I am so sick and tired of people who have no right to use the N word using it in jest like they are joking around.
If you are not black, why the HELL are you using that word? I don’t even like hearing black people use it but that’s another topic.
If you are not black, you cannot use that word even if you are joking around.
*Severely hacked off today after overhearing the word at university by someone who should shut the fuck up*
interesting topic.
i never liked being called either “nigger” or “nigga”, i always felt that nigga is mocking what family members and ancestors went through.
both words sounds dirty and idiotic, and it makes people sound and look low class.
i knew a white kid that said it simply to make a point about it…and then there are other white kids that say it because they dont realize they cant say it. and some white kids have said it and gotten away with it, because they had a very close in with blacks.
what dumbfounds me, is how upset some white people get over how they cant say it…a word that one should not want to say in the first place. i dont care if someone is trying to make a point, one looks silly getting upset because they cant say a word that is derived from the racist word.
i once told someone who was upset that they couldnt say it, that they could say it if they really wanted to,but they better not be upset if someone beats them up for it later.
i think the reasons the word is still around is not only because black people use it, but because people still allow themselves to be upset by it. showing emotion to a word, usually shows submission to the word. and submitting to someone, gives the power to someone else.
Black people have no right to say Nigger either. I am Nigerian. I am not a nigger. I have never been a nigger, and I will never be a nigger. For those who have been unfortunate enough to be labeled niggers by other stupid people, I am ashamed that they would take a word that was made up for the sole purpose of degrading and dehumanising them, and turn around and refer to themselves as niggers.
If anyone is walking around now saying nigger, it is the fault of Black Americans. How can you help others to insult you??? I cannot understand it. As long as Black Americans continue to insult themselves by calling themselves Niggers and Bitches in everyday life, in music, in movies, others will continue to regard them and address them that way.
I’ve said my piece.
thank you sugabelly …… if you think positive positive things happen . I just do not get that u can call yourself nigger or nigga ( as nigga is supposed to be endearment ) but others cannot!
You wield the power always remember that !
Sugabelly said:
“As long as Black Americans continue to insult themselves by calling themselves Niggers and Bitches in everyday life, in music, in movies, others will continue to regard them and address them that way.”
Aisha said:
I hope you realize that by virtue of the color of your skin, you are also at risk of being called “nigger.” Most people don’t care whether you are Nigerian, Jamaican, Black American, etc- they will simply lump you into one group. This is an issue for ALL Black people, not just Black Americans.
Co-sign with Aisha here. Black people must unite in this struggle more.
In what struggle? Why is it important to get into the minds and mouths of non- Blacks, when the struggle is about getting into the minds, mouths and hearts of Black people.
“They will simply lump you in one group”
Who gives ten coconuts?
Please who are they?
The invisible all powerfull, from which planet?
Do these people have any power over Black people?
This is the big problem,trying to clean the street when the house is filthy.
I am more offended when I hear an ignorant Black person using the N word than an ignorant non- Black person.
You see, I know that Black people are not the N word but I am not sure many Blacks share my opinion.
Saludos,
Ana
Ana said:
““They will simply lump you in one group”
Who gives ten coconuts?
Please who are they?
The invisible all powerfull, from which planet?
Do these people have any power over Black people?”
Aisha said:
The “they” I am referring to is the greater society that sugabelly was also referencing. Yes, other groups absolutely have power over Black people-Blacks in general are in subservient positions to other groups. What do we own? When you have to beg other people for jobs and beg to be let into their institutions, what they think of you matters. This is why Blacks are subject to other groups racism, because they are in the dominant positions. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter.
The point I was making is that no Black person is “above it all” when it comes to the N word and racism. I felt that sugabelly was drawing a distinction between Nigerians and African-Americans-I am saying that the majority of people in the world will not make this distinction.
Sugabelle and Wonstopbelievin:
I agree with you. I only hear why non- Blacks have no right to use the N word and the reason given is because they are not Black.
But I have not heard an intelligent explanation as to why only Blacks can use the N word. If we consider the fact that Black people are not the N word, then why do Blacks use this ugly word as a complinment?
This N word carnival of madness that Africans Americans have been exporting in their own confused way has led to a lot of foolishness worldwide.
Let me tell you a story:
It is no secret that hip hop is the style of music that young people all over the world listen and like.
There is a singer in my native country Panama who selected the name N**** as his stage name.He is not Black, he is a mestizo.
I imagine after listening to all the hip hop coming from the States, he became enamored of this type of genre like most young people.
