The
N-Word
I have wanted to write on a
particular subject for years now, and it is because of this class that I will
finally be able to approach the taboo topic from an academic standpoint. "Nigger
is derived from the Latin word for the color black, niger. According to
the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, it did not originate
as a slur but took on a derogatory connotation over time”(Kennedy Par 2). Now,
I do not intend on sitting here and giving you the entire history of the “N-word”.
Better yet, I find much more interesting the transformation of the word over
time. I personally hate the word with a passion. Not because of the feeling I
felt when it was first thrown at me as a racial slur, or because of how the
word has been manipulated to fit certain context. What absolutely makes my
blood boil is the fact that this powerful word that was used to absolutely
obliterate the personification of blacks has transformed from a cultural to a
pop-cultural phenomenon.
Historically, a “nigger” was thought to be a dirty,
uneducated, foul, dejected, and primitive animal. Blacks were absolutely
terrorized by whites and heard this word more than their actual names. So, what
absolutely astonishes me is that we normalize the very word that Dr. King and
so many blacks gave their lives trying to eradicate. As a youth that has grown
up in both an urban center that was majority black and a suburban community
that is majority white, I have experienced both sides of the “N-word spectrum”.
Yes, I made that phrase up and yes I will explain. It is no secret that a large
number of blacks use the word “nigga” as a term of endearment or greeting to
other blacks. Listen to almost any mainstream successful rap album and you are
bound to hear a heavy dose of the word thrown around carelessly. Yet I am
supposed to get offended at my Caucasian friend who doesn’t think it’s a big
deal say it because he was singing along to a song or because “I know he’s not
racist”? In reality no I cannot be mad at my friend because we have turned a
cultural slur into a pop-cultural phenomenon. Granted, I may now see him as
ignorant and wouldn’t advise him to go over to Beale Street and try a “case
study”, but the stark truth shows that the race that the word was used to
demean has in a sense made it “okay”.
Just like you cannot categorize all black
people into one group, you cannot simply categorize all black youths into the
same boat. I know that there are others like me that make it a point NOT to say
a particular word because it rhymes in a song or say a word “just because I
can”. That is the definition of ignorance in my opinion, and I have read of too
many accounts of men and women losing their lives for me to become just another
“N-word”.
Justin, I understand your distaste for the word. But I can also empathize with the people that have acquired the word "nigga" as a part of their vernacular. Words are a powerful weapon, this is true; however, nigger or nigga in the context it is used today can only have as much power as those who oppose it give it. To eradicate the word nigger from benevolent ignorant lips would only leave the word to the vices of those who use the word offensively.
ReplyDeleteMaking something taboo makes it more attractive. As primitive of a concept that this is, I still believe it holds true. Though I may not agree with the term in general, I can see how it would almost be a comfort in that we have entered a time when only blacks can actually use it. On some basic level, I feel that if I were African American, I would take pride in the fact that people like Dr. King sacrificed to make sure that my community would be the only place in which the word is acceptable to use. I think some African Americans still use the N-word because it is a powerful thing to say something culturally taboo for everyone but the group of people who have gained the right to say it. African Americans sacrificed through the ages so that the United States would come to a point where it is culturally unacceptable for whites to label blacks in derogatory terms. Blacks, however, may use this word with each other as a reminder of the positive changes made since the days of slavery. I don’t think the average black individual always considers the horrific contexts in which the word developed, but rather sees it as a word that only he or she may utter. I am not claiming I think this word should be used at all, but I can certainly see why some African Americans would want to keep the word around as a reminder that it is a vocal right they earned through their history that no non-blacks can touch.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Justin. I do not see the power of "reclaiming" the term. It is too contradictory, and whether or not it is coming from the lips of a black person or person of any other color, the n-word is at the end of the day still the n-word; a word that with a change of tone or context can easily offend and denounce an entire people. Dr. King's efforts and sacrifices were definitely NOT done to "make sure that the [African American] community would be the only place in which the word is acceptable to use." That frame of thinking is ridiculous. Blacks can reclaim the term all they want, but how does that ensure that others will not use it? It does not. We can sit here and say that because African Americans have made the n-word a term of endearment that it makes the word for “Black use only,” but that is simply naïve thinking.
