The tittle of this blog is kind of a rouse, really this is a highly controversial topic but it does not have anything to do with presidents. In all honesty it will probably take a view stabs at before I get it “right”, or I am happy with it.
This video however made me realize that now is probably as good a time as any to begin going in.
This video is pretty satirical, but like all good satire it touches on a pretty relevant human folly, that folly being the use of the two ‘different’ versions of the N word. The N word being Nigger, and the other one being Nigga.
The word Nigger is still a pretty powerful word in today’s society. It has the power to evoke a reaction from anyone who hears it spoken, regardless of race. While the reaction isn’t always visible, it is always present.
This word depending on pronunciation and spelling, has negative connotations, neutral connotations or ‘positive’ connotations. In fact even Websters dictionary seems to be at sorts over how it should exactly be defined.
usually offensive; see usage paragraph below :
1: usually offensive; see usage paragraph below : a black person
2: usually offensive; see usage paragraph below : a member of any dark-skinned race
3: a member of a socially disadvantaged class of persons <it’s time for somebody to lead all of America’s niggers…all the people who feel left out of the political process — Ron Dellums
usage Nigger in senses 1 and 2 can be found in the works of such writers of the past as Joseph Conrad, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens, but it now ranks as perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English. Its use by and among blacks is not always intended or taken as offensive, but, except in sense 3, it is otherwise a word expressive of racial hatred and bigotry.
I think it’s kind of strange how the word can represent black people, all dark skinned people, and a social class of people all at once while only
sometimes being offensive.
Surely this is some sort of grammatical swiss army knife?
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the word, I don’t remember the first time I was ever exposed to it, and I do not remember a time in which I was told it was ever acceptable to say or be called. I really don’t remember learning about it at all. It’s almost as thought I was born knowing.
I don’t say it often, actually over the course of writing this post I will have probably “said” the word, nigger, more than I have in my 24 years on this earth.
I have only ever been called a nigger directly, in the any sense, once and it was while playing hockey. I reacted violently and some would say with just cause. Now that I think back on it I reacted more out of the fact it was expected for me to react to the word on the basis of what it meant historically rather than if it actually personally offended me.
This was about 6 or so years ago and over that time I have realized that the word itself actually doesn’t really personally offend me, however that doesn’t mean I would like to be called it or that I will openly use it.
I understand why that it is a derogatory racial term and I would prefer not to hear it, just as I prefer not to be a victim to racism. Today if I were to be called it by someone I would just consider then ignorant and not worth my time and carry on with whatever I was doing.
In most cases the same goes for if I hear a “nigger joke” I go about my buisness and assume that the person who said it will eventually learn the error or their ways. The way in which they learn might not be so favorable however.
The word is used quite often in today’s popular media. In fact a lot of the music Iisten to and comedians I enjoy use it. It’s also heavily used in a lot of great movies.
However in most cases, at least when black people use the word the “er” at the end is changed to an “a”. In an attempt to soften it and change its meaning.
I don’t really think this makes it better.
I, optimistically, view the use of the word in popular media as a way of trying to reduce it’s power. I believe that the people who continue to use it in popular media believe that through overuse it will eventually be a word that does not evoke feelings of negativity among black individuals. We will grow desensitized to it.
I know this theory is really flawed in practice but it helps me deal with hearing the word in the media more if I think of it this way. But again it doesn’t really make it better.
My views outside of media use are completely different, which in itself is a double standard. But I think it’s use outside of media creates an even double standard in an addition to displaying ignorance.
I don’t think from one black person to another there is ever any reason to use the word nigga or nigger. It is unnecessary. Brother, homie, dog, dawg, nephew, pal, friend, buddy, or president, are much better words to use.
How is it justifiable that black people are allowed to hold on to a deragatory term for our everday use, but think it is wrong for others to use it, all this causes is more confusion and blurry lines between who can and cannot use the word.
I never see Asians call each other chinks in everyday discussion. I have never heard: “Thats my chink right there” or “That chink is crazy”.
If anything they will be more apt to say that’s my chigga if their “urban” influence is strong enough.
Chigga is a term which was derived from the word nigga and is also a pretty sharp double ended sword. Not only does it continue the use of the root word, nigger/a, but it packages along any other stereotypes that come with the word and places it on another race since by definition a Chigga is a chinease person who ‘acts black’.
[I could write an entire very long sidebar on 'acting black' but I am trying very hard to stay on point.]
The continuted use of the word Nigger or Nigga will not remove negative the negative connotations associated with it. All it does is create associate new ones which are then associated onto new people.
Let’s think for a minute what would happen if everyone made a consolidated effort to stop using the word entierly. Would it go the way of the Dodo?
How often do you hear someone use the word “deartuate” (which means to dismember)?
Most likely never as dismemberment is frowned upon, and openly discouraged so only one definition is nessecary.
Racism is frowned upon, so why should we keep words that represent it in our modern day vocabulary? Why should this word be allowed to run rampant?
What if one day the word nigger/a is really used to discribe the disadvantage class and all homeless people are called niggers? I shudder to think of that.
Any solution to the issue of the words would take an extremely long time to show effect but our current methods of dealing with it are proving un effective and need to be dealt with.
I am not even sure I can really come up with a good concluding paragraph for this blog since at this point I have written almost 1300 words on this topic without so much as
exhausting half of my confusion and frustration about the topic.
This blog mearly marks a starting point in my further understanding of this issue.
If you have managed to read this from beginning to end thank you, as it’s my longest post thurs far. And if you have any opinions regarding my view on the issue, good or bad, please feel free to comment. I am going to watch the comments on this one.
