A new perspective has been put on the ?house nigger? controversy by after he said he did not agree with name calling.

But he went on to explain his interpretation of the origins of the phrase and why it continues to cause so much anguish in Bermudian society, and once more justified his reasons for not answering anything that he considers to be a ?plantation question?.

The question of race and insults was brought to the floor of the House of Assembly during the motion to adjourn yesterday when Dr. Brown spoke about the ?house nigger? comment made by his Ministerial colleague on a radio talk show last August.

?I do not believe that name calling is a good thing. I do not believe name calling has a productive place in our business,? said the Transport and Tourism Minister.

But he said he was not speaking to pass judgement on his Government colleague but rather to put into historical context the use of the phrase, because the controversy that had been stirred up showed: ?Something strange is in the air. There was too much rancour to the use of that word.?

Dr. Brown said he had looked into the origin of the term ?house negro? ? a derivation of the phrase used by Sen. Burch when he cut off a caller to his radio talk show stating: ?This is my show and I?m not going to let people call round here with their nonsense. I am sick and tired of the UBP getting their house niggers to call up and try to give their opinion on Independence.?

Dr. Brown said the term had been created by slave owners to differentiate between slaves who worked and lived in the master?s home and the ?field negro? who worked in the field.

Referring to Malcolm X?s 1963 speech ?Message to the Grass Roots? he said that while the house negro was an obedient servant and, if for instance, his master?s home caught fire would do all he could to save it, the ?field negro? would ?pray for a wind because he was so disenchanted with slavery that he wanted an end to it.?

The Deputy Premier said: ?I though that was powerful information because we understand much better where it (the phrase) comes from and why it stimulates discomfort then these things are recalled.?

Moving on to his own assertion that he will not answer what he considers ?plantation questions? he explained it was the same phenomenon causing certain people to remember a ?terrible and horrific history? ? a plantation question to Dr. Brown is one that would not be asked of a politician was not black.

He cited as an example questions levelled at him over the awarding of an advertising contract last year to the GlobalHue agency, that incurred speculation that CEO Don Coleman, a friend of Dr. Brown, had won the contract for helping to bring US presidential hopeful Rev. Al Sharpton on a speaking engagement to Bermuda.

He concluded: ?I want members to understand that some of these terms you hear in our community did not originate with some of the people who (now) use the terms, they originated from an embarrassing time in history.?

In responsepointed out that going back in time to find the meaning and origin of the phrase is subject to interpretation and one stated origin may not be the correct one. welcomed Dr. Brown?s statement that he did not endorse name calling, but said the salient aspect of the controversy was the context in which the phrase had been used.

?When you dismiss someone as a house negro and cut them off then it is degrading to them. When someone says ?you?re a house negro? and shuts them off there is a lot of pain in that. It?s putting someone in a box and marginalising them,? he said.

And on the subject of plantation questions he said: ?If the Minister finds a question offensive he can express that but should then go on to answer the question. Why fuel the speculation? Rise above that.?

Rising to his feet Dr. Brown concluded by saying Mr. Barritt would not know what it felt like unless he was ever able to walk in his shoes and said he did not feel it was a rightful expectation to turn to someone from a group ? or who represents a group ? who had ?a boot to my neck and ask them how the boot is to be removed?.

Mr. Barritt responded: ?You say I should walk in your shoes. I do not have the history that member has. I want to move beyond that point.

?I?m not going to be dissuaded by that. I will ask questions if he likes them or not. I feel for my black colleagues. We know what is going on there. They are being made to feel something less because they sit on this side. The community knows what is going on.?

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