ReplyDeleteThere is power held in the N-word partly because some believe it to be, as Destiny put it, for “Black use only.” Today, the black youth feel it is ok to use the N-word when speaking to each other, but still not acceptable for whites to use. When whites use the word, it is deemed offensive. I don’t believe that it should be a “Black use only” word. I think that it should either be an acceptable word in the English language or not. Based on the history of the word and its original intended meaning, it should not be an acceptable word for anyone to use. The word should be powerful because of its offensive meaning regardless who uses it.
ReplyDeleteNo word can be inherently offensive, it's the context in which it is used that might make it offensive. There are no bad words and good words; words are neutral. Its the intention of the user that we should be concerned with. That being said, it makes no sense to me that any word is censored if the n-word isn't.
ReplyDeleteSteven Pinker:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/freedoms-curse/307046/
George Carlin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGC_KYA_Np4&feature=related
I also agree with Justin. I can say from personal experience though there is definitely pressure to use it for young black adolescents. Growing up in a black community, I was surrounded by the use of that word. So as I got older and as my peers started using the word more, I got looked at negatively because I never said it. And eventually it became part of my everyday vocabulary because I did not want to be seen as “less black”. I never really understood why people of the older generation criticized my generation for using it, until my grandparents, who experienced segregation first hand told me stories personal accounts of having that word directed at them in a negative manner. So in no way do I think this term serves as a reminder of where we came from. I think the problem is that not enough black youths actually know what the “N-word” was associated with in the past, and what it actually stood for, which is why it remains in circulation. Too many people died trying to have that word eliminated, and it’s a wonder though how that word even became a term of endearment. At what point did the black community decide that changing the ending of a word from an “er” to a “ga” suddenly make it politically correct in a sense. If the word cannot be said on even ground amongst any race outside of the African American race, it’s a word that should not be said
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ReplyDeleteI am surprised to see that in this long thread of comments stemming from Justin's post, no one has discussed the use of the n-word by whites. Personally, I hear it at Rhodes from white students (some my friends, some not, not that it matters) almost every day. One of the things that seems to ring true about the situation is the reluctance that white people have today when saying the n-word in front of a black person, regardless of whether or not the two are friends. A close friend of mine, who is a devout Christian that will not under any circumstance say "fuck," addresses me by the n-word all the time. Even weirder, I haven't stopped him.
ReplyDeleteI still do not use the word, but every time I hear it tossed around by one of my friends it loses a little of the power to give me a twinge, that feeling where I snap to attention and know something is wrong. Notice, I've written a bad curse word with no censor in this comment, but I used "n-word" in place of the racial slur. My audience has affected me; I think one word is more likely to offend in this situation than another. As I see it, here lies one of the dangers of popularizing the n-word.
Let me first say that I can totally relate to your frustration. One of the predominate reasons why I do not listen to certain rap artists is because of their excessive use of the n-word. As an African American, I have never used the n-word because I feel it is disrespectful. Whenever I hear it, I think about blacks that were lynched and how “N*GGER!” was probably the last thing they heard as they were being hung from a tree and torched in flames. Some current blacks have made the claim that the n-word has taken on a new identity. They believe they have magically transformed a racial slur. JayZ appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show a few years ago to explain his and other rappers use of the n-word. His explanation was “My generation hasn’t had the same experience with that word that generations of people before us had. We weren't so close to the pain. So in our way, we disarmed the word.” The problem with the n-word’s new make-over, is that it has limitations on who can say it. It is okay for blacks to say “that’s my n*gga” or “what’s up my n*gga” but the second a Caucasian says it, African Americans are ready to start marching and protesting again.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in whether or not the n-word was in the Dictionary. Look what I found: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nigger
ReplyDeleteSee my most recent blog post for a response to this blog post.
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