It so happened that he became an
His new name now is DJ Flex.
This young man did not know that going by the name of N**** was inappropriate because he grew up watching Black Americans on videos touting the N word like there is no end to their madness.
DJ Flex, a mestizo, coming from the interior of Panama where there is little knowledge of American history of segregation and slavery was not aware that he had no right to give himself the N word as a stage name.
And this is becoming an international problem; but because many Blacks live in a bubble, they don’t know any better or even understand the seriousness of this . Too many Blacks are just running around like chickens without heads referring to themselves as the N word.
And I will not even excuse DJ Flex,little most I hated his guts. He should have had some sense and realize that although African Americans sing it constantly in their songs, not one of them have ever used the N word as a stage name.
Believing that only Blacks can use the N word is silly because many Non-Blacks identify with Blacks and their stupidity.
A Black person calling themselves the N word is tantamount to a beautiful woman looking in the mirrow and calling herself ugly.
Black people are not the N word. Just like the beautiful woman who is not aware of her beauty,those Blacks who use the N word suffer from very low self esteem.
Saludos,
Ana
Why is everyone talking about faggot/bitch/gay people, etc? This post is about the word nigger. Can Black people ever focus on themselves without having to drag every other oppressed person’s issues to the forefront??? Jeez.
Aulelia, I agree with you 100%. I hate that word, but I hate it even more coming out of the mouths of a non-Black person. It’s the same way that you can talk badly about your family, because they are your family. But no one else has the right to do that, because they are an outsider. That is assuming an inappropriate level of familiarity. I hate how people think they can take all kinds of liberties with Blacks, and then try to justify it. Whether or not Black uses the N-word is no one else’s concern.
Damn it Aisha, you just keep hitting the nail on the head. The whole bitch/gay debate is irrelevant in this context!
You just ruined your argument by saying comparisons to other groups are wrong and then yourself making a simile about family. When will any of you understand that I am not talking about homosexuals as a group or blacks as a group? I am only talking about words and on that front, you agree with me since you just used the family example, which I semi-agree with; it is still not OK for you to call your mother a whore and it is certainly not OK for people outside your family to call your mother a whore. I see the word nigger the same way. It is not OK for either Blacks or non-Blacks to use the term.
No, I said why do Black people’s issues always have to be sidetracked/compared to/overshadowed by every other oppressed groups. I didn’t say comparisons were wrong in general.
This post was not addressing Black people’s use of the N-Word among themselves. It states that people who are not Black have no right to use it, which I agree with. Case closed. I become very frustrated when people cannot stick to the topic at hand and start dragging in all other types of arguments.
I have to agree with Aisha here, wontstopbelievin. You brought up the word ‘faggot’ initially hence bringing homosexuality into the debate when I was not talking about that at all.
No, but you were talking about the power of words and how they can be more inappropriate if they are being used by someone outside a particular group. In that context, I believe my comments were relevant.
How are you going to tell Aulelia what she was talking about on her own blog??? She was talking about the N word, no tthe power of words in general. This is a straw man argument. I am done.
No one is trying to argue that non-Blacks should use nigger. That is something that every post on here has agreed about. There would be no discussion if we all just agreed with each other. Don’t get mad; try to enjoy the discussion.
@wontstopbelievin, I was talking specifically about the N word, not about words themselves as words. There is a clear difference. The post was not taking a catch all umbrella approach.
well then i guess we’ll have to agree to disagree because i think there are words other than the n word that exemplify the problem you are discussing.
@wontstopbelievin, and that’s fine. It’s always good to debate about issues, we don’t always have to agree
I don’t know how to take this post .
I could say a word is just a word , but then , Aulelia , you have now taken to calling women bitches , it is the same thing .. There is no different meaning , if you cannot allow nigger / nigga to have a new age meaning , how can u allow bitch to have one …. If a guy walked up to you and said hey bitch you look good , can i have your digits , would you take offense?
I also think you are wrong with the homophobia arguement …. This debate is about words, then gets specific to the word ” nigger / nigga”, the comparision can be made between all derogatory words , such as faggot / bitch / and then even can go futher into nigga / kike /spic /hoe/ guinea/ dago .
I also think it is important to mention homophobia , since gays run mostly everything in the world ( why won’t stop believin does not understand this ) so the word faggot is a huge doppelganger . Rhodes scholar most students covet this title why , Cecil Rhodes notorious homosexual , who had sex with young africans and after finishing through them off the cliff. So the whole idea of homosexuals having no rights is foolish !
