We've known for some time now that Wendy Williams doesn't have the range for deep or particularly interesting pop-culture criticism. Most recently, it was her tone-deaf comments on historically Black colleges and universities that tipped off her fan base to her deficiencies.
This time, Williams has weighed in on Kim Kardashian West's Snapchat videos of Taylor Swift giving Kanye West the okay to rap that he made her famous.
"Sometimes you don't mind being called the 'B' in the right context," Williams said, according to E! News. "Like if you're wrist [sic] are above your head. Other times...women, we can't have it both ways, but we do. Kind of like the 'N' word. You know how Black people throw around the 'N' word and it's cool sometimes, according to some Black people, and not cool other times, you know? The same with the 'B' word with women everywhere."
Williams's response is as backward as many of her other hot takes. At the very least, the television personality earns kudos for her consistency — if there's a simplistic opinion, chances are Williams is furiously typing it out in her show notes.
Half of what Williams says is accurate: Context is important in using these two hotly contested words. But race and identity play a much larger role in who says n-----. The lines of demarcation — between the Black people that n----- has always been used against, and the white people who invented it as a slur in the first place — are much more starkly drawn.
Williams does make an interesting point, suggesting that this might all be a kind of misunderstanding. What if Kanye didn't specify referring to Swift as a "bitch" in the lyrics because he didn't think she'd care, given their documented friendship? What if Swift was genuinely surprised at the usage (and just didn't become publicly offended until she was caught in a lie)?
"So Taylor should of [sic] explained she didn't know all of the lyrics... She totally acted like 'I didn't know anything about it. Kanye was wrong on every single level,'" Williams said. "In the meantime, Kanye sounded very nice on the phone. I think he only has two levels, though. Either high intense [sic] or low key, nice. There's nothing in between."
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