Thursday, August 14, 2008

Nigger please? To Nigger or not to Nigger?






I know this topic has been beat to death. Literally, seeing as the NAACP buried the term last year. But since I am new the the blogasphere, I feel like this is the perfect topic for me to pop my blogging cherry.



I have never understood why this is such a controversial topic in America. It seems to me like it should be pretty simple. If your context allows you to say Nigger than say it; if it doesn't than leave it alone.



What do I mean? Remember when you were in elementary school and they talked to you about using "context clues" to figure out the meaning of something you didn't understand. For example If I were to say "Johnny checked the lights before klubugging the house". You would automatically know what klubugging meant although I just made the word up. In that context you know exactly what I was implying by my word choice. The same thing applies to using the N-word, and by N-word I mean Nigger.

To know if it is okay to use the word let your context i.e: the company you are in, and the intent in which you wish to use the word be your guide. I don't want to really get into the morality of using the word. I don't think there is an absolute right or wrong here. You really should apply the same principles you use when using any other curse word and believe me I fucking love to curse myself.

Without getting into the rightness or wrongness of applying the word, I tend to wonder why non-blacks want "the right" to use it. Why do you want to use it so badly? Its not the "white supremest "racist people who this debate usually resonates with. They say Nigger unabashedly and with the intent they mean for it to have. It is usually the "I'm not a racist" person that feels like they are shut out of some part of the "black experience" they want to be included. Get over it! Personally I think it speaks to the strong sense of entitlement of the majority (or according to CNN the soon to be minority) in this country. Shouldn't you feel awkward using a term that doesn't apply to you in the same cultural sense of the people using it? I don't think I would feel right going up to one of my Hispanic friends saying Hey Essay! or bowing to every Asian I met. And besides trying to interject yourself into someone else's cultural "thang" to feel cool in mixed racial crowds is akin to your granddad showing up with you and your date telling you to "raise the roof!"

If its an Asian Thang (math) let them have it, If its a Latino thing (low riders), let them have it. Ain't nothing wrong if its a Black Thang. White people you have your own thang (good credit)! I feel like this: Whats wrong with a culture having something unique to it that you are not privy to? Makes common sense to me.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your blog title says it all.
Noticed you don't have a lot of comments...

hmmmmm

wonder why that is?

random asian said...

nigger please!

white dude missing his bike said...

anyway nigger still stole my bike