “cancellations” are just looking for opportunities to hurt people and see them suffer.
I believe that I have seen this clip. It seemed extremely clear that he was not saying a word which started with M, but one which started with n.
Edit: after rewatching the clip, I admit that it’s more ambiguous whether he started with “m” or “n”. Still unclear how you confuse the rest of it though.
I also had the experience of thinking it sounded like N, but after seeing the (much more charitable and reasonable) "immigr"-mixup explanation, I'm guessing it's an auditory hallucination of my brain auto-completing an ambiguous sensory input based on what the people sharing the clip told me to expect. (I gather that psyc research shows that audio perception is very influenced by expectations in this way.)
I'm not qualified to determine whether or not "rounded lips" signify anything. I hear something that sounds more like "n" than "m", and I don't buy that he said the rest with a hard R as a mispronounciation of migrants. I don't think you can credibly say that this clip unambigiously favors your position.
But I am also not going to watch it further, because debating about this is, of course, a waste of everyone's time.
It's not some complicated question of linguistics. Look at what shape your lips are in when you say "M" and then when you say "N". In one case, they're rounded, in the other they're not.
If you mixed up migrants and immigrants, you'd get a hard R, just like there's a hard R in immigr...
I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can't think of Lowry without recalling the time he caved to a mob (which included Republicans and conservatives, to be clear) and deplatformed John Derbyshire from National Review, all over something Derbyshire wrote on another platform.
If Lowry wants to show he's learned a lesson and piss the ISU/Badger folks off, I'd suggest inviting Derbyshire (and Steve Sailer, while we're on the subject) to start contributing to NR again.
I may be alone in thinking this but I believe that all the following statements are true: (i) what he said started with an m and rhymed with the slur, (ii) he did not mangle migrant and immigrant he mangled migrant and the slur, (iii) this does not make him a racist, it is understandable that a slur he would be keen to avoid would inadvertently be uttered, (iv) he does not use this kind of language in private and would be mortified if he felt that he had indeed inadvertently uttered it, (v) he should not be cancelled by anyone for this.
What I find highly implausible is that he mangled migrant and immigrant, which is the favored explanation of his defenders. For one thing the vowel is after the r in both words.
Without looking into it, it's retarded to taboo or get offended by any words anyways. It's like wanting Neo Nazis to not be able to march in public - it's way better they do it in public rather than plotting something in private akin to the Whitmer plot.
The more likely possibility is that Lowry, a more or less professional speaker, intentionally created an ambiguous moment, knowing that, in the end, all publicity is good publicity. There was no slip-up. He intentionally "almost" said the N word in a sentence in which it is plausible to argue, after the fact, that he accidentally and innocently confused two words, neither of which is a racial slur. And, it worked. For 15 minutes, everyone is (or was) talking about Lowry.
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that Rich Lowry got canceled for saying a racial slur, but the accusation is false? Someone describing the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird would say that Tom was arrested for rape, but was innocent. They wouldn't say that he was "arrested for not raping someone".
I agree with you that Lowry probably doesn't use racial slurs, but this framing is completely unnecessary and distracts from your argument that the people hearing a slur are confused (or acting in bad faith).
Maybe he should not be judged for mis-speaking but I’ve reviewed the tape a dozen times now after reading this… and as far as I can tell, he clearly says the n-word.
I have seen the clip professionally slowed down and it seems clear to me that that he was saying the n word. To his credit, he did correct himself very quickly, but is that much to his credit? I’m not sure.
What shape his mouth makes or whether it sounds more like an M or and N (I have no confidence in anyone’s, including my own, ability to confidently make the distinction) is of little concern to me. The idea that someone like Rich Lowry, or almost any other white person, is going through life with the N word constantly on the tip of their tongue to the extent that they are at risk of slipping out of their mouth during a recorded interview is such a profound and bizarrely distorted worldview. That he might winkingly say it intentionally is an even more ridiculous failure to model the mental state of others.
Somebody’s never been down south lmao. I’m from Louisiana, and it’s extremely plausible to me that a 56 year old white guy from Virginia would use that word when talking about black people enough that it might slip out.
I mean, do you not know racist people that use the n-word word with glee?
I am in my 40s and that word was commonly used around my high school in NJ. Lowry is a little older and from further south.
