Dear People Who Want an Opinion on the N-Word,
Let me start off by saying, I do not believe in anybody using the term in any way, shape or form, because the word it is derived from is a very hurtful term.
If you do not know, the widely used term “n***a” came from the formally widely used term “n****r,” which is a derogatory term that no person of African descent would appreciate being called. The original term was used to describe black people, because during the times the term was popular, people who looked like me were not recognized as people, we were just n****as; it was used to “keep us in our place.” Throughout history people derived this horrible term to refer to different objects, activities and ways to describe people in a negative light. So, it doesn’t make sense to me that people are trying to turn the word “n***a” into something friendly, even if they are aware of its historical past. Nobody walks around calling people other derogatory terms in a casual manner, so why the hell is it okay to toss around “n***a” like that term is not offensive too? One journalist, Sean Price, interviewed Arizona State University professor Neal A. Lester about the “n-word” and spoke about how the “n-word” is becoming popular due to black people legitimizing its usage. Lester stated, “it has become a popular term of endearment by the descendants of the very people who once had to endure it.” The phrase “n****r” was used to hold people who look like me back, it was used to hold people who had brown skin down, the term was made to break black people, which caused me to wonder why anybody, especially black people, would want to twist this phrase and make it cool to use.
Growing up in my household, I was taught to never use the term “n***a” and I never heard the word out loud until I visited my father’s family. I was in shock. As a child, I heard this term used in a casual manner knowing that it was wrong. As I grew up, I heard more and more people using the term and I was in awe because, again, I was taught to never use that word under any circumstance. In an article by Natachi Onwuamaegbu, she discusses how no one really has the privilege to be able to say the word freely, because the word is a consequence of America’s racist past. Just because I have brown skin and kinky hair does not mean I have the right to use the term in any format.
Today the term “n***a” is used in a more casual way that is not deemed as derogatory at all. This is obvious. An article from the Washington Post states that “n***a” is used about 500,000 times a day on Twitter, which is more than the 300,000 times the words “bro” and “dude” are used on Twitter daily. Black people started to reclaim the word and make it into something with a more positive context. But I do not agree with this either, because nobody can erase the baggage the term carries. The black people of this generation have grandparents and maybe even parents who were tormented by the original version of this term and some individuals today currently being oppressed by the term n****r. So, either way this word is used (with or without the ‘er’ ending) is still deemed as insensitive and offensive across the black population. Referring back to the Price article, Lester mentions an important detail on how sensitive this word still is today. He talks about other cultures saying “n***a” within their cultural groups, but once they enter into an environment that contains black people, the word is not heard, or if it is heard the black people in the room become offended. No matter what others believe, this word still contains feelings and emotions that are sensitive to people today. I hear black people, white people, Latino people and Asian people using the term loosely and I once wondered why the term was accepted across many cultures. Then I answered my own question. Music.
Many hip-hop and R&B songs today use the term casually, and as people keep singing these lyrics, they become more comfortable with the word because they now have “permission.” Music helps this term travel across the world because each race does not have a genre of music assigned to them; everybody has the ability to listen to anything they want to. Because of this, the term can be deemed as appropriate to people who do not fully grasp the historical background of the word. Onwuamaegbu says that songs are not an excuse to use the “n-word,” but it is hard to police the usage of this term since pop culture is flooded with the appropriation of the term “n***a”. The first time a person may say it, they might be a little “shook,” but as time goes and as the exposure to the word increases the person may be more comfortable with saying it. A prime example of this word being thrown around in music today is Chris Brown’s defining section of the song “Freaky Friday,” where he says “n***a” 11 times in under 30 seconds. Yes, it is a comical moment within the context of the song, but I was shocked when I first heard it. I was driving to class and it randomly played on Spotify, and y’all… I choked on my saliva. It was crazy to see when Chris Brown and Lil’ Dicky changed bodies and one of Lil’ Dicky’s highlights was being able to casually say “n***a” without being looked at weirdly or feeling offensive. I was shook even more when I heard white kids singing that song and rocking out to that one part! I will admit that I have let the term slip when I am singing or rapping songs, but I never plan on adding that word to my everyday vocabulary.
I feel like nobody should be allowed to say the ‘n-word’ and that the term should not be accepted by anybody, because the term comes from a hurtful word and people have names for a reason. It is hard to police this term and it is hard to make people care about being sensitive towards the term “n***a,” because not enough people care about the possible emotions and memories that hang on the coattails of that term. But nobody wants somebody to approach them like, “Hey, Bitch!” or “What’s up, Hoe!,” so do not approach anybody the same way with the phrase “n***a,” because it is hurtful and disrespectful to the living and the dead. At the end of the day, regardless of race, ethnicity or background, you should not use the “n-word” in any way or in any context because the change of one or two letters does not change the history behind it. If you disagree with me, so be it, but don’t run across the wrong “n***a,” because you might end up with a few missing teeth.
– A Black Girl Who is Not Afraid to Speak Her Mind