Nigger: Who Can Say It And Why
The late comedian, Bernie Mac, once said: “it’s okay to have that Nigga in you….Ain’t nothing wrong with bein’ a Nigga. There’s somethin’ wrong with being a “nigger”- but not a Nigga” (Asim 212). However, the question of where the line is drawn that separates a “nigga” from a “nigger” is still being asked today. “In JUBA TO JIVE: A Dictionary of African- American Slang”, Clarence Major wrote that the N word can function as a term of endearment when exchanged by blacks, whose usage reflects a tragicomic sensibility that is aware of black history” (Asim 212). What is a term of endearment? Terms of endearment usually are “nicknames” that express love and affection, i.e. sweetheart, honey, baby, snicker doodle, pumpkin, and things of that nature. Really, where is the love and affection in being called a “nigga?” Being an African- American woman myself, I believe we as a race should not refer to one another as “nigga” or “nigger” especially as a “term of endearment.” The majority of us as a race have taken a term that was once used to degrade us as a people, and have turned it into a part of our everyday vocabulary. We as a race need to realize the comfort level with using the word “nigga” has had an impact on everyday life, whether it is through day-to-day conversations or entertainment. We can no longer be offended if a person from another race especially the Caucasian race says the word nigger because we say it around them all the time.
Andrew Hacker said:
Societies create vocabularies, devising new terms when they are needed and retaining old ones when they serve a purpose. Dictionaries list words as obsolete or archaic, denoting that they are no longer used or heard. But one epithet survives, because people want it to….That word, of course, is “nigger (Asim 196).
Most lexicographers trace the words “niggers” and “negroes” to “Niger,” the Latin word for “black” (Asim 10). The term “nigger” traces back to times of slavery as well. The word was used by British traders during the early to mid 1600s. “It was not until the 1970s that whites publicly diminished the use of that word as the political will of the country was telling us that the word “nigga” was unacceptable in any context. Nearly 370 years later the word became unacceptable and offensive in public speech” (Alonso 2). Alonso stated in one of his articles that the word “nigga” in American terms, goes back several centuries, was originally used exclusively in a derogatory sense to denigrate, psychologically subjugate, and to mentally scar the individual identities of blacks in the United States by white people.
The word “nigga” not only has never left our vocabulary, but it is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. What’s up my nigga? How you doing my nigga? Tell that nigga I said what up. Nigga please. That’s my nigga. Me and my niggas going to hoop today, you wanna join my nigga? Seriously, why can’t we find words that aren’t as degrading to call each other? There are plenty of words in the dictionary to substitute for the word nigga. What did Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers fight for? Why did the people before us fight for our freedom and liberation and for us to be identified as human beings, if we were only going to take the term and use it as if it has no meaning?
“The word nigger, you see, sums up for us who are colored all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America” (Asim 128). Niggers are believed to be stupid, immoral, diseased, lazy, incompetent, and dangerous. We are supposed to be dangerous to the “man’s” virtue and social order. Struggle and insults, and yet, we continue to use it as if it was a word of pride. Do we really want to acknowledge each other as being lazy, stupid, and a menace to society?
If the late children’s television show host, Mr. Rogers started his show off saying won’t you be my nigga, we would be outraged. Mr. Rogers would have had to deal with severe backlash for that statement. Possible repercussions for him saying that would be the cancelation of his show, negative coverage by the media, and him being forced to make a public apology. However, in today’s society, the word “nigga” is used throughout all aspects of entertainment by African- Americans. Even though the word is used in all genres of entertainment, is primarily used the most in the music industry.
The word “nigga” is heavily used among many A-List rappers. The majority of rappers that used the word “nigga” are the rappers that have the biggest influence on society. “ For example, Billboards top 40 included 11 rap songs during the first week of April 2003 and those lyrics had the word “nigga” in the lyrics 17 times” (Alonso 13). 50 Cent’s In the Club used to be the number one song in America. In that song, he used the word “nigga” a total of nine times. 50 Cent’s debut album, Get Rich or Die Trying, sold roughly about 872,000 albums during the first week of the album’s release. Throughout 50 Cent’s album, the word “nigga” was used a total of 131 times.
