In a minute…not right now, but very soon, I’m going to open your eyes to a whole new way of thinking. An epiphany that may breathe life into the corners of your mind, those itty bitty crevices collecting dust…if you let me. But before I do that, in the meantime, do some leisure reading here (http://thefreshxpress.com/2011/07/nicca-what-nicca-who-is-the-n-word-obsolete/) . It’s Niesha Davis’ reminder of everything you’ve ever heard or read about the use of the word NIGGER, nigga, nucca, and every variation in between.
Davis, like so many others, is sick of the N word. She’s tired of its pervasion into black culture, mainstream culture, hip hop lyrics, street lingo, and the vocabulary of a white lady named Kreayshawn. It’s oppressive. It’s disrespectful. It’s hateful. And Davis wants to pack that hate word up and ship it straight out of town. The word means ignorant and for hundreds of years it was used to oppress and keep African Americans down. Her words.
My position on the subject varies slightly.
I don’t see anything wrong with the word. But not only do I think it’s ok to use the word, I love the word. I embrace it like a new born baby wrapped in swaddling cloth. I use it every chance I get and then…I use it some more. When I listen to R. Kelly’s “I Wish” (http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-wish-remix-lyrics-r-kelly.html), I sing along and turn the music up all 28 times he uses the word, harmonizing and everything. I use it in my house. I use it in my ride. I use it on the streets. But I don’t use it at work…because…they’ll probably fire me.
I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point. I’m a writer. My vocabulary stretches far beyond the word Nigger and Davis has a valid point. Four hundred years of slavery and 150 more of racial oppression has taught America a painful lesson about the power of a word. Nigger kept us weak instead of strong. It was a word that told us we were nothing instead of something and it was hammered into our minds until we believed it. It separated us from them. Told us we were inferior by nature, from birth. The word Nigger lynched us before the noose, before the fire. It beat us even before the whip or the chain. They used it to put us down and not build us up. But I used to be young and now I’m old. I used to be weaker, but now I’m stronger and there’s a reason you only use belts for children.
It’s all about a deflection of power. Ever see those suspense movies, where the woman wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of a break in, grabs her gun from the back of a drawer and tip toes around the corner to shoot the intruder? Only she doesn’t know how to use a gun, and the intruder being stronger than she, disarms her and the power that used to be hers is now his. Or vice versa. The point is, the gun is only as powerful as the person holding it. The point is, life gave us lemons, and we made lemonade. The point is, we took the gun.
We took a word that used to be bad, and made it good. We took a word that was used to rape us and turned it into a term of endearment. My friend, my confidant, my nigga. That switch did something only we could do. It stripped the word of its power and laid the oppressor on his back. It deprived him of the ability to hurt us. A punishment isn’t a punishment if it feels good to the touch and sounds sweet to the ears. We decided unanimously and without the consent of the oppressor to change the definition of the word. Nigger will mean what we say it means. Nigger doesn’t mean ignorant. Nigger was derived from the Spanish word for black, Negro. The drawl of the south and lazy tongues turned negro into negra and later into nigger.
The resilience of a people that weren’t meant to survive and the creativity of one-of-a-kind minds turned nigger into nigga, into nicca, into nucca. When other people try to say it, it just doesn’t sound the same. The word doesn’t roll off their tongue the way it does ours. It’s not as smooth, it’s not as gritty. They don’t know how long to hold the first syllable and when to let it go. For me, the ridicule of non-blacks using the word is less about the fact that they don’t know its history, they can’t feel its torment, they can’t possibly relate to its depth, and more about the fact that they just sound stupid.
Niesha Davis, I don’t blame you. At first glance, using a word with such a painful past sounds like a bad move on our part. But isn’t it a worse move to roll over and accept the hand they dealt us? The bondage of slavery defined nigger so many years ago and isn’t the acceptance of that definition an admission of defeat? It sends a bad message that I don’t want to be a part of. It says I’m giving you the authority to define who I am for me and whatever you say… goes. Who told them they get to write the dictionary?
