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It's like the dreaded "F" word. Some people act like if their children hear it, the word is over. Again, get over it. They are mere words.
I can understand where she's coming from although I have mixed feelings. Back in the day I would laugh at Richard Pryor's stand up acts and movies. even though I rarely ever heard it in the circles I moved in. Then I moved to the USA and while the N word wasn't used amongst my close friends, I did find myself around people who used it casually and over the years, it became less offensive...that was until earlier this year when a long awaited pivotal murder trial found the suspects guilty.
A young poet made us question the casual use of the N word.
So from someonje who uses it a lot , what does it mean to you?
It doesn't MEAN anything in particular, but i see it the way Jamie Foxx once described it..."i NEED that word" he said. LOL...sometimes it's simply appropo...there are just certain situations in which you can get your point across with it. I'm more than articulate enough to NOT need its use, but it just wouldn't be natural. Again, in certain company, and they know who they are. I see nothing wrong with the word in the way i use it. Sure, other black people will come on here and say they never use it because it's such a horrible word, and they have a right to their opinion. Me? Nah...it's not that serious.
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Originally Posted by Ghostrider275452
I was raised during the civil rights movement and I was taught the word was hateful. I cannot understand why some young blacks want to use a word that was so vehemently fought against during the 60's, it is derogatory and demeaning.
It's not just young blacks. Old blacks use it too, they're just more discerning and judicious in it's use....being far more careful of their company when they say it whereas young people (regardless of race) tend to not be as careful.
Moreover, no one "fought against" its use during the 60's. That's an oversimplification.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928
BentBow... dead on
CinSonic.... get over it.
I grew up in a rather religious household with highly educated individuals, and my parents (born in the 20's-30's), and grandparents (born in the 1890's-1900). Brazil nuts were called N*-toes, a grandparent's cousin had a dog named N*er.
I was shocked when my mom called the commander-in-chief a "South-side Chicago N*", (thshe was an Ivy-League scholar).
The first amendment is very powerful, though is slowly and effectively being destroyed. You can call me a cracker, honky, whitey, wasp, whatever you want. I don't care.
Nah, i don't believe that you can simply insult people just because we have a first amendment. Let's not be silly. There are consequences to being insulting. Someone might slap off half your face for talking slick....and i don't see that as unreasonable at all if you're intentionally trying to ridicule someone.
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Originally Posted by Taratova
The word should die... no one should use it as a term of endearment.. or a racial slur. How blacks can use it is beyond me.. I remember CNN put up a piece with an old woman and they played a black rap song with the N word constantly being said..
I don't get it!!
This is why the word should die!
The word will die when black folks decide to kill it off. Speaking for myself, i'm not ready to do that yet.
It doesn't MEAN anything in particular, but i see it the way Jamie Foxx once described it..."i NEED that word" he said. LOL...sometimes it's simply appropo...there are just certain situations in which you can get your point across with it. I'm more than articulate enough to NOT need its use, but it just wouldn't be natural. Again, in certain company, and they know who they are. I see nothing wrong with the word in the way i use it. Sure, other black people will come on here and say they never use it because it's such a horrible word, and they have a right to their opinion. Me? Nah...it's not that serious.
I understand, us white folks have our words to get a point across.
Quote:
It's not just young blacks. Old blacks use it too, they're just more discerning and judicious in it's use....being far more careful of their company when they say it whereas young people (regardless of race) tend to not be as careful.
I have heard older blacks use it, ''R" instead of "A" at the end, but it does not seem to be in their everyday speak. Usually older will use it in anger, younger much more an every other word thin, much like the "F" word.
Quote:
Moreover, no one "fought against" its use during the 60's. That's an oversimplification.
Nah, i don't believe that you can simply insult people just because we have a first amendment. Let's not be silly. There are consequences to being insulting. Someone might slap off half your face for talking slick....and i don't see that as unreasonable at all if you're intentionally trying to ridicule someone.
I should have said the meaning of the word. Not so much the word itself.
