The "N" Word on Trial

Hello again ATS.

I am about to knowingly open a Pandoras box that might be better left closed... but I am compelled to open it anyway as it discusses an issue that has honestly bothered me for a very long time...

The social acceptance in the black and rap communities regarding the use of the "n" word.

This hits close to home for me because I have a nephew who is into the gangsta rap and gang scene. He is not black at all and yet the "N" word comes out of his mouth every third or fourth word no matter who he is talking to or what he is saying. I have always found it to be very disrespectful.

There have been several occasions when he and his friends have been talking in front of some of us older folks, of mixed race, and we all cringe when the kids use the word. We tell them to stop... but it lasts for about ten seconds before it starts back up again.

On the one hand, it's just a word. Words only have the power that we give them. On an intellectual level this is what my mind tells me. How can a grouping of guttural sounds offend? It's just noise. It means nothing.

But, on the other hand... there is so much death, hatred, ugliness, and poison tied to those sounds.



I am too young to have lived in the world that spawned the above song... but growing up I met and spoke with older people who did live it... both black and white. People who had seen lynchings and homes burned to the ground with families trapped inside of them... not just trapped... kept in the burning homes by armed men.

All of this comes to my mind when I hear the "N" word bandied about.

Well a NY case hit the news a few hours ago:

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal jury has rejected the argument that use of the N-word among blacks can be a culturally acceptable term of love and endearment, deciding its use in the workplace is hostile and discriminatory no matter what.

Jurors last week awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages to a black employment agency worker who was the target of an N-word-laced rant by her black boss, and they return to a Manhattan federal court Tuesday to decide on punitive damages.

The case against Rob Carmona and the employment agency he founded, STRIVE East Harlem, gave legal airing to what some see as a complex double standard surrounding the word: It's a degrading slur when uttered by whites but can be used at times with impunity among blacks

Source

I do realize that many are going to jump in and insist that the plaintiff was not truly offended and was merely taking advantage of our legal system to get paid. Maybe there's truth in that, maybe there isn't... However think the message sent by the jury is timely and positive.

It is high time we put this word where it belongs, into the land of the archaic. We have no use for it in this day and age and it serves no positive purpose.

What say you ATS? Am I missing the mark. Is the "N" word a point of pride for some black people... a way of looking their difficulties in the eye and trying to take back some dignity from the evil? Or is it just a trendy, TV and media driven joke that is keeping an entire generation from growing past painful and ugly sentiments and ideologies.

Thanks ATS.

reply to post by Hefficide

This hits close to home for me because I have a nephew who is into the gangsta rap and gang scene. He is not black at all and yet the "N" word comes out of his mouth every third or fourth word no matter who he is talking to or what he is saying. I have always found it to be very disrespectful.

Slap him.

There have been several occasions when he and his friends have been talking in front of some of us older folks, of mixed race, and we all cringe when the kids use the word. We tell them to stop... but it lasts for about ten seconds before it starts back up again.

Slap all of them.




@ the OP.

Good. I think this should be the standard from now on. It is so blatantly racist to say "I can say that word but you can't."

I just can't stand those...

"Uh, excuse me? You can't say that. You racist bastard. You dumb _____."

"You just called me it just now."

"Yeah, because I can say it, you can't. That would just make you racist."

Its a word, it holds as much value as you give it. In most contexts, it simply means a lack of knowledge.

If slang can be held against a white man then certainly a black man calling a white man a cracker should be offensive?

Its sad that different races still need to show their superiority over another

reply to post by shaneslaughta


I find cracker offensive is well. This isn't at all about white guilt nor racial preference. It's about calling something what it is, hate, and educating people until it goes away.

reply to post by Hefficide


We are all human after all, this sort of thing should be long gone by now. Earthlings are the only RACE.

reply to post by Hefficide


The n word is a homonym so it depends on how you use.

In the matter of the case, I would say he had a fair verdict.

Here's something fun:

Racism for the sake of being racist is cruel - and is the result of ignorance, fear and hatred.
Racism for the sake of being trendy - is a result of ignorance and defiance.

Young people have a tendency to rebel against the establishment, and they, perhaps more than anyone else, will recognize that the "n" word, is nothing but a word.
Regardless of that, many people will still find it offensive, and for good reason. Those of us who understand this, respect it, regardless of how we feel about it. Cause we understand the nature of trauma and how those who have been affected by this, have very little choice in the matter. Eventually people will stop finding the "N" word offensive and at that point it will no longer be fun to say for young punks.

