....or non-Black people using the word for that matter.
I found this video about the N-word going around. In the video a Black woman denounces the usage of the N-word from two White female rappers who stirred ire by using it in their music a few years ago.
I'm not shy about the topic of the N-word, so heed that it will not be entirely censored in this post.
Nigger, nigga, and negro have long been associated with the word Black and people who bare the description. In fact, they are synonymous whether people choose to admit that or not. What many in the Anglophone world know the word nigger as, is as a racial slur. Nigger without a doubt is one of the most offensive terms in the English language. But there's more of course; there's also spook, coon, pickaninny, sow, and a bevy of nasty words used to denigrate Black people.
The etymology of the word explains that it comes from the word niger, which in Latin means black or dark. Regardless of what this word used to mean, it eventually took on a different meaning in the 17th century, a meaning where it became a word that would be used to degrade the humanity of Black people.
Black people who are descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the colonies have called themselves different terms as years progressed. The last and currently accepted term was African-American, which gained popular usage in the '80s. Prior to that, colored or negro were the accepted terms. Derogatorily however, nigger was always the term used to call blacks, and it was not nor has it ever been an endearing or acceptable term to call Black people. Herein is my issue with echoing retorts that Black people should find no offense with the word due to the usage of it from Black entertainers (comedians/rappers), and some Black people overall who've incorporated the term into their everyday language.
Removing my own personal irritation with the word, I see why some Black people use the term. Some people seem to think that rap music and hip-hop began the reemergence and coining of the word as an endearing term. But the word has always been used against and amongst Blacks—music only popularized it and it DID NOT frickin' start with rap. Any avid listener of soul, blues, funk, or any Black American oldies genre can tell you it has always been used in Black music. The word may have also been a prerequisite for how often it was dropped in Blaxploitation films.
In its current usage, many Black people see it as an endearing term to use amongst themselves. I do not agree with it, however, it only makes sense why despite the words popularity in pop-culture, a lot of Black people do not like to hear non-Blacks use the word. The reason is simple—Black people referring to each other as nigga takes the offense out of the word. Why? Because of its irony. (This doesn't mean there aren't Black people who would be offended though). Non-Blacks, specifically racist Whites, have never used this term in a kind way towards Blacks. It has always been an offensive term used to refer to Black people. Whether someone non-Black might want to feel a closer connection to Blacks by also trying to use it endearingly, they should understand the racial dichotomy is still there and has always been. The negative connotation comes with the power structure White supremacy constructed, which is White/Light against Black/Dark; never the opposite. The "N-word" is triggering for a lot of English-speaking Black folks, and in a lot of cases, the N-word was the last thing Black people heard from racists before being lynched or murdered. So why would someone non-Black want to use it?
Black people have reclaimed the N-word, just as other minority or oppressed groups have with slurs targeted at them. Some women reclaim 'bitch,' and some in the LGBT community reclaim 'fag' or 'homo.' People in these groups using offensive slurs towards each other is ironic. No if, ands, or buts. If you're not Black, you have no right to dictate or police how Black people choose to talk with each other with the word. Because guess what? It's not even in the vocabulary of every Black person. You do however, have the right to correct and take offense by a Black person calling you the N-word if you are referred to as such. Despite the normalizing of the N-word, it's still not a word many people accept.
For non-White minorities who also want to use the word.....no, no, and nope! Being a "minority too" doesn't give you a pass. Please! It's always eye-opening for me to see self-identified 'Spanish' or Asians use the N-word, but flip at the thought of Blacks using anti-Asian/Latino slurs, and then in turn use the N-word again. In NYC where I live, I hear it from non-Black minorities a lot. My question to them is, you have your own racial slurs to reclaim, why do you want to use one that would never affect you? Especially when in some of your cultures, anti-Blackness is almost as common as brushing your teeth. Let's not also ignore that there are also N-word equivalents in your native languages.
You want me to be cool with you saying nigga when you and yours turn around and call me preta? No.
And your Black friends giving you a non-existent pass isn't sound advice to live by. Not every Black person is cool with that notion and you don't know how they'll react. Why? Because we aren't all the same. Just because Black Friend #1 and Black Friend #2 allow you say it around them, Random Black #345 is supposed to be OK with that? Where is the common sense? Does anyone talk to their friends, the way they talk with their parents? Do you joke with strangers the way you joke to your partner? Please! Don't expect people to be comfortable with terms that you use daily because your friends are OK with it. Anyone with good social skills should already know this. Besides, when negative terms are used among friends, I'd assume it was negotiated prior.
I'm also not a fan of Black people calling me the N-word, or my girl friends calling me the B-word, or any other slur. It's not a word I use to call other Blacks, and I choose not to use it because there are other words I choose to use because I know it's usage is brings mixed reactions. I don't buy into the "ER" or "A," analogy either, which posits which version is offensive: niggER or niggA. I feel that a lot of Black people will tell you they are saying nigga, and the ER is not emphasized in pronunciation, allowing some offense to be removed. So the word in essence has evolved:
niger > nigger > niggaStill, that does not mean that all Black people are comfortable with the word, which is where the "debate" should end. If someone doesn't want you calling them something they don't like, it should be respected. There is no special privilege gained when Black people use the N-word amongst themselves. So the anger towards some Blacks for wanting to use it, and the challenging from non-Blacks who want to use it as well is silly. The "If they can say it, why can't we" retort is flawed logic. Historically, racists have always used this word. It was invented by the British, enforced by WASP's, and exercised by racist Americans. To feel like you're having your rights denied to you because you can't say a frickin' degrading word that has been used pejoratively is whiny, insolent and pathetic. You'd also be delusional for even feeling like your rights are being slighted when it doesn't begin to describe the stereotypes and stigma that plague Black people.
As much as I detest to the popularity of the N-word, I am not going to police how other Black people choose to use it. I know and see why they do and it's always been used among them. If calling themselves the N-word is takes offense out of the word, they should be allowed that. Let oppressed groups use those terms and redefine them amongst themselves. It's not affecting you and never has.
In agreement with the Black woman in the video, I also say no to White girls using the N-word. Not just with them either, but also non-Black people and Black people using the word. If you want to say it the N-word, then please take the struggles and stereotypes that come with being a nigga too. I promise the word won't seem so catchy then.