I say let’s re-write it. Let’s re-move every bad connotation of the word and re-write history because we can. Let’s re-think, let’s re-vive, let’s re-look at this topic and re-see what we should have seen and could have seen all along. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me. They’re just too easy to beat. Epiphany complete.
Article by Herina Ayot
Herina K. Ayot is a staff editor for a healthcare journal and freelance writer residing in Jersey City, New Jersey. She is a contributor for Parle Magazine and previously ran a Dating and Relationships blog called Sinnamon Nights.
Herina has written 6 article(s) for us.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
you think the people who were attacked by dogs, sprayed with water hoses, and subjected to humiliation would want to see that word used as if it’s just some new slang!? I mean people where in more of an uproar over planking, and making up all these stories linking it to slavery rappers the same people who use this word and have no care for the people who actually still live and had to suffer and were referred to this word for so many years. Why the hell do we have to have this argument over this word? Why in the world can’t we just choose another “real” word that was created for good purposes? Why are blacks fighting over this word so much?? I don’t get it, and will NEVER get it! I mean it’s the most useless word, and you are constantly trying to make it happen? If we going to change this word, lets change the word for Peace, Love, hell why not the color Blue!? Is there not anything else in the world to worry about then this subject?
It’s IMPORTANT to have conversations like and similar to the use of the “N WORD” it generates a discourse about OUR HISTORY…and sometimes it stimulates critical thinking (a skill that most of us lack and the majority of us need to improve) along with other things that we can consider a POSITIVE contribution to black thought and ideology.
I began with the leisure read…which yielded this particular response:
“I think EVERY black person (nothing more or less) has a right to have an opinion that is in some way support of the use or in complete opposition to use of the word…but ultimately TO EACH ITS OWN…
In terms of its history…I think it’d be BEAUTIFUL if the use of the word stimulated beneficial and essential conversation about the HISTORY of the word…the operative word is HISTORY!! we need to use words like this in conjunction with other instances of racism and discrimination to generate imperative conversations about OUR HISTORY…”
By the time I reached the 4th paragraph here…it made me THINK (thank you) that the use of the word NIGGA in OUR community UNIFIES us but UNFORTUNATELY at the same time its an mnemonic device that some BLACK people use to SEPARATE themselves from the “lesser”….
HOWEVER YOU DO MAKE VALID POINTS THAT I PERSONALLY AGREE WITH!!
“The point is, the gun is only as powerful as the person holding it. The point is, life gave us lemons, and we made lemonade. The point is, we took the gun.”
In fact, most of us have taken the gun…and we use it when we want to MY NIGGA!!
Using the gun as the analogy here…pretty brilliant nigga! And to carry on in that sentiment…I would say that BLACK PEOPLE are the ONLY PEOPLE that have a right to bear that PARTICULAR arm!! We’re BORN with a license to carry the word…NO ONE ELSE…and that is just the way that it is…it was OUR blood that was SHED!!
CORRECT! DEAD ON THE HEAD!! In the spirit of what you said:
“The word originated as a term used in a neutral context to refer to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger, meaning the color “black” ”
that was the ORIGINAL meaning…so QUINTESSENTIALLY they re-wrote the definition and we’re just FLIPPING IT BACK ON EM!!
You’re argument in regards to the CREATIVE USE and the way we SAY IT and make it OURS…NIGGAAAAAAAA I agree!! Totally…and I believe it unites us MORE than it separates us…but UNFORTUNATELY it is used to separate US from US sometimes…so what do we do about that? how do we lead the important conversations to our OWN people about the way we use it negatively…I think that is IMPERATIVE as we move FORWARD in re-defining and accepting the word…AGREE?!
also, let’s be careful…we can’t re-write history (unless its INCORRECT) we can only re-present it in a way that is BENEFICIAL for US!!
but this definitely made me think…gave me a few analogies to throw in the arsenal for future debate!
BIG THANKS AND SHOUT OUT TO MY NIGGA!!!!!!! Herina Ayot!!!!