Ana , i find you intellectually inferior , your view is myopic and fucking boring . all races call themselves names among themselves.
Byrdparker:
I am now familiar with how you think. You are so upset whenever you come across happy Black folks who are comfortable in their skin and are not upset with being Black and don’t blame the world or the White man for anything. I didn’t know we irked so many of you.
Black People have never been a Monolith.
Por favor, I have nothing in common with you.
Get out of your unhappy box, join the real world and LIVE where everyone is alive and not spitting out the old tired lines.
Por favor, no me hagas reir( Please,Don’t make me laugh). I have nothing in common with you, I do not want the primitive to find me interesting . Others who are superior favor me tremendously.
Byrdparker,
Enhorabuena, imbécil.
Vos sois un tremendo estúpido.
Byrdparker:
One of the problem with many of you is that you see yoursel in such a low manner that it is impossible for you to believe that a healthy self respect is possible .
I have never heard an Arab referring to himself as a Sand N Word or a Chinese in a derogatory way.
I have lived a mong many different ethnic groups.
I have noticed that isolation has been very detrimental to Black people. Too many Blacks feel their stupidity and the lack of racial and national pride are traits that are prevalent among all national groups.
Spend more time among non-Blacks and you will see that it is not so. Folks joke about themselves, but they don’t go that far or low.They often know when to stop.You see many of them do not hate themselves.
Aulelia:
I am sorry if I got very upset and lost my cool with the Byrdparker.
One last thing. I don’t think anyone, Black and non Black should use the N word. I will never dismiss non- Blacks for using this nasty word either.
Recently at the High school I teach at , a group of teachers including myself had a meeting because we were planning a Black History program. The teachers in attendance consisted of four Black women and one white female.
The white teacher made a comment of something of the sort of how Blacks all over the world use the N word and it is acceptable to us.
I took a deep breath and then told her, I don’t remember word for word what i said, but I let her know that her statement was inappropriate and false , and that as an educated person she should know the genesis of the word and how offensive it is to Blacks.
Two of the Black teachers were mum, and one told me to be quiet and to stop offending the white teacher. Immediately the white teacher began to act offended and even showed signs of tears in her eyes.
The bell rang and we had to end the meeting. While I was in my room, the Black teacher who had planned the meeting came up to further discuss the matter with me. She said the white teacher wanted to converse with me about what had happened. I told her that I was not going to rehash the conversation and I said what I had to say regrading the topic.
The Black teacher was scared that the principal would blame her because she had planned the meeting . I then told her if the principal asked her anything about it, to tell him to see me.
Of course I know my white male principal is not a fool to want to try to cook this mess over.
But what I did not like was the cowardice of the many Black women and the fact that one even felt sorry for a white person who offended us. This woman was about to argue me down. I ignored her because I realized then we would have two Blacks fighting over something that a white person started.
But the gall of the white woman crying crocodile tears after she had offendedd us was even pathetic. And the Black teacher trying to console her was even more surreal.
I will say this once and again, the N word is unacceptable and I will reprimand anyone who uses it in front of me.
Saludos,
Ana
@Ana, it’s okay you don’t have to apologise for your views. Let’s just agree to disagree
your not sorry , this is passive agressive behavior . Such a imature response , sorry makes everything better i think not . you said everything u wanted to say … grow some character
Byrdparker:
You don’t know me from anywhere. I really feel sorry for you. You are very angry.You offended me first. I apologize to Aulelia,out of manners because I should have ignored you. I can see that you are lacking in class and stature.
I have never addressed you. I am not used to angry men. One thing Latino men are not angry or upset at women.
Latino men are real men. This is why some men have no problem in the real world.And this is why many of you do. Many of you like to take your frustration out on women.You should seek anger management. Real men do not ever get angry with women especially strange ones they don’t know. This is something many of you need to learn.
I will say I am not used to foolish ignorant men who are disrespectful towards women. I noticed that it is normal among many of you. You disagree woith someone, you are a man, she is a woman be civil.That is how real men do things. Or should I bring some latino men to teach you that.
I am so happy I come from a culture where the lines of manhood are well defined and manners are the norm.
Some of you need to go to a man school to learn all the intricacies of being HOMBRE.
