Nigger: Historical and Current Use
“Nigger: it is arguably the most consequential social insult in American History, though, at the same time, a word that reminds us of ‘the ironies and dilemmas, tragedies and glories of the American experience’” (Kennedy 1).
Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy’s book Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word is at the center of debate because of its controversy. It addresses questions among a diverse audience of students and scholars of all racial and ethnic backgrounds in its quest to discover how and why the word should or should not be used in modern day America.
As a black American male, the word nigger conjures up within me hate, hostility, violence, oppression, and a very shameful and unfortunate part of American History. The word symbolizes the everlasting chains of a people plagued with hate and bondage simply because of skin color. For many black people, including myself, nigger is the most pejorative word in the English language. Even when compared to racial slurs like kike, honkey, cracker, wet back, spic, jungle bunny, pod, tarbaby, and white trash, nigger is noted as the worst insult in the English language. The word nigger suggests that black people are second class citizens, ignorant and less than human.
While many blacks and whites agree that the word should not be censored from the English language, it certainly should not be used by all people because of its historical significance. For example, black militants believe whites should never use the word nigger. On the other hand, the word nigger has been “reclaimed” by black youths particularly in the hip-hop culture. These modern day teens claim that it is just a word and that people give words meaning rathe...
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He effectively moves from a position of “Other” to one of empowerment through his active participation in the Civil Rights movement, and his comedy. In fact, Gregory views comedy as “friendly relations,” allowing him to abandon his repressed identity—one that was “mad and mean inside” (134)—and move to a position of empowerment that allows Gregory to “make jokes about [whites] and their society” (Gregory 132). Through his comedy, Gregory is also able to dissociate himself from the term “nigger,” as well as the namelessness, de-individuation, and dehumanizing effects associated with it: “Every white man in America knows we are Americans, knows we are Negroes, and some of them know us by our names. So when he calls us a nigger, he’s calling us something we are not, something that exists only in his mind. So if nigger exists only in his mind, who’s the nigger?” (Gregory 201). In refusing to adopt the word and its negative connotations as self-definition, Gregory “returns” the word and its negativity to the dominant society of the white middle class—the discriminatory “. . . system that makes a man less than a man, that teaches hate and fear and ignorance” (Gregory
In "The Meaning of a Word" and "Being a Chink", Gloria Naylor and Christine Leong examine words of hatred that are meant to scorn, hurt and disgrace people. But these same words could also be used without harmful intentions and in a fashion of endearment amongst the people those words were created for. They each had a different word to discriminate their different culture and ethnicity. These writers discuss the words "nigger" and "chink", which are words in our language mostly ignorant people use. Naylor and Leong are also both minorities who were raised in America. They talk about how discrimination and hatred towards minorities is almost always inevitable in America, which is mostly populated by Caucasians. Naylor and Leong observe how these racial acts of discrimination can unify a group of people even closer together. Naylor didn't know the true meaning of the hate word nigger until it was used against her in a degrading manner. On the other hand Leong already knew what chink meant but wasn't traumatized until she found out her father discovered it.
...round the family. While terms such as "nigger" remain excruciatingly prevalent in today's society, victims of racist slurs have found healthy ways of dealing with the abuse. By projecting new meanings onto old words and focusing on the ever-changing names for African Americans for reassurance, the victims' strengths allow them to reroute hate, instead creating a more positive recognition of intelligence, beauty, and individuality.
“Nigger” is a highly controversial term used a lot in America. It is used by both white and people of color. Some believe that the word can be used freely, others object to the use of the word. Some use the word as an endearment, and some use it as an insult. Some people believe that no one should use it, others believe that only blacks are allowed to use it. Some even believe that you can use it in private as long as you are not around people who it may offend. And then there are
In the episode of the television show Blackish we viewed during class Jack was in a talent show at school singing a rap song which used the word nigger. Jack said nigger while performing the song and the audience showed shock that he said the word nigger. Jack and his parents met with the principal and Jack was suspended from school for a few days. The show then shows everyone giving their meaning or interpretation of the word nigger.
The words Negro, nigger, and nigga have always been a sensitive topic, yet it is a topic that needs to be addressed in light of the more common use of its vernacular. One word is used to describe a color, while the others are used to define a people. It’s very clear to many the negative connotation these words carry, but where did these words come from? Furthermore, is there a difference between the word nigger and nigga; and why is it that African-Americans now use the word nigga to degrade each other in today’s society? These words, in spite of their spelling, still holds the same degrading power as it did during the time of slavery, and they are still spoken out of cruelty and ignorance, but who is to blame? Can one still blame the Spaniards for considering people of a darker skin tone –Black? Can we blame the Europeans for perpetuating their hatred and ignorance of superiority over a race of people to the point they felt it lawful to define and dehumanize them? Or does the blame lie with the African-American race as we use this degrading labeling on our own kind, thus becoming the victimizer. Either way nigger or nigga are words that should be eliminated from the vocabulary of every human being.
