The "N" word
By hersheyskiss
@hersheyskiss (761)
United States
3 responses
@thrwbckjay67 (2870)
• United States
25 Jun 07
This really is an interesting debate, one that I have been dealing with for years being both a history major and an African-American male. I find myself on the fence, and this is not a cop out, but a debate based on different meanings.
I do not react kindly to the word when used it the wrong context. A lot of my friends, people of all different races and cultures, have asked me about this word and what the uses are that are right and wrong. When people say it to be hateful, then it hurts. It's something that stings more than any physical blow because it reminds me of the struggles I was personally told of growing up and the struggles that still bring tears to my grandmother's eyes. To call someone a "n_____" and mean it in a demeaning way, it hurts and I think it is one of the dirtiest words in human vernacular.
However, I know there is the movement and the belief that instead of making it hurt, others have used the word in entertainment and in conversation with each other in order to dull the effects of the word. There is the belief that by making it our own and embracing it and taking away the hateful connotations that it lessens the effect. I think that it's been taken away from the hateful connotations in some senses, but at the same time I believe that the legacy lives on.
For me, it foes offend me still when it's used to be hateful. I actually do watch those movies, listen to the music that use that word quite frequently. It's not offensive to me when it's used as entertainment, but again, we have to know the history of the word. I don't mind using it, as long as we do not become ignorant to the meaning and this history.
@thrwbckjay67 (2870)
• United States
25 Jun 07
oh, totally, I agree with you 100%. It's a fine line, like many people say, which is probably why this debate rages on continuously. We don't want any other races using the word, but then we make it perfectly acceptable within our own groups to use. It's the whole point I was making about being on the fence about it. I think it comes down to personal preference as far as the usage. It's hard to be one way or another. I know my grandmother, for example, hates it when the word is used in any connotation, and that, to me, is completely understandable and respectable. She dealt with the Civil Rights movement firsthand, who am I to tell her she shouldn't be bothered? My father, on the other hand, who also went through the same struggles, he sees no problem with it because he feels as though we as a culture lessen the blow of the word by using it so frequently and taking away the hateful meaning.
It does change with the person using it, that's the problem I think most people face. There is no wrong or right answer here, mostly because there are so many different people out there with different thoughts, beliefs, and experiences. I feel that as long as we don't tell people how to feel about it, we are all reacting in our own way. The thing that bothers me is when people use it without understanding the meaning. I hear little teenagers and younger kids of today's generation (still my generation, but a bit sad) use the word and not understand the social implications of the word; that, to me, is sad. They use it because their favorite rapper uses it, or they saw Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock use it in a comedy routine... they use it totally loose and in turn, it diminishes both the history and the progress that we as a society have made in lessening the impact of hateful words.
I just want to tell you this is an excellent post and discussion. I love talking with other individuals about this subject.
@hersheyskiss (761)
• United States
25 Jun 07
I agree with what you are saying to some extent, but I also think that if we use this word then that opens the door for others to use it also...such as if an African American was singing one of those songs with the word in it and then a Caucasian was singing the same song it changes the meaning just by way of the person who is using the word, we don't want them to use the word, but on the other hand we want them to buy the music so is it fair to say don't sing this song when African Americans are around because it may offend them...
@hersheyskiss (761)
• United States
27 Jun 07
Thanks Jay,
I really enjoyed the conversation and can see that you are a very intellectual individual. Nice conversing with you. Hope to have more debates that bring insight from different points of view.
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
25 Jun 07
Words don't offend me. They are just words, A string of letters put together. Besides that I thought the movie Blazing Saddles was hilarious and they must have used the word 100 times! So no I am not offended by it at all.
@hersheyskiss (761)
• United States
25 Jun 07
Words don't bother me either, but I feel it is degrading of others and a slap in the face of our ancestors who fought for this injustice.
@hersheyskiss (761)
• United States
27 Jun 07
Thanks for the website, will check it out. I like your avatar very much Docta.
@Docta_Feel (17)
• United States
26 Jun 07
A picture paints a thousand words...
http://www.abolishthenword.com/
@Docta_Feel (17)
• United States
25 Jun 07
I feel that those that use the "N" word have been brainwashed. The "N" word was degrading centuries ago and it still is today. The "N" word was a term slave masters used to label their African slaves. Why would anyone want to dig up that shameful chapter of American history and embrace it?
