Yes Bernie Sanders Once Said ‘Niggardly,’ Which Is Not a Racial Slur, It Just Sounds Like One
A viral clip of Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders using the word “niggardly” at a 1986 debate has begun to circulate anew on the weekend of the South Carolina Democratic primary, but the clip needs some context.
The clip is from a 1986 Vermont gubernatorial debate, during which Sanders said “I am not going to be niggardly about funding for daycare,” and the clip has popped up again on social media just before the South Carolina primary, courtesy of Kamala Harris super-supporter Bianca DeLaRosa:
I’m not going to be NIGGARDLY (no relation to n*gger) with daycare funding.
I’d have said “Stingy” instead. pic.twitter.com/8PUg2UNevr
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) February 29, 2020
Come tell my husband not to be so NIGGARDLY when I ask for money.
I’ll be recording.
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) February 29, 2020
I need every White Bernie person in my mentions arguing for Bernie to be able to yell “Niggardly!” in public to do one thing.
Go find a large group of black men and find ways to work niggardly into a conversation with them.
Record this event..or live stream it.
Post it.
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) January 9, 2020
Good, cause I was about to give him this….
The racism regarding niggardly has been going on for centuries. pic.twitter.com/AtDLLTDvr1
— ⚖️ Bernie Doesn’t Like Babies or Dogs (sus) ⚖️ (@KHiveQueenB) February 29, 2020
But this isn’t the first time the clip has gone viral, and I’m afraid I have to take some of the blame.
The word “niggardly” is an obscure and arcane synonym for stingy that has no etymological link to the n-word — unlike the actual n-word, which Bernie Sanders has only used in print — but its similarity to that slur may be part of the reason it has never really caught on. That’s why, when I ran across this instance while researching another story, it stood out to me.
Like Bianca, I posted the clip, explained that the word is not a racial slur, and gently suggested that a less jarring synonym would have sufficed.
“I am not going to be niggardly about funding for daycare…” – Bernie Sanders 1986. I know it’s not a slur, but I’ve always wondered why a person would choose to say that word, when “stingy” would do just as well. pic.twitter.com/gy0Nh36yea
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
That completely accurate and fair observation precipitated a mass online freakout from Bernie Sanders fans that continues to this day, and included lots of objections consisting of what I had already said — the word is not a slur — and what I’d said elsewhere — that Sanders’ use predated several high-profile controversies surrounding the use of the word.
At the time, I slowly and patiently addressed the outrage in a series of tweets.
Bernie Bros: Who cares if Bernie said “niggardly?”
Also Bernie Bros: Why are you telling everyone Bernie said “niggardly?”
And fuck your hat, too!1! https://t.co/JnVFpFOk1D
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 13, 2019
2.Bernie’s use pre-dates several well-known “niggardly” controversies, most notably the 1999 David Howard incident. https://t.co/S0w8Teztmv
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
4. Or it might have been after Sherrod Brown used the word “niggardly” on MSNBC in 2012, and The Daily Caller trolled him about it. pic.twitter.com/T1rtNNfir3
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
6. For context, according to Google, usage of “niggardly” peaked in the 17th century, briefly spiked in the 1920s, and then died out. https://t.co/IzDd36QBKc
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
8. But even before then, like in 1986, “niggardly” still sounded like the n-word, and hadn’t been common for over half-a-century. I’ve heard it about 5 times in my life, including this quick @larrywilmore riff from 2015 pic.twitter.com/ZqffOYVzqQ
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
10. I also don’t think Sherrod Brown was, either. I think what it says about them is that they grew up with people who didn’t stop to think “Hey, this old-ass word sounds like the n-word, and I could just as easily say ‘stingy’ or something,” and then they…
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 12, 2019
12. Thankfully, someone must have clued Bernie and Sherrod in, because I don’t hear them saying “niggardly” anymore, which kind of proves my point.
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) March 13, 2019
So to summarize, “niggardly” is not a racial slur, and is not etymologically related to a racial slur, but it does sound like one, and explaining to a black woman that she wouldn’t be offended if she were smart enough to know the thing she just told you doesn’t make it less offensive.
And while not dispositive, I think the fact that Bernie Sanders apparently never said “niggardly” again is compelling evidence that he somehow realized there was a better way to say that for some reason.
Besides, he said “black” 51 times, so it’s all good, right?
Watch the clip above via CCTV.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
