St. Petersburg Mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford quoted Cornel West's HNIC comment and got herself some criticism for it.Part of some of the criticism about Warren Ballentine telling Juan Williams he could "go back to the porch" came from those who felt Ballentine shouldn't have used a term blacks throw around among themselves in public. "What would happen if others started using it!?!?" some wondered. Everyone knows there are a lot of terms just used by black people, for black people and against black people that would ... er ... not sound as kosher coming out of the mouths of a non-black person.

Case in point the term "HNIC," aka "Head Negro (nee, nigger) In Charge."

More after the jump.

This term is old and dusty. It's not remotely new, used by young and old black people alike as both a benign, but colorful commentary on the black electorate/leadership and random black people in charge of things (i.e. Oprah Winfery would be the HNIC of all media), to a racially charged insult. In some cases, it's been used as an indictment against older, more recalcitrant blacks with political power who sometimes seem more trouble than their worth. Essentially, it's a term that's not supposed to leave the community because when used by anyone else it would be seen as an unfunny insult. It's not even polite to use the term in mixed company after all, or even around some black people in other cases. (i.e. My mother, who hates all derivatives of the N-word no matter how dressed up.)

So enter one St. Petersburg, Fla. mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford who, during a radio interview, used the term HNIC in reference to her opponent. Ford is white. Her opponent, Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, is black. Ford explained she was using the term in the context of a Cornel West quote about black leadership from his book, "Race Matters."

Here is what West said about the HNIC in his book:

The time is past for black political and intellectual leaders to pose as the voice for black America....The days of brokering for the black turf--of posing as the Head Negro in Charge (H.N.I.C.) are over. (From AOL/Blackvoices)

And here is what Ford said on the radio show:

"Actually Cornell West has a whole explanation about the HNIC theory, and I agree with that," Ford told Bubba during an hourlong radio interview. "We don't need one spokesperson for a group." (From Tampa Bay Online)

Aw! Someone learned a new word and is about to get slaughtered for it!

Despite having Cornel West as the context, Ford is taking heat for using the term HNIC. Apparently no one informed her that HNIC is not a formal or polite term, not even in Blackland. You can't just bust out with HNIC Theory, apropos of nothing. It's just not done. Enter your black ministers and other random people to scream "WELL, I NEVER!"

From Tampa Bay Online:

Ford's remark doesn't sit well with Baptist minister and longtime civic leader Watson Haynes II, one of an impromptu coalition of about 30 religious and civic leaders who gathered at City Hall on Monday to protest her comment.

"We've been through a lot of riots in the city and I've been in the middle of them trying to quell stuff, trying to bring people to the table," Haynes said. "And it's these kinds of inflammatory statements that get people excited."

Deveron Gibbons, who made an unsuccessful bid to become St. Petersburg's first black mayor before losing in the primary election, also was critical of Ford.

"Whether she intended to make a racial comment, it was racial and it's not appreciated, not just by African-Americans but you can see who's here — a total community of folks from all walks of life," Gibbons said.

David Zachem, who is white and a self-described former civil rights marcher in the 1960s, joined Gibbons and Haynes in objecting to Ford's radio remark. "That phrase rolls the clock back 50 years in Florida and in many communities in the South," Zachem said.

Zachem said the "head negro in charge" expression refers to an old patronage system which favored black leaders who rounded up votes for white politicians and were rewarded with business licenses and permits when the candidates they helped were elected.

Not everyone was offended though, given the Cornel West context of how Ford used the term. NAACP rep Ray Tampa said everyone was blowing the incident out of proportion.

Ray Tampa, the head of the St. Petersburg NAACP, said he thinks many of those who showed up to criticize Ford were there for political reasons. He said he was not offended because Ford was using the term in an academic discussion about race.

"It's an offensive term, it's offensive, but in the context Ms. Ford used it, it was not offensive,'' Tampa said.

The term is offensive, but Ford used the Cornel West context to use the word. So really, this was about a quote, not so much as a direct slander. Still, the term HNIC shouldn't be used publically by anyone trying to be polite and professional. So some frowny faces for Ford as she probably should have thought that one through a little more before she proudly busted out her amazing Cornel West quote book. After all, Prof. West says A LOT of things that would sit will with "polite society" and shouldn't be ushered by people trying to get a decent job in this economy. Especially if you're depending on some black people to actually show up and vote for you. But perhaps she wanted to display how down for the cause she is. "I read Cornel West! I'm with it!" she thought, "Listen to how 'with it' I sound!" Sort of like your white friend who screams out the word "nigga" along to the Jay-Z track. It's within a Jay-Z context! Why are you giving him the death stare?

Let this be a "teachable moment," so to speak. We've not gotten so far that other members of different ethnic groups can use other ethnic groups' "inside voice" terms without getting reprimanded. We're just not that enlightened yet. Throw around your Cornel West quotes accordingly.

Also, for those who this note isn't obvious enough for, here's a list of random racial terms that are not appropriate for polite society:

All derivatives of the N-word
Sambo
Porch Monkey
Lawn Jockey
Buck
All derivatives of monkey, ape or gorilla
Jungle Bunny
Jiggaboo
Peckerwood
Redneck
White Trash
Hillbilly
Okie
Coon
Bobo/Miss Anne/Mister Charlie
Darkie
HNIC
Negro
Colored
Hankerchief Head
Uncle Tom
Etc., etc., herefore and henceforth ... I'm sure I'm forgetting one or 12.