Post by Cirie Fields on Jan 19, 2013 19:07:36 GMT -5
"Niggaaaaa"
The affliction of your words leaves me feeling hurt
'Cause it is so bad, and you're not even hood wit' it
hurt in the air, you don't care, I hate the sound of it
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips remind me
~ Robyn Fenty
Say the word Nigger in public and you will probably get the stare down, not just from black's but by people across all races. Why? It's because that one word carries with it the history of thousands of black slaves, brings up feelings of discrimination, slavery, hatred, segregation and was used in a derogatory context in the olden days. Even in today's age, the word, if said by someone who isn't black, usually is said because the person is angry and means to use it in a derogatory form. Yeah, we can call white people "honkies" but you tell me, what sounds more offensive. A black person saying honky, or a white person saying nigger?
Let's look at the word at it's most basic form. Nigger is derived from a latin word that means black, and black always represents evil in society and culture for one reason or another. It always has, and always will. So if the word itself is derived from something that is viewed as bad, calling someone a nigger is pretty much saying they are "bad/evil" in a sense, and go back to the Jim Crow and the slave era, using blacks as slaves, treating them like animals, and thinking they are inferior to whites, and why? Because of the color of their skin, because the color of their skin is not white, it's not good, it's black, which is bad.
Now in my opinion, nobody should use the word, just because of the things associated with it, the history behind it, however, some blacks have taken it and tried to change it's meaning by using it as a word to bond with one another, a form of brotherly love, like "my nigga", but that is only the case when it's a black saying it to another back. No matter how you put it, a non-black saying the word nigger will never be taken in that context and will always be viewed as a racist comment.
The connotation that the word "nigger" holds is disrespectful, even when used by black people. It represents ignorance and inferiority. I don't think God would appreciate us taking such a term lightly. A racial slur against a race that you don't belong to is ALWAYS considered offensive, even if no one listening is of that particular race. A LOT of people are VERY sensitive about race. Almost everyone, (white people included) feels like they get discriminated against in one form or another on the grounds of race. Maybe in another 50 years or so, our national consciousness will have evolved enough that race won't be an issue, but until then, tread lightly.
Nigger, when it comes down to it, is a powerfully loaded word that carries with it a lot of meanings. Depending on who says it - the context changes. In today's society especially, the public image of the word "nigger" has been stigmatized to the point that no matter who says it, and where, people will stare at who said it, and will always take it to be said in a derogatory and insulting way.
Words like nigger, and hate speech, in general, have an added dimension of meaning, a historical intent to cause harm, communicate a threat or symbolize a power dynamic, it just evokes too much bad history, history that was in the past and things people do not want to relive. We've moved past that stage in history, and I think it's about time we move past using loaded words like Nigger.
So no, a white person should not say the N word. When they do, it brings back memories from a time that we're trying to move past as a Country.
Slavery is America's biggest sin, and the N word represents an entire era in American history that shames us.
Let's look at the word at it's most basic form. Nigger is derived from a latin word that means black, and black always represents evil in society and culture for one reason or another. It always has, and always will. So if the word itself is derived from something that is viewed as bad, calling someone a nigger is pretty much saying they are "bad/evil" in a sense, and go back to the Jim Crow and the slave era, using blacks as slaves, treating them like animals, and thinking they are inferior to whites, and why? Because of the color of their skin, because the color of their skin is not white, it's not good, it's black, which is bad.
Now in my opinion, nobody should use the word, just because of the things associated with it, the history behind it, however, some blacks have taken it and tried to change it's meaning by using it as a word to bond with one another, a form of brotherly love, like "my nigga", but that is only the case when it's a black saying it to another back. No matter how you put it, a non-black saying the word nigger will never be taken in that context and will always be viewed as a racist comment.
The connotation that the word "nigger" holds is disrespectful, even when used by black people. It represents ignorance and inferiority. I don't think God would appreciate us taking such a term lightly. A racial slur against a race that you don't belong to is ALWAYS considered offensive, even if no one listening is of that particular race. A LOT of people are VERY sensitive about race. Almost everyone, (white people included) feels like they get discriminated against in one form or another on the grounds of race. Maybe in another 50 years or so, our national consciousness will have evolved enough that race won't be an issue, but until then, tread lightly.
Nigger, when it comes down to it, is a powerfully loaded word that carries with it a lot of meanings. Depending on who says it - the context changes. In today's society especially, the public image of the word "nigger" has been stigmatized to the point that no matter who says it, and where, people will stare at who said it, and will always take it to be said in a derogatory and insulting way.
Words like nigger, and hate speech, in general, have an added dimension of meaning, a historical intent to cause harm, communicate a threat or symbolize a power dynamic, it just evokes too much bad history, history that was in the past and things people do not want to relive. We've moved past that stage in history, and I think it's about time we move past using loaded words like Nigger.
So no, a white person should not say the N word. When they do, it brings back memories from a time that we're trying to move past as a Country.
Slavery is America's biggest sin, and the N word represents an entire era in American history that shames us.
