While this was a very heated discussion I thought it was very thought provoking especially because of the wide array of opinions about the word nigger and how it has transformed in the black community. There are some in the black community that thinks we should do away with the use of this term as a symbol for endearment and there are others who feel it build a sense of community even though it historically symbolizes something of ignorance or negativity. This made me think of the use of the word noir in France. There were many philosophers and writers who reformed the word into a word of positive meaning.
My opinion about this topic is very clean cut. No I do not think that its okay for anyone outside of the black race should feel that they have the right to use this word regardless of how the black community may use it. Buuutttt LETS BE REAL...it is going to be used by others outside of our race..... with this being said , I do feel as though the context that some use it does have a significant impact on the response that one will get from me. I do think that a lot of times when we hear white people use it , it is in a demeaning way to say someone is inferior. While we tend to use the "singing along with a song" example many times...
That is not the context that you mostly hear people of the black community rebelling to or wanting to fight about. It is usually when white people pop off and say things like "dumb niggers" or "yeah that's how those niggers are" simply because of the contextual formation. Context is the most important thing to cosider when engaging in discussions about the word nigger versus nigga.
The use of the word nigger in all of its forms should probably just be put to a stop. The whole situation is entirely too messy. I do not feel as though you can transform a word completely so that it comes to mean something else. It will always retain that original meaning. It is a reasonable claim that we have come to a point where we demean ourselves as a race by progressing and gaining human rights and overcoming racial hurdles only to regress to the point where we refer to ourselves with the same racial slurs once used (and still used) to dehumanize us. And if you retain the opposite position and feel that the word nigger/nigga can now be used as a term of endearment, how do we classify those who are “allowed” to use the term? Only members of the black race? Do we classify these qualified members by skin color? And then by the shade? If they are too light are they excluded from the category of people allowed to use the term? How do we determine whether someone is black? Maybe we should change the criteria to state that only those who are well-educated on black history and the transformation of the term and the image of black people are allowed to use the term. However, most solutions will fail to satisfy everyone with an opinion on the matter. And the term will not disappear. It is in our history books, in our literature, and imprinted forever in our history. So what are we to do?
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ReplyDeleteI agree that the use of the word should be put to a stop. I think that the fact that the black community can use the word to build a sense of community, gives whites the feeling that they can use it as well. Even though the word means something different in each context, there is always a second thought in one's mind which switches back to the time when that word first developed. Because the word is used in one context, for some reason people think that they have the right to use it in a different context, but if we stopped using it all together we wouldn't run into this issue.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a fan of anyone using the word nigger or nigga, but I also understand that the word is going to be used by both blacks and other racial groups. I think that this debate has been going on a lot, but I have yet to see how taking a word that was once used as a way to demean a certain racial group can be taken back and used as pride. I think the original meaning is what it should be understood as,but throughout history, meanings change.
ReplyDeleteTaking on a word that originated as a degrading insult as a 'positive' expression of one's historical oppression is just as degrading as it's original use. It's the acceptance that a word was powerful enough to contribute to the oppression of an entire group of people. Sure you 'recast' it in a positive light, but it doesn't change the origin. Doing away with it is absolutely necessary,
ReplyDeleteI understand the want to change the meaning of the word and in some context the word nigger/nigga can be meant as an endearing or brotherly word, but it is also still used in the context that it was originally created in, by many different races. Therefore I do not think that you can say only blacks can use the word nigger/nigga, just as I don't think you can say that only whites can use the word cracker, or only chinese people can use the word chink. This is because you cannot dictate what people say, it's unrealistic. Also, you cannot get rid of the original meaning of the word, no matter what you say, because the word cannot change it's roots or history, people still attach that meaning to the word.
ReplyDeleteI do not like the word. I have been socialized to be racially sensitive though, and not to discount myself, but my distaste can partially be rooted in the fact that as a "racially sensitive white male" I am supposed to not like this word. Parental guidance and scholarly writings and whatnot have re-assured me over the years why the "n-word" is bad. The stink that I am going to make however is that I do not actually have any lived experience where I have been directly affected by this word, so how am I supposed to know the gravity of it. I strive to understand, but I will never be able to fully understand the significance of this word because I am white. I have never walked down the street and been stared at for being black, nor have I been subjected to the stereotypes mentioned in the last paragraph of Phylicia's post. Basically I feel stuck. I feel stuck in a spot where I have to tip-toe around subjects like this for fear of seeming racist or on the other hand for fear of appearing to be a "goodie-goodie" nieve lilly-white guy who thinks he has his shit figured out. I don't. I know that. So instead of being fearful, I hope that sounding off on this topic will help me drag another foot forward in my own understanding, and maybe help others recognize that this form of positioning exists- because I know this is not a solo thought. My only present solution to this language dilemma is a bar on myself where I continue to not use the word. After all, I'm not supposed to. Also, I should continue the trend and push forth an "n-word" free socialization of others, just like I experienced. But where does this get us as a whole? In the end I have made progress in the sense that I have accepted the n-word as taboo, which is a good start, but how do we understand this word, its phenomena, and how it is used today? I am in no position to answer these questions.
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