The use of the heavily charged “n-word” racial slur continues to be a hot topic in many circles, and it does not seem like this is going to die down anytime soon.
And for a good reason, in the end — these discussions have paved the way for some much-needed changes in the way the current social structure works.
And yet, some people will seemingly go to great lengths to prove to others that they are above these things and have no qualms about using words that are perceived as highly insensitive by most.
The wife of billionaire Philip Falcone, Lisa Falcone, is yet another recent example.
And she is not only apparently perfectly fine with her behavior, but even seems to have come up with an excuse for it — she has reportedly stated that since she was friends with Alicia Keys, this apparently gave her the full right to act the way she did, and to use the controversial word as much as she desired.
As can be expected, it did not take long for the backlash to start coming in.
Even some celebrities have joined the discussion, and it looks like many people have been disappointed with the behavior she has displayed in public.
Falcone himself has not chimed in, although he might want to change that soon, as the situation seems to be spilling over to him as well.
Many have started to interpret his silence as support for his wife’s statements.
Lisa dropped the n-word after meeting the black girlfriend of cook Brian Villanueva. The revelation came in a wage-dispute lawsuit.
According to the chef, Lisa stated: “Your girlfriend speaks very well. She seems educated. I would describe her as a chocolate-covered marshmallow.”
Moreover, Lisa reportedly added: “Do you use the word ‘n—-’ at home with your girlfriend?”
The lawsuit also revealed: “Defendant Lisa Falcone noticed the shocked and offended expression on Plaintiff’s face, however, rather than apologize, she said defensively, ‘I’m Puerto Rican and grew up in Spanish Harlem, so I can speak like that.”
The documents continued with: “I meant she speaks really eloquently. Alicia [Keys] doesn’t speak that way. She didn’t have an education and was just discovered by Clive Davis when she was fifteen years old. Swizz [Beatz] definitely doesn’t speak that way either.”
The discrimination suit also alleged: “Rather than accepting Plaintiff’s resignation, Defendant Lisa Falcone asked Plaintiff not to resign and stated ‘talk to my black friends’ (seemingly referring to Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz — both of whom were at the beach with the Falcones at that time), and emphasized ‘they will tell you that I am not racist.”
Keys and Beatz have not reacted to the viral story. The R&B star opted to focus on promoting her new song, “Show Me Love (Remix).”
