N-Word. No place in today's society.

Originally posted by King_John
reply to post by LifeIsEnergy

 

I don't really know many Asian or Native American people for me to speak on behalf of their culture,although a few of the younger Asian guys I do know who are into the urban culture do refer to each other as chinkstas from time to time. As for Hispanics not calling each other wetbacks, it stems from the meaning of the word. Wetbacks is used to refer to an illegal immigrant crossing the river to get to America, most Hispanic people I know are legal born US citizens so the word simply wouldn't apply to them the same way the word nigga would apply to blacks.

As far as only ghetto or uneducated black people using the word I find it's more of a social issue, there are many words besides nigga that people from the ghetto use that people from the suburbs don't it's simply a different slang. For the black people that do make it out of the slums to achieve a high paying job not using it, I think it's simply that there coworkers are more than likely white or if not white not from the ghetto to where they would feel uncomfortable or out of place using that term around them.

Well I will tell you this, those other races are not using those words because they have a level of self-respect that many inner city Blacks in America have lost.

And about all those other slang words, like 'fo sho', 'on da G', or whatever other ebonics you can think of, which I have used my whole life and had to consciously try very hard to remove, as cool as it may be, and as much as it may be apart of 'their' culture, it still derives out of ignorance. I feel comfortable saying this is true, because I am being honest and it is something I had to come to grips with about my own self when I was told I was ignorant by many respected Black community leaders for talking like 'dat'.


[edit on 22-8-2010 by LifeIsEnergy]

reply to post by fonenyc


So if all the power and racism has been taken out of that word amongst Blacks, why do they say things like "man that is some real nigga sh^t you did G." or "stop actin like sum dumb azz niggas, folk"? The thing is, the power and racism hasn't been taking out, but rather ownership of that word has been transferred, which I admit could be looked at as helpful in many regards. But you know what would be even more helpful? Not using the word at all in this context.

And to use Hip Hop to make your point that all is good and things have changed, do you see what Hip Hop has become? Pure ignorance.

[edit on 22-8-2010 by LifeIsEnergy]

I use all kinds of derogatory terms at times, but rarely do I mean them in the true derogatory sense they're supposed to be taken in. Not like it matters, anyways. Words have no power other than the power the listener ascribes to them. If I call you a "n-word" in Portuguese, you aren't going to care. My intention doesn't count for crap. It's the listener who decides whether or not to be offended.

I can see being offended by the sentiment behind calling someone a racial epithet, but the word itself is as meaningless as "dskjfkdf"

reply to post by survivalstation


that post said a lot. star for that, and i totally agree.

just because we replace it with another termonology does not deflate the connotations that are derived from the term we use.

this word or that word still means the same word.

good post,
et

Here is a short vid I just found that I thought was a good description of what we are talking about, and might make you think a little bit more about how this word is being used today. It's called "A Brief History of "Nigga".

The problem with offensive language is that it is always sensationalized by the news media. It is an attention getter. The music industry and movie industry knows it means money-the more offensive the more they draw attention to themselves.

The best practice is to ignore the unwanted behavior.

And what about the audio clip with Rev. Jessie Jackson where he uttered his own opinion about President Obama?

How come this guy is not held to a higher standard???
After all, he had always been outspoken on offensive languge.

I believe such public speakers are more concerned about their own personal gain than those they claim to speak for or represent.

Perhaps the best way is to lead by example.

Walking round with hate because our grandfathers, grandfathers, grandfather was a slave?

nah mate, wake up.

Yes, 'n-word' is just a word. but so is blaki,spade,spear,chucker,coconut,kicker - you get my drift


It's not the word. Its the context.

You know when people call me 'n-word' and i dont know them, they get a crack - and a few stomps depeding on how insulted i was.

If my friend calls me a 'n-word', i call him a silly white twat etc.

Racism is a form of insult, but when somebody says something along the lines of "you big nosed bastad" i laugh, and walk on.