Probably a generational thing. Only white person I’ve ever seen use it was a stranger who randomly yelled it at my black colleague in the southwest.
I think it’s clear at this stage that the people who participate in these “cancellations” are just looking for opportunities to hurt people and see them suffer.
I believe that I have seen this clip. It seemed extremely clear that he was not saying a word which started with M, but one which started with n.
Edit: after rewatching the clip, I admit that it’s more ambiguous whether he started with “m” or “n”. Still unclear how you confuse the rest of it though.
Did you try slowing it down? How do you explain his rounded lips?
I also had the experience of thinking it sounded like N, but after seeing the (much more charitable and reasonable) "immigr"-mixup explanation, I'm guessing it's an auditory hallucination of my brain auto-completing an ambiguous sensory input based on what the people sharing the clip told me to expect. (I gather that psyc research shows that audio perception is very influenced by expectations in this way.)
Yep, and it’s clearly an M if you slow it down.
Oh?
https://www.languagejones.com/blog-1/2024/9/17/did-rich-lowry-just-say-the-n-word-on-megyn-kellys-show
More ambiguous? It's not at all ambiguous if you slow it down and rewatch it. What do you mean "the rest of it?"
I'm not qualified to determine whether or not "rounded lips" signify anything. I hear something that sounds more like "n" than "m", and I don't buy that he said the rest with a hard R as a mispronounciation of migrants. I don't think you can credibly say that this clip unambigiously favors your position.
But I am also not going to watch it further, because debating about this is, of course, a waste of everyone's time.
It's not some complicated question of linguistics. Look at what shape your lips are in when you say "M" and then when you say "N". In one case, they're rounded, in the other they're not.
If you mixed up migrants and immigrants, you'd get a hard R, just like there's a hard R in immigr...
https://www.languagejones.com/blog-1/2024/9/17/did-rich-lowry-just-say-the-n-word-on-megyn-kellys-show
I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can't think of Lowry without recalling the time he caved to a mob (which included Republicans and conservatives, to be clear) and deplatformed John Derbyshire from National Review, all over something Derbyshire wrote on another platform.
If Lowry wants to show he's learned a lesson and piss the ISU/Badger folks off, I'd suggest inviting Derbyshire (and Steve Sailer, while we're on the subject) to start contributing to NR again.
I may be alone in thinking this but I believe that all the following statements are true: (i) what he said started with an m and rhymed with the slur, (ii) he did not mangle migrant and immigrant he mangled migrant and the slur, (iii) this does not make him a racist, it is understandable that a slur he would be keen to avoid would inadvertently be uttered, (iv) he does not use this kind of language in private and would be mortified if he felt that he had indeed inadvertently uttered it, (v) he should not be cancelled by anyone for this.
What I find highly implausible is that he mangled migrant and immigrant, which is the favored explanation of his defenders. For one thing the vowel is after the r in both words.
Just my two cents.
Without looking into it, it's retarded to taboo or get offended by any words anyways. It's like wanting Neo Nazis to not be able to march in public - it's way better they do it in public rather than plotting something in private akin to the Whitmer plot.
The more likely possibility is that Lowry, a more or less professional speaker, intentionally created an ambiguous moment, knowing that, in the end, all publicity is good publicity. There was no slip-up. He intentionally "almost" said the N word in a sentence in which it is plausible to argue, after the fact, that he accidentally and innocently confused two words, neither of which is a racial slur. And, it worked. For 15 minutes, everyone is (or was) talking about Lowry.
No misspeak. Sorry.
https://www.languagejones.com/blog-1/2024/9/17/did-rich-lowry-just-say-the-n-word-on-megyn-kellys-show
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that Rich Lowry got canceled for saying a racial slur, but the accusation is false? Someone describing the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird would say that Tom was arrested for rape, but was innocent. They wouldn't say that he was "arrested for not raping someone".
I agree with you that Lowry probably doesn't use racial slurs, but this framing is completely unnecessary and distracts from your argument that the people hearing a slur are confused (or acting in bad faith).
Maybe he should not be judged for mis-speaking but I’ve reviewed the tape a dozen times now after reading this… and as far as I can tell, he clearly says the n-word.
How to say it and give yourself an out. Motte and Bailey?
I have seen the clip professionally slowed down and it seems clear to me that that he was saying the n word. To his credit, he did correct himself very quickly, but is that much to his credit? I’m not sure.