But it's properly gonna be a few more generations before we reach that point. But till then I think we should try our best not to say it, but forgive those who do their ignorance.

reply to post by Bleeeeep


Actually the word in question here is not a homonym as it has only one meaning and usage.

reply to post by Hefficide


We are talking about Nirubu, aren't we?



Words contain only the power that we vest into them. Deny them power through thoughts, words, actions, deeds, and they become relics ignored in a closet of history.

reply to post by Hefficide


No, as you mentioned in the OP, when a lot of the black community use it or when youngsters use it they do not always use it in a derogatory manner. It is literally a term of endearment when used to greet or kid-around.

An example:
person 1: "'Sup n-word?"
person 2: "'Sup?"

translation:
person 1: Hey buddy.
person 2: Hey buddy.

or

person 1: You have a problem n-word? You want to fight?
person 2: Do something then!/Come at me bro!

As a teenager I listened to a lot of Hip-Hop music and was...as a white boy...fond of using its aggressive words. It was fun to break the polite and reserved status quo of adults. It was hilarious to use "n" and "bitch" and see the offended indignity in grown-ups faces. I think if society places a taboo on something, kids and teens want to poke fun at that.

As I grew older I changed my views (which is natural with age) and saw this kind of music as foul-mouthed and "pulling me down". I think praising the merits of "gangsta culture" pulls others down too, because it idealizes such behavior. I stopped listening to it. Today I listen to classical music.

So the decision to stop listening to it and to never use those words again was my own, grown from inner realization. I very strongly disagree with the "politically correct" crowd who seek to outlaw words and place taboos on them. Why? Because what you put a taboo on, you amplify...especially amongst youngsters. By outlawing a word, you get many more people to harbor that word in their minds. The best way is therefore to just stop using it yourself once you realize what it does. People who are too easily offended (the hypersensitive PC-culture), needs to stop legislating their hurt feelings and instead simply grow some balls. Educate, dont legislate.

reply to post by beezzer


If my nephew just started calling people Niburu, I'd crack a beer and sit back and watch just to see what happened. I'd know when he ran into ATS people cuz they'd either try to worship him or attack him.

reply to post by Hefficide

Originally posted by Hefficide
But, on the other hand... there is so much death, hatred, ugliness, and poison tied to those sounds.

This is why I cant use the word though I am guilty of singing along in hip hop.

But to your point, the verdict is not guilty. Thehip hop community has made the word commonplace.

reply to post by Bleeeeep

The n word is a homonym so it depends on how you use.

In the matter of the case, I would say he had a fair verdict.

Here's something fun

That;s nice so you think if George Bush came on TV after Katrina and said, "I really feel for all the N____'s in New Orleans and I want to help them soon as we can."

People would just believe it was a homonym.

But if Kanye West said it....

Originally posted by Hefficide
I have a nephew who is into the gangsta rap and gang scene.

Any chance there is a 'scared straight' program near you? Where they put punky kids in jail for a day or two and let them experience what jail is really like because that is the direction they are headed in?

reply to post by FlyersFan


He's actually served 18 months in county jail here in the past 3 years ( Being south Atlanta, even county jail is fairly frightening here ) and it didn't help a bit... in fact it made it worse.

reply to post by boncho


Depends on how he said it - what inflection he puts on the words, his body language, and overall demeanor.

The uppity crowd would surely be on your side, though.

reply to post by Bleeeeep


Uppity? I sure do not see myself as uppity!! That word offends no lie. I wish people would just stop. But it has to start with the elders of the black community, by teaching what is appropriate and taking a stand. Black men NEED to have their fathers around in their life and it is a known fact that a large percentage of them do not. It is also the same with how black women are treated by many black men. They make their videos portraying women as nothing more than a sexual commodity, thereby raising more black men how to disrespect. Many black men (not all) want respect but do not know how to go about actually earning and deserving it. It is a viscous cycle in my opinion.

reply to post by Starwise


You sound racist.

Words mean what people want them to mean. You cannot use a dictionary as a rule book - it should be used as a reference and nothing more. The word is not bad - it is the meaning ascribed to it by the persons using it that dictate its appropriateness.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by Starwise

 

You sound racist.

Words mean what people want them to mean. You cannot use a dictionary as a rule book - it should be used as a reference and nothing more. The word is not bad - it is the meaning ascribed to it by the persons using it that dictate its appropriateness.

edit on 9/3/2013 by Bleeeeep because: (no reason given)

If my words came across that way, I apologize. Seriously. I am not, I assure you. ALL of my friends are of all races, genders and religions. I hear what they say and listen to the problems that they face in their communities. All I have done is echo their sentiments.