The Use of 'The N Word'

[vermin]

EDIT: now I see Eminemnow wrote everything I wanted, so I deleted my post. I just drop an AGREED.

Say what you want, but don't hate.That's my view.

[mcZu]

***** means people from Nigeria.

Wrong; nigger comes from the spanish word 'negro' which means black, black as in teh color of a thing not of a human being. That's why the whole N word is bad; slave owners called the slaves they owned ''things'', so people from Africa where called ''black things'' hence the word nigger.
But I do agree with wath you both said, no one should be allowed to use it. Otherwise eveyrone should be allowed to use it.

[J Roc]

I just saw a post commenting on the fact that Em used 'the n word' on stage. And I'm always seeing replies to this sort of thing on YouTube that really annoy me. It's usually by people who don't understand racism so they either shy away from it completely and succum to pandering and apologetic nonsense or they go the other way and deem anything even approaching a debate racist.

So I had to get this off my chest lol. Sorry if it annoys any of you but it was boiling in my brain so it had to come out...

It's not racist to say the word. It's only the application within context which makes it racist.

I can't stand all these double-standards and this hyper-sensitivity around the word.

Firstly. If black people can say the word. White people can say the word.

Did Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy or 50 Cent go through slavery? No. Did Eminem or any other white person alive now start slavery? No. Therefore everybody of this generation is in the same boat.

Being black doesn't give you special privileges to use the word or deem when it's appropriate but apparently our society seems to think it does. Just because you happen to be born black makes no difference, you weren't afflicted by slavery so this nonsensical view that it's fine for black people to say and not white people is not right.

If we decide as a society that the WORD is offensive. Then it should be the WORD that is offensive, not who uses it. So saying that one race can say it and one can't is ironically racist in itself. It's giving privileges to one race based on ethnic background.

And regardless of who says it, it's only the context in which the word becomes offensive. If a white person was to say to a black person you are a ''N word'' then THAT would be offensive and racist.

But quoting or using the word in a general sense as a reference is NOT racist or offensive. Just as it's not offensive to say cracker or honky unless it's specifically being used as a direct slant. Racial slur or not, they are actual words. They're not expletives. So unless they're used in bad context, they should be allowed to be said by anyone.

Props!! ...

[James R.]

No one should say it. It's dumb and there are plenty of other words that mean the same thing. The only reason white people "can't" say it is because white people started using it with the 'er' as a complete insult to black people. And I'm not talking about slavery, I'm talking about today. I've been called a niigger by ignorants and told that I'd look better hanging from a tree. It's because of shit like that, shit that some white people (old, middle aged, and young) do today that there's such animosity. I know plenty of white people who say it around their black friends and it's nothing.

Also the fact that black people tried to change the word around by giving is an 'a' ending as opposed to the 'er' to slap the racists in the face. The whole people can't insult you if you insult yourself tactic. At some point someone thought they'd take the power from the word by using it and making it acceptable, but they forgot about the part where you don't listen to the offensive party if/when they use it.

So the word should be unnacceptable. I think it's retarded for anyone to want to say it. I still don't understand why white kids from the burbs wanna call people their niigga so bad. It doesn't make sense to me. But I guess it didn't make sense for black people to wanna drink from the same fountain either. Anyways the word is retarded, most of the people who use it are obviously suffering from a lacking vocabulary if they're that bent on using the word. And seriously, I've heard this said by many a darkie. There are a LOT of white people who still use it offensively in this country and that's the biggest reason why when some random white guy says it people are thrown because it's not something that's dead, gone, and burried.

[James R.]

I never said the word should be banned, I just think that since it's such a controversial issue people shouldn't use the word. Especially seeing as how it's not only a double standard but a retarded attempt at making one of the most prominent racial insults in American history acceptable in any circumstance. I still don't understand why it's such a big deal. I don't get why black people feel the need to say it and make sure white people can't. And I don't understand why white people want to use the word at all. It's so pointless. If a person honestly can't think of a synonym for "the n word" for whatever situation they should either pick up a dictionary and thesaurus and be locked in a room for a few days or they should be shot for being moronic.