The word “nigger” has two main variances today, and they were both expressed beautifully by Tupac. The word carries with it a privilege also, a privilege that only certain people are allowed to use this word. And it is what African descendants call each other as a way of connecting in a brotherhood type of fashion. In areas such as “Bomton” - otherwise known as “black compton” - “brothas” can casually see each other at the convenience store and address the other as “my nigga” or “niggah” however they prefer. Now imagine the same scenario but with two Caucasian males saying the exact same. It’s weird right? That is because the word is still highly debated to the present. It is unclear whether the word should be banned from everybody’s mouth or if it should all be left to identify
Before the Cold War in Angola has ended in 2002, we had plenty of issues with the terrorist group known as UNITA. As an example the train attack in 2001 which has occurred on the 10 of August and it has caused of 250 peoples death. And as a second perspective, during an open debate on
Back in the time period of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain “the N-word” was not a racial term, it was simply what African Americans were called, especially when they were involved in slavery. Mark Twain used “the N-word” because in the time period he wrote the novel, people did not know any better and nobody should change his work. Most of this controversy comes from Twain’s frequent use of the word “nigger” when referring to black slaves, including one of the main characters, Jim. Today, that term is considered a seriously offensive racial slur. However, in the setting of the novel, and during that time period, this is the term most frequently used to describe African Americans. Since Huck Finn was set in the south before
Normalizing the use of the N-word can undermine the importance of its history. As history progresses, the casual use of the N-word allows for people to forget the origin. The N-word is “most likely a White Southern pronunciation of the word negro” (Pilgrim). The word was used as a way to exclude
The way you say something, the context behind what you say, or the meaning of a word can have a large effect on the way it is used. The word n*gger became a derogatory word in the 1800s, when it was used to describe black people. In the 21st century, the same word has developed an entirely new meaning that corresponds with the idea of white racism or white supremacy. Samuel Clemens, formally known as Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, grew up in a time when the word n*gger was used simply as a description when it came to black people. Slavery played a vital part of Twain’s early life, because like a lot of southern white families, they relied on slave labor for income. Twain grew up in a time of blatant racism and
In society today there are still many cases of the N-word being used by different races other than African Americans. Such as schools using the N-word in class or even classmates saying it to their black classmate. Also, not only have students in school used that offensive word throughout, but teachers have been using it till this day as a racial comment towards black students (Fox news). Such as calling them the word because of having hatred towards them. The use of the word caused a teacher to get fired from her job because it had to do with racial comments and hatred towards her black students. This demonstrates that this society still shows racism today and how that one word can really offend people up until today. Unlike the word “slave”
The United Nations involvement in Angola would end with the UN leaving the country making ultimately no gains in the many years spent trying. The UN would succeed with UNAVEMI only because the mission was small, achievable, and did not face a root problem. When the UN intervened in UNAVEMII and later missions they did so with to large expectations and not realizing what problems actually existed. The United Nations would leave Angola in the same shape it was when they arrived, nowhere near peace.
...ed its incapability to archive its own aims and to complete wider tasks or active contribution for conflict resolution due to conductive environment was limited by the decision of uncooperative parties in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Thus UNMEE was less effective in conflict resolution, but it contributed to prevent war to some extent.
One word out of an entire novel seems minute, but when that word is the “n-word” and is repeated two hundred and nineteen times people begin to question its necessity. Despite the fact that people are uncomfortable with this word, its use is crucial in the book, and the word itself is unavoidable in today’s society. The “n-word” in any situation is like a game of Operation depending on the context it will bother the other players with the shocking buzzing from the speaker’s lapse in words, or it will go unnoticed by the participants. In today’s society this single word is unavoidable including the title of Kayne West’s song “Ni**as In Paris.” Over time the “n-word” once used as a derogatory term has transformed in the African American culture to a word of selective comradery. Although the frequent use of this word brings a race together, it also contributes to a loose of consideration to those being repressed in slavery and racial segregation in American history. While today’s version of the word may dull the pain of slavery, this word “is attached to one of the most vibrant cultures in the Western world. And yet the culture is inextricably linked to the violence that