"When I use a word, it means what I choose it to mean
neither more nor less."
-Lewis Carroll, Through
the Looking Glass
Obviously, Carroll wasn't referring to the word “nigger,”
but if any word is deserving of the Lewis Carroll treatment, “nigger” would be
that word. I choose not to censor myself by using “the n-word,” for this is an
academic response and for this reason I want to be as clear as possible.
As Justin said in his
post the word nigger comes from the Latin for black. At its core nigger is used
to describe a physical attribute of people. The development of “nigger” into “nigga”
a term that elicits any type of response--good or bad-- is possibly the most
interesting part of the word; on that much Justin and I can agree. But here is where we differ; I believe sometimes
certain black people are overly sensitive. 2012 America is not a post-racial society
and giving too much clout to the use of one word does not seek to remedy this.
In fact censorship and exclusion doesn’t remotely move us in the direction of a
post-racial society (if such a thing even exists, but whole that’s another blog
post, see Clarence Page’s article “Post-Racial Era Hasn’t Arrived”, Omaha World
Herald).
While I agree that “nigger” used in a negative context is unacceptable,
I also believe that “nigger” and “nigga” are two different words. Many words of
the English language have roots in malevolent times. Imagine if women blew a
gasket every time someone said “hysterical,” which, in etymological terms
suggests that the uterus is the organ that causes erratic behavior. If “nigger”
has already transformed to” nigga” and “nigga” holds a completely different set
of social connotations, why is It necessary to regress. It is more uninformed
to continually connect “nigga” in its current use to the term “nigger” from the
past, than it is ignorant to use “nigga” in its present incarnation.
While being an
American now allows me to say what I want,
the English language allows me to say what I mean. The English language is
beautiful for it provides freedoms from convention and that freedom allows
English speakers to develop their own set of rhetorical morals-- the moral values
in which we place on the words we use and in which context we use them. So
while I will never allow myself to be called a nigger in a heated exchange
without protest, there are also a slew of other words I will not allow myself
to be called because of my rhetorical morals. I will continue to use whatever
words I please and while this may make me a hypocrite I’m entitled to my own
decisions because after all I am free.
As a young white American, the use of “the n-word” is a very foreign concept. I have never used the word in a derogatory connotation, and I can only remember using it jestingly on very few accounts with black friends. It seems strange to me that the word can be such an offensive word but used so freely among the majority of black people. However I have noticed that young black people seem to use it more than older black people, and I think that has a lot to do with social context. Our generation and other young people never got to see first hand the effects of slavery or segregation so I think it is hard for us to grasp all of the meaning that comes along with “the n-word”. However, does that make it okay for us to use it? And if so, are blacks only allowed to use “the n-word” and why?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I feel as if we have heard this quotation used in class before, I think it holds a symbolistically large effect: "Words mean things."- Rush Limbaugh.
ReplyDeleteBy using his quotation I am in no way endorsing his political beliefs, I just think that his 15 letter nugget of wisdom is especially relevant to this conversation. "Nigger," just as it meant upon its arrival in white supremacist Southern communities, IS a derogatory term for black skinned people. I personally don't see a single acceptable use for it in modern America. Its offensive, and even if it has been recently used as an attention-getting greeting in some black cultures and thoroughly in rap music. It still holds the power of the word it was when it first started being used derogatorily. Whether someone is "allowed" to use the word is up to them. We have the freedom of speech, but our words, particularly racy words like "nigger," will infrequently do any good and really just don't have a place in society today.
I tend to agree with Peter on this one. I was taught, as soon as I heard the "n-word" in 6th grade to never, ever say it. Frankly, when I started listening to rap in high school (I was sheltered), I was shocked and appalled when I heard "nigger" and similar words being used casually in music and in every day conversations. I understand the argument about how black people started using it to erode its meaning but I do not completely agree. Hearing a black person call another black person the "n-word" is the same as hearing a white person call a black person the "n-word." And frankly, I would have the same shocked reaction in either scenario. I think the best way to let this word's meaning die is for everyone to stop using it. I just have a hard time understanding how allowing such a negative term to proliferate in pop culture will do anything but increase its exposure and show its acceptability to people who may otherwise see it as horribly offensive or neutral.
ReplyDeleteI am in no way condoning the use of nigger by anyone with bad intention. But again that is a part of my concept of rhetorical morals. An individual has the right choose when and to whom he or she uses a word in any form and in whichever context. It is that choice which determines the individual's ignorance.
ReplyDelete"It's not people call you, it's what you answer to." -Luther Ivory