Texas governor Rick Perry is one of the Republican candidates for the 2012 Presidential Election.
Perry would invite friends to a hunting camp that he leased with his father.
Near the entrance of the gated camp, was a rock with the name of the camp painted in bold letters.
The 1,070-acre camp was named “Niggerhead.”
There is no specific date of when the rock was placed near the gate.
Five years ago, the camp’s name was changed to North Camp Pasture, but the name on the rock was still there.
The name was painted over during the 1980s but can still be seen beneath the white paint.
The exact date in which the name was painted on the rock is still being debated.
Some believe that Perry should apologize for the offensive word.
He is responsible for the representation of the property he is associated with.
Perry should take in consideration who his supporters are and if this incident would effect his campaign.
His supporters want to believe he had nothing to do with the name association. He has the power to have it removed.
Painting over the name does not get rid of the stigma that comes with it.
When the situation is looked at in a different way, Perry should have immediately removed the rock.
In a recent quote, it was said that he “still has time to recover if he uses his charismatic personality to send out a powerful message.”
As a potential president, one has to be able to identify an issue and be able resolve it to the best of his or her ability.
The idea of Perry inviting friends and other political figures to this camp with the rock on display is not a good look for the candidate.
Those who have visited the hunting camp should have mentioned it to Perry.
Perry said, “The word on the rock is an offensive name that has no place in the modern world.”
So is he saying that the “N-word” is only appropriate in the African American community?
One can only hope that Perry’s apology is sincere, but it could only be used as damage control for his campaign.
His argument is that he has not been to the camp since 2006.
Regardless of race and political views, the idea of overlooking an insensitive word shows that Perry was aware of the controversy behind the “N-word,” but felt no remorse about removing the rock during the time it was at the hunting camp.
It would be wise for Perry to be careful of the things he says and what he is associated with.