White people have always mocked, appropriated, or stolen Black culture, but as the internet became more commonplace throughout the 2000s, there were a lot more conversations being had publicly about the behavior. “The Real World: New Orleans” season from 2000 featured a house member named Julie who needed to be educated about racial slurs after a swamp tour guide dropped the n-word in front of them, outraging the Black housemates. “Why is it not okay for me to say it, but it is okay for you to say it?” she asked. Looking at this through a 2024 lens, it seems like the most preposterous question imaginable, and it’s even more head-turning when her continued questioning includes her saying out loud, “What’s up my [n-word]?”
And yet, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd around 20 years later, everyone from NPR to the BBC were publishing articles explaining to white people why they can’t say the n-word.
The year before “Shaun of the Dead” debuted, Jamie Kennedy starred in “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” a comedy film about a rich white kid who pretends to “act hood,” dropping the n-word during a rap battle and earning a rightful spot in the dumpster after the crowd throws him out. The year after “Shaun of the Dead,” Vince McMahon told John Cena to “keep it up, my [n-word]” on live national television, with Black wrestlers Booker T and Queen Sharmell watching in horror. The segment has since been removed from Peacock and WWE Network for obvious reasons.
This is to say that, while it certainly doesn’t make the inclusion acceptable, to act as if this wasn’t grossly common at the time is frankly, ahistorical. As Simon Pegg explained further, the joke was to directly comment on the commonplace behavior at the time.
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