Saludos,
Ana
Please explain how homosexuals “run mostly everything in the world.” They may run a substantial part of Hollywood, but that’s about it. A homosexual would never become president of the US since every single president so far has been married without divorce, including the sitting Black one. This post isn’t even about homosexual rights or Black rights (it’s about the impact of words), so this isn’t the right forum, but you brought it up…
I do however agree wholeheartedly with your first two paragraphs.
you have to learn yourself , news /books/ experience .
one day you will look back and say i am right . I am not saying it is a bad or good thing just saying fact/. Everything that is told to u by media is not fact , you have to be a sleuth to really uncover the truth . The presidents might be married but it does curltail extramarital affairs… have u ever read about the franklin case in nebraska … I think it would shock u the subject matter and who was involved.
\
to me the gay thing is a doppleganger, i have thought to myself possibly gay is normal , got covered up by historian’s pundits…… gay has existed since the begining of times.
the gay thing is a doppleganger for what? I think you are using the word wrong.
And I agree that being gay is a normal part of life and has existed since the beginning of times, but it is still not accepted by many people today. You know what else is a normal part of life and has existed since the beginning of time? Being black. And that too is sadly not accepted by many people today.
I still fail to see how “gays run mostly everything in the world.” Are you implying that somehow there is a whole team of gays running operations and that all our heads of state are just figureheads?
This thread cannot even remain on the main topic. Typical rambling. The topic is about using the N word.
I am signing off for good.
Adiós
@byrdparker, We will have to agree to disagree because I specifically remember making it clear that when I used the word ‘bitch’, I mean that only females can use the word in terms of endearment. That’s all I meant.
Whoa! I had to tell this to someone the other day. Just because you think you are cool & down with a partial “ghetto pass” doe snot allow you to use terms that are off limits.
Tafari
Co-sign Tafari. It’s really annoying when people do that.
Monie:
You have not listened well to what I have said. Blacks using it has giving it a a life of its own.Every single day around the globe, different national and ethnic groups are called nasty names.
Please get out of your little box. Offenses will never go away from the mouths of human beings.But Black people believing that it is ok for Blacks to call other fellow Blacks the N word is what has contributed to the power that this nasty word has today, especially in the United States, the exporter of so called “culture”.
I do not believe people will ever stop being nasty but that N word like many of the other nasty words that have been hurled at different ethnic groups does have a stronger sting than others because Blacks have added power to it .
Many of you need to spend more time among everyone else and you will see that racial insults are an equal opportunity and they go to and fro . But one thing is certain, many folks don’t repeat them at their own people.
One last thing not all Blacks around the globe use this nasty word. And in those areas where Blacks have never responded or giving life to this word or any other derogatory word aimed at us, these nasty insulting words have practically disappeared from the mouths of the racists.
Saludos,
Ana
@Ana
“I will go far as to say that one of the reasons the N word has not died out or disappeared from modern day language is because Blacks have giving it a life of its own.”
That’s what you said. So I read and understood what you said; did you read and understand what I said?
Are you a politician? Because you say something and then you deny that you said it just like most politicians.
Are you Spanish?
Monie,
I have not denied anything, I have only repeated what I said before. Many of you want to use this nasty word and when others use it you claimed “ofendido(a)”.You foolishly believe that only Black people can own a nasty derogatory word in a nice way or change the meaning of it
That N word will never change its meaning.Whenever a Black person uses it, it is simply because they know no better.
I believe Black people have added more life and sting into this nasty word. The N word could have easily faded into oblivion. Many other derogatory words have faded with time. Ironically, today Blacks use this word more than the racists.
“Are you Spanish?” I hope you don’t believe that all Blacks on the face of the earth only speak English. This is what I mean about the little box. Por favor.
I will not discuss anymore with you.
Adiós,
Ana
Are you being inflammatory just to be inflammatory?
Ana said “I will go far as to say that ONE OF THE REASONS (emphasis mine) the N word has not died out or disappeared from modern day language is because Blacks have giving it a life of its own” and then in the above post, she expanded upon her thoughts of how Blacks thinking it is ok to call each other the N word has given the word more power. I don’t think either of these points show naivete like you claim.
You should think more before you start attacking people.
Not a fan of the N word at all. I do not use it and I thank a teacher when I lived in America when I was younger who schooled me as to why I must not use that word. Respect to her. Alot of people use because of ignorants and then you get people who listen to songs watch movies etc and hear it repeat it before thinking about the implications.
I also hate the use of the word coloured. that irks me something bad too.
changing it to a term of endearment does not remove the negativity around the word. Black people who use that word need to widen their vocabulary or stick to “my brotha or my sista” sounds so much more endearing.
@SoFrolushes, I think the word is such a loaded term and I have indeed stopped using it.