Quote:
The word will die when black folks decide to kill it off. Speaking for myself, i'm not ready to do that yet.
I understand, us white folks have our words to get a point across.
I have heard older blacks use it, ''R" instead of "A" at the end, but it does not seem to be in their everyday speak. Usually older will use it in anger, younger much more an every other word thin, much like the "F" word. I should have said the meaning of the word. Not so much the word itself.
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Uh...ok, fair enough. But like i said, it's all in how it's used. The word doesn't have the power it once had, and that's not a bad thing to me. So long as someone doesn't use it towards me in a pejorative manner, then it's all good. If white kids want to use that word with each other, then i really don't care.
I'll bet I could say words to you that would offend you.
No, actually you couldn't. For 2 simple reasons:
- I am an emotionally stable and intelligent adult, hence I do not "get offended" nor do my feelings get hurt.
- If the first reason wasn't enough, I lack the gene that forces me to care what other people think. The opinions of strangers, whether they hate me or love me, are completely meaningless to me. Words are simply expressions of an opinion.
This is something blacks have to decide for themselves. I'm white and I never say it, and very rarely hear it. I have friends of all races. It seems that it's the more educated blacks that don't say it because they feel it does not apply to them or the company they keep. It seems to be more of a lower class word. Society is losing class by the day. Just look at society as a whole, and the ghetto trash (Jersey Shore, Bad Girls Club, etc) on TV. Americans have embraced this crap, and the N word along with it.
I am in my black woman in my early-30s. Growing up the n-word went from a racial slur, to something that is used by certain types of people as almost a term of endearment.
I just thought it was completely silly. I don't use it in any context. But as I am getting older, I find it to be more commonly used by a wide range of people. It used to be a "lower class" word. And these days it has moved up the food chain to middle class kids. And non-blacks!
I about had a heart attack when I friended my coworker on facebook and found out that he and his other south asian and Filipino friends called each other the n-word. (He is Indian).
My sister had a similar experience with a Puerto Rican co-worker and called her on it (it was a different situation, since she was one of the authorized posters on her company's facebook account, and it could have been seen as offensive in the broader community). She was later un-friended by that woman.
This for me causes a huge generation gap with the 20-somethings. I guess their parents are a little too far removed from it being a racial slur. I have no idea. I cringe when I hear anyone say it. I find it offensive whether it ends with "er", "a" or is remixed into "w*gga" or "w*gger"
What do you guys think?
I'm offended when some black's and whites say it is racist to to display the Stars and Bars because some white racist group "stole" the flag and used it as their banner.
I am in my black woman in my early-30s. Growing up the n-word went from a racial slur, to something that is used by certain types of people as almost a term of endearment.
I just thought it was completely silly. I don't use it in any context. But as I am getting older, I find it to be more commonly used by a wide range of people. It used to be a "lower class" word. And these days it has moved up the food chain to middle class kids. And non-blacks!
I about had a heart attack when I friended my coworker on facebook and found out that he and his other south asian and Filipino friends called each other the n-word. (He is Indian).
My sister had a similar experience with a Puerto Rican co-worker and called her on it (it was a different situation, since she was one of the authorized posters on her company's facebook account, and it could have been seen as offensive in the broader community). She was later un-friended by that woman.
This for me causes a huge generation gap with the 20-somethings. I guess their parents are a little too far removed from it being a racial slur. I have no idea. I cringe when I hear anyone say it. I find it offensive whether it ends with "er", "a" or is remixed into "w*gga" or "w*gger"
What do you guys think?
Hardly. I'm around your age, and that word gets more than enough usage amongst all ages.
Contrary to popular belief, it's not a "ghetto youth" word. Growing up, I heard the old black folks use it almost more than anyone else. It's simply a part of the vocabulary of working class blacks. This is the culture that rap is birthed from, and that genre of music is what brought it to the mainstream's ear.
Most non-blacks do not understand the culture behind its usage, which is why they either take absolute offense to it or use it themselves because they see it as "cool".
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