OH! In addition to what I said…
As we begin to generate conversations around the use of the word in OUR community…and how it’s being used by some BLACKS to SEPARATE themselves from those they deem “lessor” we must add/include Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s works in the conversations…not limited to but more specifically The Miseducation of a Negro!
Im not arguing with you on your opinion, however if the word seriously has no power as we say it doesn’t why do we still get in an uproar when other races besides us use it….i mean seriously, we can talk all this crap about how we took something born out of negativity and made it a positive but in the end it still has a resounding negative connotation…yes, we as a people use it so much we that we have now have put lipstick on a pig and called it cute….its just like if you repeadetly tell a child he or she is stupid, after a while they will start to believe it…i am one who is guilty of using the word quite a bit, however it still makes my skin crawl when I hear other races using it….i guess that’s the hypocrisy of being a nigga…
I understand what you’re saying…and I’d like to reiterate what I said before; it was OUR blood that was shed…OUR dignities…masculinity and femininity…and OUR respect that was lost…Ayot brilliantly uses the gun analogy here and I say that WE (blacks) are born with a gun permit/license and we have the right to bear arms…and UNLOAD as we please!! NO ONE ELSE…all others shall be “prosecuted”
“…put lipstick on a pig and called it cute.” Honestly, this sums up all up. I couldn’t agree more. We can’t unring the bell…the history of the word will always and forever be with it, no matter how “pretty” we try to make it. Let a White person call you a nigger and see what happens. It still has power. Some things are just better left untouched and radio active.
*sums it all up*
“The point is, the gun is only as powerful as the person holding it. The point is, life gave us lemons, and we made lemonade. The point is, we took the gun.”
-Yeah, we took the gun and aimed it at ourselves. I have nothing more to really say about this. I feel that my stance on the subject matter was strong. As long as we continue to promote and revel in a word that is at it’s origin hateful(and I’m talking about in recent history, pertaining to African-American history, particularly in the United States) we will forever be a lost people. On the whole I mean, not the few individuals that are interested in real analysis of our makeshift culture and checkered past. The problem is, we’re complacent. We’re not interested in really doing the heavy lifting that it takes to really advance and create a positive and uplifting culture. “We” are complacent with our position in this world. A position that includes openly calling ourselves niggers. It’s sad. Honestly.
*Slow clap*
“The problem is, we’re complacent. We’re not interested in really doing the heavy lifting that it takes to really advance and create a positive and uplifting culture. “We” are complacent with our position in this world.”
I agree with all of us. However, I just don’t believe the N word is even a marginal factor as to why “We’re” in this position currently. If the N word never existed we’d still be in the same boat today, basically, IMO.
When did black people become this “phony?” I mean, why are we acting like the word is some traumatizing thing that makes you lose your mind and brings flashbacks to when we were slaves? This is a prime example, of why our leadership has fallen, we’ve gone from fighting for the right to vote, and equality, to fighting for the banishment of a word that every person says, but the majority, say in the privacy of their home for fear of getting busted in the face.
The truth is we just don’t like white people saying the “N-word” and we dislike them saying it to the point, that we’re willing to hit them for doing so. You can come up with a lot of rationalizations as to why that is the case, but truth be told we just don’t like it, the same way white people don’t like us moving into their suburbs in large numbers.
Plus, if Dick Gregory says I can say the Nigg*r, gaddammit, Ima get my Dr. Laura on, no question.
This was a well written article, and well thought out. I just don’t agree with you, although I can see where you’re coming from. We just have to agree to disagree.
Hey…while we are at it, let’s paint our faces Black, tap-dance, redefine picking cotton, and thread nooses.
Until we make a serious intervention, WE will be the group that will force history to repeat itself.
To me this goes under the file, “Do you”. If this is the way you speak and the words you use than so be it. If you call a fellow brother the N word and he promptly and politely tells you don’t refer to him as that then respect it going forward. No harm, no foul. There are plenty of African-Americans that have made great strides from the days of slavery and many have used the N word in their daily vocabulary (maybe not pubically based on how famous they are) and many don’t use it at all. At the end of the day you define who you are as a person. I don’t necessarily agree we are a “lost” people based on what we as a people accomplished over the last 400 years or so because of a single word.