By the way, I also HATE that whole Brother Sistah thing. I am NOT your sister, and neither is he your brother. We do not share the same parents, thus it is wrong to address us so. It is so damn infuriating. You do not hear any other ethnic group in the world refer to themselves this way. It just makes everything sound suspiciously incestuous
I must disagree with you here. I don’t think brotherhood or sisterhood is limited to one’s blood family.
Blacks are the only people who refer to each other as brothers and sisters and then treat each other badly.
I consider folks outside of my bloodline as brothers and sisters only if they share the same views and values with me.
Aulelia,
I agree but I also think that Black people shouldn’t use the word either. BUT…just because some Black people use the word does not give others any sort of license to do so.
@Monie, but this is what I am saying, people can’t just think they have the licence to use that word just because they hear it in popular culture. I don’t like how people just think you can lump that word with every other derogatory word. Homophobic words are wrong but racist words are also wrong in a different context.
Frankly, I don’t think anyone should use the N word.I think Blacks are naive believing that only people of African descent can use the N word.
Black people forget that practically every ethnic, racial or national group on the face of the earth was called some nasty name and we don’t hear them insulting themselves the way Blacks do.
I will go far as to say that one of the reasons the N word has not died out or disappeared from modern day language is because Blacks have giving it a life of its own.
J Lo used the N word because she spent a great amount of time around Black people, therefore it was used the way Blacks do. I did not understand why people were upset with her.
I do not and never will use such a nasty, dirty ,filthy word that offended respectable Black people in the past who often could not defend themselves ; therefore anyone(White, Black or Polka Dot) who uses the N word in front of me gets reprimanded.
Saludos,
Ana
@Ana
You are incredibly naive if you think the only reason the N word is still around is because of Black people.
I never said they were identical twins or interchangeable. I am saying they are similar concepts. Both words are used within a certain population with less offense but if someone outside the population calls someone within the population by the slur, all hell breaks loose.
Do you deny that both words are hateful?
They are hateful but NOT similar at all. I don’t think you can lump them both together in this argument.#
I am talking about racism here, not homophobia.
Please explain your reluctance to lump them together in this argument. Aren’t they both persecution?
Like I said before they are not similar because homophobia and racism are not suffered in the same way. A white man who is gay in the West will not suffer as much from society (at face value) than a black man who is gay.
My point with this post is to talk about the N word. Lumping them together simplies two very separate and complicated issues. You can’t just blend them together as the persecution milkshake. They are more complex than that.
Well, quite honestly, your post does not offer much in talking about the n word, other than the obvious fact that it is disgusting.
And I was getting at the larger issue of words that have assumed a life much bigger than their letters, words that are targeted at specific groups of society and words that are ironically used within the specific group despite their harmful effects. I was never trying to equate racism with homophobia. I was hoping you could see past that and entertain a discussion about a larger issue.
Anyway, the poster above me, Ana, reiterated what I was trying to say in that blacks have given the N word a life of its own. It’s like that line in Mean Girls where Tina Fey says “You have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It only makes it OK for guys to call you sluts and whores.” You will probably take offense that I just compared the n word to something from Mean Girls, but I just want to point out that blacks, gays and women have all been/still are minority groups. Let’s not argue about which groups suffered more.
I think you were trying to equate racism with homophobia even if that was not your intention. Why did you mention the f word relating to gays and the n word in your comment then?
And yes as much as I love Tina Fey and Mean Girls, I don’t think you can compare the complexity of the N word to the complexity of sexist words. They are/have been constructed in wholly different ways.
The whole point of this blog is to discuss and debate. I couldn’t care less if you agree or disagree with me – I’m not that kind of blogger.
I was very careful to say that people using the n word is LIKE people using the f word. I did not make any statements equating racism to homophobia and if you think I did, you are reading too much into it. I was only commenting on a semantic similarity. And just because issues such as racism, homophobia and feminism are complex in their unique ways does not mean that you can’t draw parallels between them also.
I think that word is just as derogatory as a word like “faggot” so I don’t think anyone should use it, just like gay people should not call each other faggot no matter how much they may be joking around. Saying it is OK for black people to call each other the n word gives the word some merit. J. Lo used the word in a song a few years ago and got slammed for it.
Anyways, the n word and the f word are both hateful words and the only way to eliminate them from our lexicon is to stop propagating it within ANY social groups
I don’t really agree that the F word and the N word are interchangeable. I don’t think you can compare homophobia and racism
together like that and I never mentioned it in my original post to be honest so I don’t know why you brought it up.
Homophobia and racism are not identical twins.