Obama on Racism: ‘It’s Not Just a Matter of It Not Being Polite to Say N***** in Public’

COSTELLO: “The word is so ugly, it is taboo, at least for most people, especially the president of the United States. But President Obama went there. On comedian Marc Maron's podcast WTF, that's what's it's called, he was making a point about racism still existing in the United States and the president used language that many consider offensive.” 
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OBAMA: “The legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination in almost every institution of our lives, you know, that casts a long shadow and that's' still part of our DNA, that's passed on. We're not cured of it.”
MARON: “Racism?”
OBAMA: “Racism, we are not cured of.” 
MARON: “Clearly.” 
OBAMA: “And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not… it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not… Racism, we are not cured of it.”

MARON: “Clearly.” 
OBAMA: “And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. We have -- societies don't overnight completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.” 
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