..... do a thought exercise and imagine yourself a white kid in South Africa after Nelson Mandela with a burning tire around your neck

Who banished a movie? As I understand it, the copyright owner decided to withdraw the movie from publication. That's their right.

In his books Faulkner put the N-word in the mouths of characters, i.e., in dialog.

But your point is valid. The N-word used to be in common use in the South and among some Northerners. Faulkner, a Southerner, used the word in private letters and speech. But in his novels and short fiction he always portrayed blacks as fully-realized human beings, with their own thoughts and emotions.

Jim

Come on, Gary. You're a writer and actor, you claim? Then why can't you put yourself in the shoes of a black person watching this movie?

Blacks used to be called "tar babies." The film's literal tar baby is a euphemism or metaphor for a real black person. Touch them and they will stick to you.

Jim