But when somebody says something racist - pointing out the colour of my skin, and the words which they use have been used for 100's of years by there grandfathers, grandfathers grandfather to be-little people of a different race, or to let that person of a different race think that you are above them. well my white friend. its not 1790, this is 2010 and you best watch your mouth

Before you chastize hiphop please understand what hiphop is. HipHop is a subculture created by New York Bronx urban city youth and comes from Jamaican Ska music. HipHop is break dancing, graffitti, slang, rap music and Dee Jaying(scratching) etc..... HipHop is not rap music and especially today that is true. HipHop is not pop culture and I know cuz I live it still. HipHop is a state of mind that only real n-word know about. Fake little twigs cannot be hiphop cuz they have no heart. HipHop is not for the upper classes thats just a simulation the media provides for your entertainment. HipHop is not selling drugs but hiphop can influnce the way you do it if youre around it. HipHop is the people and is a global phenomenon. Including upper classity is what is destroying hiphop because to them the struggle is doom and glooming. Visualize only good and ignore the bad and you can be rich and happy or basically turn a blind eye to society's problems and it wont bother you. But there are people who are stuck in poverty and they embody hiphop. So when you say something like "hiphop is ignorance" I laugh because you just dont know what you are saying. If Im hiphop then you called me ignorant, how so I ask? Because I grew up amongst peers who used the n-word profusely and I still do to this day? because I believe in the truth around me and not some static image I am trying to manifest? I am from the hood and I can tell you there is a time and place for everything and if you dont like the n-word stay away from the n-words because we are here and aint going anywhere anytime soon. We play the game our way and thats hiphop... deconstruction.... get with it

[edit on 22-8-2010 by fonenyc]

My comment is more about all the taboo name calling not just one word.

Honestly whatever happened to the old "sticks and stones"? Are we as a society so weak and thin skinned that we're allowing words to hurt us?

I've been called every name in the book, and answered to many of them I'm sure lol but in the end it just seems like many people have turned into weineys.

To me all these words can only hurt you if you allow them too. They only have power if you allow them to have power.

The ones who do the name calling are the miserable ones.
Stick and stones, sticks and stones...Live by it and live happier







[edit on 22-8-2010 by Bachrk]

OMFG! This thread is so ridiculous that I have to say something. Are you guys retarded? Nigger is just a #ing word dudes! The problem is the association of the word 'n-word' to the things that happened in the past! In Brazil it´s a felony if you call a "African American" preto(black) you have to call them "negro". I really don´t understand this color system . If you think about it, really hard, what you´ll find out is that they skin just reflects different wave lenght. That´s It. Different composition, just like we have all the colors. So what really means if you call a African American nigeer? Even if you call a black person African American, depending on the way you say it, or pronounce it, it could be offensive. If I get to a friend of mine, a black one, and say "what´s up 'n-word'" he will not take this as a offense. But if something happens, and I am angry with him and call him stupid 'n-word', he will understand that as an ofense. So it actualy relies on the minor side. I have yo say this, ATS is becoming so full of ridiculous thread, that it´s turning into something that I don´t check everyday like I used to do. Where are the real discussions about important things? About life, about science, about physics and ufos and regular pilitical crap? All I see is people posting threads just to get known. And that´s it! Just like regular celebriies

reply to post by fonenyc


LOL, well you can get act all hard if you want but you "Ain't" convincing me. I am as Hip Hop as they come, DJ'd, Produced, Rapped, Owned my own Label and had two Gold selling artists that you may know of, Owned a Urban Clothing wear store, lived in the hood on the south side of Chicago, sold drugs, shot guns, tattoo'd up, loved my brothers from another (not using that word you so dearly are trying to protect), but it doesn't change the fact that much of what I was doing was out of ignorance. Yes we were searching for and creating our own identity seperete from the establishments, but that still doesn't change the fact that they way we went about it was ignorant. I guess that is a difference between me and you, I left my ego behind and sought to find the true cause of my and my brothers and sisters situation. And don't try and act like what old-school hip-hop was, gives credit to what it has become. Hip Hop is pop culture now, sorry if that makes you mad, but it's not my fault. This doesn't mean all of it is, as you can see I linked to some Roots earlier in this thread, but turn on your radio and tell me what's up. As much as I once loved gangsta rap, I can't lie to myself and say most of it wasn't ignorant. Sorry.

On the other hand Pac is still my dude, that is why he is my avatar. Even though he acted ignorant sometimes too, he had a level of sincerity and compassion for his community that I will always respect.

I thout the N-word ment ignorant person or somethin along the lines of that? And its pretty funny considering that it was the ignorant ones using the word back in the old days.

