Why Does The N-Word Degrade People Of Color?

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

In her article “ The Meanings of a Word,” Gloria Naylor, a writer, argues that the N-word is indicated a lack of self- respect in her community, and although words themselves are not hurts people, but once a group of people agree on a negative use; the word can be used to insult others. Naylor only experiences with the N-word in her community because her uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and parents use the N-word in positive ways while others use it as an insult. Naylor's community had rules for behavior and what the N-word means. In her article, Naylor gives three meaning for the N-word. In singular, the N-word applies to a man who is intelligence and desires to do well.

The N word has been around for a long time. Through slavery, the industrial revolution, both World War eras, and the modern era all the way up to right now. It has gone from meaning many different things ranging from burning or charring off, being a black person and exhausting land to a term that is racist, describes ignorant, uneducated, foolish individuals, to an endearing term between two people to describe their friendship.

Contrastly, many older people in the black community feel that this word is disrespectful and is some form of internal racism, which causes blacks to remain inferior in society. But how can that be the case when we turned lemons to lemonade. We changed something with negative denotation and made it positive. Even Hispanics call themselves "essays" which is similar to the word nigger in Spanish. Also, the term "Yankee", which is a term that has described Americans for centuries, was once an insult by the British. So do we ridicule the founding fathers of this country for accepting this name? Even if we did not change the meaning and spelling of the word nigger don't we have the right to call ourselves the word (like the founding

The essay “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor discusses the many definitions of a word and how its meaning can change according to context and delivery. She made this point by telling a story of her childhood and the first time she heard the n-word used by a white person in a derogatory, demeaning way. She described her this situation that took place when she was in third-grade and a boy in front of her in math class called her the n-word. She had no idea what it meant to be called that in a negative way because the people she grew up around only used it as positive and empowering. At the end of her essay, she once again emphasized how easy it is to change a word into something hateful simply depending on who says it and their

In the English language, the word "nigger" is an ethnic slur, usually directed at black people. The word originated as a neutral term referring to people with black skin, as a variation of the Spanish and Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger . It was often used disparagingly, and by the mid-twentieth century, particularly in the United States, its usage became unambiguously pejorative, a racist insult. Accordingly, it began to disappear from popular culture, and its continued inclusion in classic works of literature has sparked controversy. In the contemporary United States and United Kingdom, using the word is taboo, and it is often replaced with the euphemism "the N-word". "Nigga" is sometimes used among African Americans in a non-derogatory sense or as a term of endearment. Etymology and history

We have all heard the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, depending on how words are used, and the opinions associated with them, they can indeed be very hurtful. Gloria Naylor writes about this in her article “Mommy, What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” She states “words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power” (Naylor 481). She explains that African Americans’ use of nigger does not in anyway invite Caucasians to use it. Naylor is accurate when she writes that the word ‘nigger’ would not be offensive had it not been for the thoughts, and sometimes, action others associate with it.

If it was used in a friendly manner as in to identify a friend the word must not be used. For example, in today’s time many rappers in the music industry embrace the word and use it casually. Hip-Hop culture has influenced the mainstream use of this belittling term. The problem with this is that it can only make racial slurs more socially acceptable. Some people take offense to the use of this word while others don’t care. For instance, in 2001 when Jennifer Lopez released her song “I’m real” featuring Ja Rule she used the word “nigga” in the song. For some people they honestly did not mind, but the majority of people took offense to her use of the word and went crazy about it. She took a lot of flak for the use of the word although she did not intend to offend anyone she still did because the word is a racial slur. The only acceptable time the word should be used is to educate people on the historical context of the word. The history behind the word has a strong shadow over the word which will never fade, which is why people ought to never forget the history behind the term.

The word "nigger" has become a popular saying amongst our current population. The word appears to be used more each day by an assorted group of people. I've conducted a research in order to gather a better understanding as of to why the word "nigger" is so commonly used. I've collected responses from my fellow class mates and read a book called nigger to acquire addition information about the different opinions brought on by its usage. In these responses were patterns that helped me to get better acquainted with this idea. Most writes provided me with the same answer, that the reason why people call each other "nigger" is because it is used in a positive way. With this information given, the next question that came to mind was is it

However, the historical significance of the word nigger is deeply rooted in American History. For example, Kennedy’s book presents historical examples of nigger in its most pejorative context: “Michael Jordan was suspended from school for hitting a white girl who called him a nigger” and “Tiger Woods was tied up in kindergarten by his older schoolmates who called him nigger” (Kennedy 22). It is precisely because of this history that many African Americans are in favor of banning the word from the English language. Although the historical significance of the word nigger often triggers deep-rooted hostility in the African Americans, it has also progressively evolved into a term of endearment in the modern day African American culture. Consequently, a fine line exists between past and present definitions of the word nigger that opens up the possibility of misinterpretation and the potential of further damage.

Over time the “N” word has evolved from haunting and agonizing numerous generations of African Americans to a society that uses the word as a day-to-day greeting, compliment or for its original purpose to degrade and demean African Americans. Amongst the younger generation in today’s world, regardless of color the “N” word has somehow morphed into the word friend. Unfortunately, the use of this word is flying out of youths mouths without a second thought as to knowing the entire context and emotional background. This is mainly caused by urban hip-hop culture. In fact, numerous amounts of individuals do not perceive that the “N” word does in fact have deep somber roots.

In his writing, Pitts is strongly against the use of the N-word. He wants all use of it to come to an abrupt end. He speaks about how the new generation has tried to renew the meaning of the word, and ignore the connotation behind it. He says rappers think it gives them street credit, and makes them more popular. But regardless he calls for its demise, claiming its history will never be forgotten.

In Season 1, Episode 5 of the The Netflix Original Series: Dear White People released on April 28, 2017, Reggie, a black college student and the leader of Winchester University’s Black Student Union is seen at a fraternity party surrounded by mostly white students. All is well until Reggie’s white friend, Addison, repeatedly utters the N-word while singing along to a hip-hop song. Reggie asks him not to say it anymore however, Addison questions him and attempts to justify his use of the word which leads to a debate. The creator of Dear White People uses characterization and setting to convey how non-Black people-especially white people- who use the N-word regardless of whether or not they understand its historical context, reinforce the notion that Black people are inferior which helps to maintain white supremacy.

What is the problem with the n-word in the first place? This word has a racist history starting during the 17th century when it was used to insult slaves (Asim, 2007, as cited in McClure, 2015). The writer states that no matter what race, the word is a powerful symbol of the history of anti-black oppression in the United States. In the essay, the author explains that some people believe that the use of the word in rap music has stripped it away of its original racist meaning, but others say that the term should be forbidden. Reading the essay, it shows a lot of proof of the inconsistency between the usage and meaning behind the n-word in society. For example, rappers would use the word in their lyrics referring the term to themselves and their friends, but hateful people would use the term to yell at others or write it out as threats. The way the term is used and who decides to use it determines how people will interpret the

Make no mistake that slave owners came up with the word Nigger and it was only supposed to mean an individual, who is lazy, unwise, and good for nothing, but somewhere along the history lines of slavery the N word began to be used more as racial insult against the non-white Americans