The Word Bitch

If they see rappers calling females out of their name with big chains and expensive cars throwing all their money in videos, then they look up to the guys they see in those videos and are going to buy in to what their seeing and hearing on the radio, on TV, on the internet, on the streets and in school regardless if it’s true just like advertisement. Even though many of the rappers that rap about misogyny sound like they live what their saying, many don’t actually believe what they’re saying they’ll still say it anyway just to get a paycheck. Yet what a lot of the public fell to realize is that rap is about business and making money and they’ll do whatever it takes to increase their profit. Yes, a lot of what these big time record labels put out is wrong on many levels, but when their banks accounts have a lot of zero’s, they can care less about how their music is affecting young people. This situation is very multi-sided to say the least which is why I feel this article deserves to receive the Most Controversial Issue

The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the

Queen Latifah’s article titled “Who You Callin a Bitch.” argues that female rappers are rewarded for going along with stereotypes by getting more famous. She

The misogynistic treatment of women in commercialized rap has become a widespread phenomenon which as a result has become commonly accepted by majority of the individuals in society. Rappers, in general, nowadays use women in their videos in a way which is both derogatory and exploiting. Black men in today’s society, especially in the entertainment industry, do not see women as their equals; rather they objectify them as being nothing more than sex objects. People in the Hip Hop industry do not believe that sexism and misogyny is as big of a deal as racism, thus they push this issue to the side by simply ignoring it and learning to accept it. This misogynistic portrayal of women is ruining the image if Hip Hop as both an industry and a form of expressive art. However, instead of taking action against this atrocity, many women simply believe that the images of women and their portrayal in rap videos does not represent nor refer to them as an individual and the type of woman they truly are. By being silent these women are allowing themselves to be victimized by the men of not only the Hip Hop industry but also general society. By not having a say in this matter of the false classification and portrayal of women, they are voluntarily allowing men to do whatever they please to do so, in any given time and with any approach they feel is necessary. They do not

McLune also believes,“many hip-hop rappers are sexist and materialistic singers”(222), and not many rappers sing about equality and respect between the sexes. Even female rapper’s follow in the male rappers footsteps of disrespecting black women. Female rappers follow this path to keep from being “targeted, slandered, and ignored”(223). Female rappers who take a stance against the norm risk being called “bitch, a ho-or worse, a dyke.” McLune states that she wants the sexism to stop and until it does hip-hop will fail. According to McLune, Kevin Powell excuses sexism because of poverty. Experience has shown us that any man, rich or poor, can be sexist regarding women. By allowing the behavior to continue black women will always be the victim.

It may not be used as often or meant the same way it was in the past, but it still is considered a derogatory term. Many people still use this term without prior knowledge of its definition. This only contributes to the discrimination and disrespect that the word has. By simply saying a word that is hurtful, without knowing what it can cause of what it means, reveals the unfamiliarity of respect for others. The people that use these terms are often uneducated, racist, and stereotypical. In the midst of these people, however, there are other people, such as Randal Graves, in the movie “Clerks 2,” where he says the term, and is surprised to hear that is a racial slur. He believed that it was a commonly used insult that was universally accepted, however, it is not.

The word “nigger” is a word of many and various meanings with plentiful purposes. It is like no other word. People use this word to criticize, harm, exclaim, and even to sound “cool” to others. There are so many variations of the word nigger that could seem less harmful like “nigga”, “nig”, etc, that are used to disguise true intentions. To determine the meaning of the word “nigger” it is crucial to look deeply at the scenario because it can be used in so many ways for so many reasons. For instance, overlooking the time period, the geographical location and the acts unfolding could lead to a misunderstanding of the true meaning of the word “nigger”. The two biggest things to consider when determining the true meaning of the word is to recognize who is using the word and who exactly the word is being targeted towards; but failing to recognize other factors also help when determining the connotation.

Adams, T. M., & Fuller, D. B. (2006). The words have changed but the ideology remains the same: Misogynistic lyrics in rap music. Journal of Black Studies, 36(6), 938-957. Retrieved from the JSTOR database.

In the contemporary United States, using the word is taboo, and it is often replaced with the euphemism "the N-word". "Nigga", is sometimes used among African Americans as a neutral or term of endearment.

In the 20th century of course, it has become extremely offensive. It, along with cunt are just about the only taboo words in American discourse today (it's interesting that the most offensive terms have strong racial or gender discrimination components). About the only acceptable use is in Black English when African-Americans use it to refer to themselves.

Just listening to a track and hearing the word bitch continuously used, as in Jay Z’s “99 Problems”, on the surface structure, it

Words like “bitch”, “whore” “chicks” or “cunt” are seen as generalizing terms for women, used to degrade their status within in the series and thereof for women in real life. This assumption might be conceivable, as most women in the TV-show are far from using comparable phrases to describe men. There are simply less words which would have the same descriptive and generalizing effect as the above-mentioned terms used for women. However, women in South Park are not expelled from using derogatory and vulgar language. Robin Lakoff wrote in his book Language and Woman´s Place that little girls should not use rough language like boys because this would not enhance their status and prestige among men within the patriarchal system. In fact it would expose females to ridicule and ostracising (5). Within this scope South Park makes a feminist stand in “Tom’s Rhinoplasty” (episode 11 of the first season). When Wendy Testaburger is, driven by jealousy to the new class teacher Ms Ellen approaching her after class to have a word with her, she just explodes with furious swearing and threatening.

The artifacts I will be using are the songs “Superman” by Eminem and “Cyclone” by Baby Bash. These songs are a prime examples of male artist using downgrading word towards women and creating an negative image of them. The first song I will analyze will be Eminem song “Superman”. The song relates to his history with women, the song begins with passionate lines describing eminem and a women “wanting” each other and “loving” each other. Then in the next few lines the “superman” term is introduced. The Lyrics say “They call me superman, I’m here to rescue you.”(Marshall). After this line the song does a 180 twist and the “superman” isn 't interested in rescuing

The use of derogative language is very common in new songs. Especially the derogative word “bitch”, which is used as much as a person says hello. The real meaning of that word is actually female dog, but rappers use it talk

First of all, I would like to point out that I graduated high school many years ago, and am only going on what I remember and what I believe is probably being used as a slur today. At first, I thought many of the names I listed could be used for male or female. I have heard many of these slurs directed at males. However, as I thought about them I realized that if a male was called a whore or slut by another male it would be construed positively because society has said it is ok for males to be sexually promiscuous. Perhaps geek and nerd could be used for both females and males. However, these names when applied to a male would be more detrimental than when applied to a female because of the weakness associated with them. I am not sure there