(Warning: Reader discretion advised. This post contains explicit language that some may consider offensive.)
According to a vast sample of sources, nigger is in one super-charged, six-letter, two-syllable word, the most offensive, most highly racially charged, and most vile epithet in the English Language; possibly, the single most disparaging and offensive characterization in the history of the English Language. I believe most reasonably sane Americans would hold that assertion to be true. Yet, it is common for some celebrity to ignite a controversy due to having liberally applied the sobriquet to an African American, or group thereof.
Quickly, allow me to add,
this is not another Paula Deen
rant. If interested in her story,
however, you can find a plethora of
citations at Google or Bing, with a single mouse click. Have at it.
By the way, for your information, the individual who filed suit against Ms. Deen was not African American. The litigant, Ms. Lisa Jackson, is a
white female…just for the record.
This is also not an extrapolation or dissection of the GeorgeZimmerman-Trayvon Martin case. Moreover,
rest assured pertinent information about this matter is readily available to
you as well; at your fingertips, as it were.
Those are simply two
contemporary instances in which the collective American focus has zeroed in laser-like fashion on the word nigger;
directly, as it pertains to Ms. Deen’s, and indirectly, but still
purposefully, with regard to the Zimmerman-Martin
case. A Plaintiff
alleges Ms. Deen actually used the
word nigger, while a key witness
maintains Mr. Martin uttered the phrase, “Creepy-assCracker,” which, in turn, numerous media outlets juxtaposed with nigger,
for comparison purposes.
Having established the efficacy of that basic predicate, let us move on to a couple of
critical questions:
1.
From whence does this inflammatory term derive?
First, according to Wikipedia, the free (online) encyclopedia, “The word originated as a neutral term
referring to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a
descendant of the Latin adjective niger (“color
black”). Often used
slightingly, by the mid 20th century, particularly in the United States
That is actually a generous depiction of the evolution of the word, in
terms of when negative connotations first
emerged. Later in the same citation, it
becomes clear that in 1619, English settlers used variations of nigger when referring to slaves they had
brought over to help conquer the New World .
Given the nature of the relationship between white men and women, and the
slaves they bought, sold, owned, and treated dismissively, it is hardly likely
any term appropriated specifically to describe those slaves was ever intended
as an honorific. I am confident we can
safely stipulate that without fear of impeachment
or contradiction. To that end, there is
no need, basis, or reason to feign
ignorance and pretend that the verbal assaults on the senses (to say nothing of
the physical assaults that often accompanied the verbal ones) emanating from “nigger” are a product of the 1960’s, and thus only 50 years in the making.
The evidence is clear, the direct insult and slurring spans four
centuries. That its use in 2013 can ever be considered in a light
less significantly offensive than in the Seventeenth,
Eighteenth, Nineteenth, or Twentieth
Centuries, would likely be beyond debate, were it not for a single caveat. That inexplicable
note of exception flows from the recognition that a segment the black
population is actively engaged in an effort to repurpose the word.
In fact, this effort is underscores a schism
in the African American
community. In July 2007, the NAACP
conducted a mock burial of the term.
Meanwhile, the denizens of the
Hip Hop World, as well as a number of
blacks, old and young, many of whom are not connected to hip hop in any way, revel in its resurrection. They and others contend the term they use
most frequently, nigga, conveys a
form of brotherly love. The principle
problem with that is…it’s just the next variation. Moreover, the use of the word by blacks apparently
invites, at least some of, those white celebrities to ponder why blacks can use
the word and they cannot.
While I think such reckoning is specious,
and does not dignify a response, it does bring into focus the second
question. The toxicity associated with nigger
is a function of the many hate-filled acts that accompanied the word and its
use. Lynchings and other murders,
physical assaults, violation of civil rights, and a host of other consequential
negative actions came with the assignation,
nigger! The pathological culture of fear, violence, terror, and anguish,
directed at blacks, and intended to separate them from their due rights and
benefits is what makes nigger such a heinous, contemptible, and despicable
appellation.
I do not have the definitive answer for those blacks who refuse to “let it go.” To be sure, hip hop has monetized the
term. That alone ensures that the
relationship is durable.
Yet, I am reminded that while I was growing up, a number of adults who
helped shape my view of the world challenged me regularly by asserting that the
use of profanity was a sign of a lazy and stagnant mind; a lack of mental acuity.
I have to believe that rappers, creative entrepreneurs that they are, can do better. There are some amazing artists who practice
the hip hop art. I know they can bury nigger, retire profanity,
and eliminate misogyny from their
future catalogs…if only they would.
As for those white folks who just cannot seem to break the habit, I offer
you the well-thought out, very precise advice of one Christopher Julius Rock, III, AKA,
Chris Rock. In answer to the question, “Can white people say nigger,” taken from
his 2008 CD, “Kill The Messenger.”
Earlier, I referred to the use of nigger
by members of the hip hop
community. As an addendum, comedians have also figured out inventive ways to
monetize the term. In this case, Mr. Rock is grouped with the rule, not
the exception. As with rappers, many
comedians employ the word nigger to
spin their stories. The humorists can do better as well! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
There you have it; “A Sociological and Etymological Examination
of “Nigger;” the Most Verbally Radioactive Word in the English Language!” I’m done; holla back!
PS. Enjoy your Independence Day tomorrow!
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information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult
the links below:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-told-friend-man-final-moments/story?id=19490796#.UdO5qc_D_IU
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