The N word, just like any other word, isn't in itself bad, it's the context. George Carlin said the same thing.

As far as the younger crowd not knowing about the word, good. I'm young and thankfully don't really care one way or the other about that word since it was never used and racism didn't exist. I say let the old people be old and let the young keep using words they want to. "Fag" is worse but you don't see often people wanting that word to stop being used, and good for them.

reply to post by ghaleon12


"Fag is worse"? How many gay people have been lynched, whipped and pulled apart by horses tied to their limbs? Matter of fact, how many hundred years did gay people go through slavery? I am sorry, this isn't just a word, and to compare it to other curse words like Bit#h or Fa#got, is truly saying something about you level of understanding of our history in America, and about the history and suffering Black America has gone through.

I don't care if I am the only one in the world sticking up for this, it won't stop me, my heart is too strong!

Originally posted by LifeIsEnergy
The use of the 'n-word' amongst Blacks, who use it as a common reference to each other, is mostly due to ignorance. It is also out of self-hatred and loss of a sense of self-worth.
...
Now to the contrary, some Blacks will tell you they use it as admiration for each other, to make it their word and take its power out of it being used against them by Whites for so long. And as clever as that may sound, it still is ignorant at best.

I think you're partially right, but I think there are PLENTY of black people who use it without any ignorance, self-hatred, loss of self-worth or any negative connotation at all.

You may have an opinion that they use it out of ignorance exclusively, and that's fine, but many people who use it have no negativity about it at all.

For instance, a show on BET, a cable network aimed at a black audience, described the word [N-word-er] as a “term of endearment.” “In the African American community, the word [N-word -a] brings out feelings of pride. Here the word evokes a sense of community and oneness among black people. Many teens I interviewed felt that the word had no power when used amongst friends, but when used among white people the word took on a completely different meaning.

Kevin Cato N-word: Language, History, and Modern Day Discourse

reply to post by LifeIsEnergy


Don't worry about it. It's great to be passionate, especially if it's for a better world.

You said that you were told by black community leaders that it was ignorant to use the N word, or did you mean the whole street slang all together ?

I also want to say that the leaders of today were still involved with the problems of their parents and grandparents as they probably grew up an a time racism was still bigger then it is today. The black panther movement. Even Tupac's mother was a member of the Black Panthers was she not ?

How can it be that their children are now ignorant to this period ?

Was it not a job of the parents to teach their kids about their pasts ?
Why didn't they ? Could it be that they didn't want their kids to grow up with the same stuff they did ?

Reply to post by ghaleon12


George Carlin. Always + 1

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


I agree, but my point is that even when it is used out of endearment, it still embodies a level of ignorance. If not, then why are the educated class of Blacks ,who have thoroughly studied their history, not using this word to refer to each other?

Originally posted by soleprobe
reply to post by intrepid

 

Another thing that bothers me is that people from the continent of Africa who have dark skin (who originate from many different nations and tongues from the African continent) are the only people on the planet who are referred to by their skin color (which is actually brown in most cases) and not by their nation or at least their continent of origin. All other peoples (Chinese from China, Greeks from Greece, Spanish from Spain, Italians from Italy, Russians from Russia etc…) are referred to according to their nation of origin. There is no nation that people with dark skin come from called “Blackia”.

That is not true. For example, Russians from Russia... "Ros"sia. "Ros" = Red. That is why some humans call Russians the "Reds".-

On the flip side, I take an equal offense when I hear a white person called "cracker". A white person may take no offense to this just as a black person may take no offense to the N-word.

Glad to call a spade a spade, a crook a crook.

If you don't know what n-word is for, I suggest you come on down to inner City(major city) USA. I hope you don't try to protect yourself with a gun or knife, cause you will end up dead.
Let some of these dope dealers ask you if you are a cop prior to attempting pushing the worlds worst dope on you. Bring your kids down for the same...but wait, they will also ask your kids for sex, and loudly tell your daughter how "Fine" she is while looking her up and down. But remember to be nice, so they don't shoot you.

As long as there are N-people, there is a place for the word.

I am so sick of these lazy scumbags ruining any area they move into I could really give a crap what you call them.


All you N-word whiners need to bring your hoydy toydy butts down to the inner city for a dose of reality. I have a word for you whiners too.