Sometimes people will ask me why it bothers me so much when white people use the “N” word. To be quite honest, I could go on for hours about the subject of why my fellow crackers rub me the wrong way when they chose to do so, but I will try to condense my arguments and feelings down into a short explanation.
Before I begin, my biggest question is why? Why do white people want to say that word so badly? Where is this desire stemming from? Is it to fit in or be cool? Is it because they are ignorant to the evil history of the word itself? Is it coming from their ingrained hatred of black people? Why?
The word originated to label black people, coming from the latin term “niger”, meaning black, which evolved into the noun “negro” meaning black person in english, also meaning black in spanish and portuguese. At first, it was simply a noun, and was without connotations. But as American history progressed and the hatred of black people became more ingrained in our rising society, the word became more of an insult and became demeaning. For hundreds of years, black slaves were raped, tortured, beaten, abused, exploited, and murdered all while being called that name. Even when slavery was abolished, the word was continuously used by the white supremacist society to oppress African Americans and keep them in their place; below white citizens.
In this day and age, the word is still used frequently by not only white people, but by black people as well. Because black people have reclaimed the word for themselves, a large majority of the white population has taken this as an invitation to use it as well. This is not what should be happening. White Americans just can’t seem to grasp the idea that it’s not “just a word”, it has dangerous history attached to it. As a white person, I am in no position to tell black people what they can and cannot say, but I will say that white people should never even have the inclination to say the word at all. You shouldn’t say “what’s up my n****?” to your friends, especially your black friends, because no, they are not “your n****”. Haven’t people of African descent in America been referred to as “my n****” too often by white people in the past 400 years? Haven’t the actions of your pasty white forefathers soiled that word for you? Just keep this in mind next time you feel the urge to use it, even if you are just trying to sing along to a rap song. Don’t use a word that can never be yours again.
Powerful words, Elise. I agree with you that white people should not be using the n-word, especially when directed towards an individual who is black. This may be surprising to some, but I have never heard a white person call a black person a n*****, aside from movies and sound bites from news stories.
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about the n-word as being "reclaimed," but thinking about it in that context makes its use among black people make more sense to me, although I am not so sure that most black people who use the n-word do so as an act of "reclamation;" it seems like it is just part of the vernacular.
I wish that the word could just be wiped from existence so that nobody could use it, because it seems to just be a source of contention.
By the way, "pasty white forefathers." Ouch. You sure make being white seem like an insult.
Your views and comments never fail to be thought-provoking and I thank you for that.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteElise, your reflection reminds me of the Buddha’s teaching on Right Speech. What makes speech “right” is how mindful it is. Mindfulness has become a bit of craze in mainstream culture but it is extremely demanding. Thich Nhat Hanh, with whom we have been acquainted through the poem The Good News” and some chapters in The Book of Mev, has this to say: “Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope.” You can see how far we are in this country from coming close to practicing this. In your writing, you remind white people of the toxicity of this word, how it symbolizes an enormity of suffering beyond our imagination, and how it negates self-confidence, joy, and hope.
ReplyDeleteElise, your words are very powerful and eye opening for me. To be completly honest, yes, I have used this word before. I usually only use it when I am joking around with my friends or family. But unfortunately, I have used this word violently before, but never to be rasicts. It was towards my friends. The history behind the word, as you clearly state, is awful and disgusting. But you have opened my eyes to see that it is not just a word... Its something we need to forget or let go. Why do we, as Americans, use this word so much daily, even though we know excaly what it means... First and foremost I would like to apologize, not to you, but to everyone I have used it with and I also want to thank you for making me realize I need to stop and think about the things I am saying.
ReplyDelete