[bom-bom]

i dont think there is an exact translation for this word in spansih lenguage, but
i think it depends on the way u say that word. Look i have a friend and she is mixed, her father is from Haití and her mother is spanish..and we (her friends) call her negra(black) or negrata (wich could be nigga) and she doesnt get offended, in fact she likes it, cuz she is proud of being how she is. She knows we're not racist and if we call her like that is because se has no problem with it. She knos that we would never call her like that in a disparaging way. She could call me white trash and i wouldnt get mad cuz i know she is my friend and she is just joking. THe problem is when u use it t offend ppl..and i dont see how ppl use it in that way cuz for me there is no difference based in colours.

edit:i know in the US this is a very big deal, a guy from Canada that came to my class this year told me there are a lotfo racism there so i can understand how ppl could be offended

[theJFKshow]

I say it all the time

[James R.]

Lmao you find me someone who takes the word cracker seriously and I'll show you someone who needs severe psychological help.

Anyways I understand your point, but what I don't understand is why people feel as though it's such a big deal to use a word that obviously has bad blood behind it. For example if you call a Jew a kike and they get pissed, but you don't mean it offensively are they unintelligent for being offended? Especially if you're not another Jew. I mean at least then it'd be like making fun of yourself or insulting yourself so it wouldn't come off as an insult.

Lets say you're fat and some little skinny person calls you fat ass. Even if they're your friend and you know they're joking it might still hit a cord. So what's the simplest solution? Don't call them a fat ass.

Just because YOU don't mean something as an insult doesn't mean it can't be taken that way or it can't be an unappreciated sentiment. And just because someone doesn't like the fact that you use a word they don't accept or joke about doesn't make them unintelligent. So yeah censorship of certain words is stupid. Almost as stupid as one race of people inventing a word almost specifically to insult another race of people.

But it's obvious we're just not going to agree so deuces

[Xray]

Dude serious lay the fuck back, I mean whites insult all types of other people more than anything in the world, and now you wanna act like "I think it should be allowed to said by anyone" fuck that, if your black or from countries like mexico or puerto rico and others similar say that shit with a passion, (if you want to ofcourse if you don't its not the end of the world and theres alot like James that dont like it) if your not black or from any slaved countries LAY THE FUCK BACK and mind your own fucking business. Whites call every fucking arab in the world now a days terrorist, and got names for nearly every other color so seriously don't take no offense but whites needa lay the fuck back before you get slapped.

[DrRapid]

To me this word is like an insult since I find it hard to even say it. I am not black myself but I feel as if even if someone who is black doesn't mind being called that I will never use that word. There's a black guy in my class who will not care being told racist jokes, in fact he even finds them funny. I love that sort of attitude but I will never dare called him that word cause for me it just seems completely out of respect.

@bom-bom: Yep, negrata is ******

[Noeezy]

Seeing as how thats what white people called their slaves back then, I honestly don't know why black people would want to call each other that..
Even if they say its ok I wouldn't call anybody that just out of respect.
But If you feel you have to refer to back then why can't you just use the word "negro?"

[Tash8]

topic starter you make some really valid points, but i still dont like using the words, my coach is from Ghana and recently he was pulled over by a cop and called "n*gger" and shit the cop was being all racist towards him, if i was in the car with him, i woulda smacked the cop till his spinal chord was broken into several pieces.

[<Stiiccy>]

Obama is my N*gga

[Kez]

At the end of the day, as retarded as this double standard is, there is no way for you to get rid of it no matter what reasons you give. You gonna walk up to a gang up black people, say "what's up my nigga" and then give them this "if you can say it so can i" schoolboy mentality shit so they don't beat the fuck out of you? Considering the context of the word, the whole "you can't use it and we can" is probably meant to connote, for many, a reversal of roles, i.e. black people have something white people don't have, proving to the white people that they are not superior to them. That's probably the reasoning behind this whole shit. But yeah, you can't change it so just steer well clear of the whole fucking issue.

[Tranquil]

Im white, and i have black friends, they call me "the n word", and i call them that sumtimes, like "whats up my nigger" and shit like that, like, we saying it outta respect, not outta hate, like if u walk up to a black person and say"i fucking hate you, you fucking "n word" of course thats fucking racist, you no what i mean?, thats stupid, where all equal,