There are many more things and habits that are holding our people down much more then the usage or definition of the N word….undereducated, overweight, etc..etc..At the end of the day it’s as simple as different strokes for different folks. Some parents believe that spanking your children is the way to go when instilling discipline and others believe in the “time out” theory….both sets of parents will swear by each method and both sets aren’t wrong, either. Whatever your style is, do you and try not to disrespect anyone at the same time.
its funny all the people i wouldnt use the word around i have strong respect for, not just at work, but peers. to me its become a term of endearment among the stagnant or visitors to that world.
Myyyyyy nigga! I’ve never heard anyone describe it quite the way you did, but those are my sentiments exactly. I love it! And thank you! Where can I read more hunni?! Great writer!
Wow. When I clicked on this, I figured you would use a different, innovative angle to argue for using the N-Word. But instead you used one of the most common, repetitive arguments black people use for the N-Word. That we took it and made it into something positive? “We?” Excuse me, but apparently I missed the Meeting of All Black People Worldwide To Pass ‘Nigga’ as a positve term. That “we” you speak of, sure as hell doesn’t include me.
I don’t like the word. And if I’m to be called it, why can’t I go to my Hispanic friends and say, “What’s up, my spic?” Or an Asian friend and say, “What’s up, my chink?” Without them getting mad. But I’m supposed to be okay with it? Naw, son. I don’t think so.
First, I agree with Hannington Dia wholeheartedly!
Of all of the words in the English language, this is the word to want to claim? I hear the word so much now, sometimes I think I’ve snuck into a KKK meeting until I see the speakers of the word.
When the arbiters of hip hop and rap culture put that word out for commercial use, in other words when they sold this word for money it was no longer a word of the streets. Anyone can use it now. The problem is that in eagerly trying to be gritty and streetwise for money, the history, blood and pain behind the word got left out, all folks heard was the “my nigga” comradeship or “my nucca” running buddy aspects of the word.
I hate that this word is again out there and in this so-called post-racial world all black people are supposed to be happy that we can all use it equally. I heard an Asian girl on the phone using it with one of her friends, I’m on the bus and I hear that word, I walk down the street and some blaring car radio is reverberating off of my house windows.
I challenge the rap and hip-hop “artists” how have you taken back this word? How has this word turned into a term of respect? Every time I hear the word in some of these songs it is used along with the various connotations of killing. The only thing I see is that the artists sold the word and now want to tell people how to use it. The artist’s life is better because you now live far away from your nuccas or niggas but the rest of us have to live with your selling this word to the highest bidder via your CD sales. Now you got a bunch of confused people who think that they can use it anytime anywhere without understanding the broad historical context of this word.
On a side note, what I find absolutely hilarious is that during the recent census, young, Black people were upset that the word Negro was one of the choices along with African American and Black. Some said it reminded them of the Civil Rights movement etc. Yet the rap and hip hop artists are using a far more older and pejorative term and not a peep. Negro hurts your feelings but the many connotations of Nigger make you happy?! GTFOH!
It is a small wonder that you have idiots like Michelle Bachmann trying to co-sign bullsh*t about black children in slavery being more likely to have a two parent home (never mind families being broken up by sales or any inconvenient truths such as that). We have idiots busy trying to make nigger acceptable while not saying one damn word when these politicians tell outright damn lies about Black history in order to score points with the type of people who made the word nigger possible in the first place!
I love post-racial America. If we are not careful in 30 years there will be idiots trying to tell Black folks that we volunteered to be packed into slave ships to help build America. My fear is that at that time we’ll be too busy trying to make some other pejorative acceptable(i.e. selling out) for use (black face, Uncle Tom-ing). Read my people, Read!
If we were forced to eat shit all of our lives does the fact that we accept it, and embrace it make the shit taste any better?
Chinelo