In the 1980s a group named, Niggas with Attitude, hit the music scene. They used the word “nigga” to identify themselves. In the year 1990, Niggas with Attitude, came out with an album entitled Efil4zaggin. If looked at carefully, the name of their album is Niggaz 4 Life spelled backwards. It is amazing that two of the biggest rap icons that paved the way for rappers today, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, were members of NWA. N WA using the word “nigga” in their name was never looked down upon. Their reputations were never damaged but the use of the word “nigga” added to their credibility as ghetto rap stars.
Andrew Hacker said:
Societies create vocabularies, devising new terms when they are needed and retaining old ones when they serve a purpose. Dictionaries list words as obsolete or archaic, denoting that they are no longer used or heard. But one epithet survives, because people want it to….That word, of course, is “nigger (Asim 196).
Most lexicographers trace the words “niggers” and “negroes” to “Niger,” the Latin word for “black” (Asim 10). The term “nigger” traces back to times of slavery as well. The word was used by British traders during the early to mid 1600s. “It was not until the 1970s that whites publicly diminished the use of that word as the political will of the country was telling us that the word “nigga” was unacceptable in any context. Nearly 370 years later the word became unacceptable and offensive in public speech” (Alonso 2). Alonso stated in one of his articles that the word “nigga” in American terms, goes back several centuries, was originally used exclusively in a derogatory sense to denigrate, psychologically subjugate, and to mentally scar the individual identities of blacks in the United States by white people.
The word “nigga” not only has never left our vocabulary, but it is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. What’s up my nigga? How you doing my nigga? Tell that nigga I said what up. Nigga please. That’s my nigga. Me and my niggas going to hoop today, you wanna join my nigga? Seriously, why can’t we find words that aren’t as degrading to call each other? There are plenty of words in the dictionary to substitute for the word nigga. What did Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers fight for? Why did the people before us fight for our freedom and liberation and for us to be identified as human beings, if we were only going to take the term and use it as if it has no meaning?
“The word nigger, you see, sums up for us who are colored all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America” (Asim 128). Niggers are believed to be stupid, immoral, diseased, lazy, incompetent, and dangerous. We are supposed to be dangerous to the “man’s” virtue and social order. Struggle and insults, and yet, we continue to use it as if it was a word of pride. Do we really want to acknowledge each other as being lazy, stupid, and a menace to society?
If the late children’s television show host, Mr. Rogers started his show off saying won’t you be my nigga, we would be outraged. Mr. Rogers would have had to deal with severe backlash for that statement. Possible repercussions for him saying that would be the cancelation of his show, negative coverage by the media, and him being forced to make a public apology. However, in today’s society, the word “nigga” is used throughout all aspects of entertainment by African- Americans. Even though the word is used in all genres of entertainment, is primarily used the most in the music industry.
The word “nigga” is heavily used among many A-List rappers. The majority of rappers that used the word “nigga” are the rappers that have the biggest influence on society. “ For example, Billboards top 40 included 11 rap songs during the first week of April 2003 and those lyrics had the word “nigga” in the lyrics 17 times” (Alonso 13). 50 Cent’s In the Club used to be the number one song in America. In that song, he used the word “nigga” a total of nine times. 50 Cent’s debut album, Get Rich or Die Trying, sold roughly about 872,000 albums during the first week of the album’s release. Throughout 50 Cent’s album, the word “nigga” was used a total of 131 times.
In the 1980s a group named, Niggas with Attitude, hit the music scene. They used the word “nigga” to identify themselves. In the year 1990, Niggas with Attitude, came out with an album entitled Efil4zaggin. If looked at carefully, the name of their album is Niggaz 4 Life spelled backwards. It is amazing that two of the biggest rap icons that paved the way for rappers today, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, were members of NWA. N WA using the word “nigga” in their name was never looked down upon. Their reputations were never damaged but the use of the word “nigga” added to their credibility as ghetto rap stars.