I went on a night out the other day - standard. Well everything was standard except the theme. Our whole group took over this averaged-sized club in the French Alpes; people were doing shots at the bar, half-pissed guys were busting their moves on the dance floor, girls were screeching along to songs in a way that doesn’t matter when you’re drunk. However, this fairly typical Saturday night scene was actually atypical, as it was conducted in dress of ‘non-pc’. What do I mean by ‘non-pc’? People were dressed as Golliwogs, Princess Diana, Madeline McCanne, Nazis, and some even stretched to go as far as the KKK. One person went as Nick Clegg (very apt considering his recent betrayal to students) and one person was clever enough to go as a Mac computer. Yeah, it was preeeetttty controversial alright, and I can imagine people reading this will be either laughing, outraged or shocked… shocked with a naughty smirk on their face. However offensive, this occasion was fully in jest with people eager to outdo each other in controversy. One girl, on the other hand, started shouting about how much of a disgrace and how disgusting it was that people would dress up as such… non-pc things. One argument was that it was ‘the theme’ and people were only doing what they had been asked. The other understandable argument was that it never should have been ‘the theme’ and even if it was people should not comply anyways. Now I’m not arguing about the rights and wrongs of dressing up as a Golliwog - another post idea I think. The whole situation made me think about racism an’ all that, and other situations where the lines of ‘what is acceptable’ is blurred.
My boyfriend and I (my boyfriend in particular) are very much into hip hop - from Tupac to Biggie, from Dr Dre to Nicki Minaj - so I am very aware of the various themes and lyrics that are present in the music. One particular word which comes up time and again is the ‘n’ word. Yeah, you know the one. The word that generates gasps. The word you have to outwardly skip in songs in order to prove you’re not prejudice. The word that… is only acceptable for black people to say? It’s true. Apart from the likes of Eminem (who is worth around $115 million and just generally doesn’t give a fuck), other races are banned from being able to utter the word. Why would ANYONE want to say it? Well, that’s kind of my point really. After I wrote this post I found this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iau-e6HfOg0 Accessed: 02/03/11 of Chris Rock’s stand-up about whether white people can say ‘nigger’ or not, which basically sums up the point of this post. His conclusion is ‘not really’. But he doesn’t really say why they can’t say it, and why it’s okay for black hip hop artists to use it in every line of a song, even when 99.9% of the time the song has nothing to do with racism.
As you probably know, but may not, the word Nigger comes from Negro, the Spanish word for ‘black’ and was used largely in context of the African slave trade in the C19th - bit of a history lesson for you right there! It became a degrading and debasing term which was used by Europeans to justify the treatment of black people. It became a means of dehumanisation, or reducing them to ‘3/5s a human’, according to the ‘precious’ American Constitution (yes, you read that correctly). Due to developments in civil and human rights, led by the civil rights bad boy Martin Luther King, the word is no longer used in this context in Western society; its meaning has changed by its cultural ties to black oppression remain problematic.
In hip hop, for example, the word ‘nigger’ has several meanings. The main ones are
a) ‘Nigger’ is used to refer to a friend in the sense of nigger/homie/brother. Someone who you can depend upon, someone who is your right-hand man.
b) ‘Nigger’ has also been used to refer to someone who is a ‘gangster’. Think 50 Cent, bling, pimpin’ hoes and “bustin’ a cap in your ass”.
c) ‘Nigger’ can also be used to label someone as ‘scum’. Well, label a black person as ‘scum’, which is the closest meaning to the original sense of the word. Chris Rock’s stand-up ‘Black People vs. Niggers’ is a perfect example of the use of the word in this context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwejDybX8oA&feature=related Accessed: 20/12/2011
Meanings a) and b) are attempts to subvert the former understanding of ‘nigger’. Rather than an insult or an oppressive term, it’s used as a term of comradery in black culture. It’s basically recognition amongst the black community that they share the same roots and history; they all wore balls and chains put there by white people. However, it has become the ultimate taboo for a white person to call somebody a ‘nigger’. On the British Big Brother 8, Emily Parr (a public school twat) was thrown out of the Big Brother house for calling her fellow black housemate, Charley Uchea (a loud mouthed twat), a ‘nigger’ when they were dancing and joking around. There was uproar in the media and it was on the front page of every major newspaper. Emily was using the word in the sense of meaning a). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj4jMww3ol4 Accessed: 02/03/11 On the surface it is pretty black and white (excuse the pun); white people shouldn’t say the ‘n’ word; it was white people who used the term as a tool of oppression and subordination originally; they don’t deserve to use it; white people should be prevented from using it to stop history from repeating itself. That’s all very well.
But by only allowing it to be used by black people to black people undermines the idea of equality of culturalism which is the foundation of black people’s advancements in civil rights. By saying ‘nigger’ this and ‘nigger’ that and only allowing it to be used in one race by one race reinforces ideas of segregration that dominated the C19th. Why not just let anyone say it as long as it’s in the ‘nigger’=‘my brother’ context? The spelling of the word has even changed to ‘nigga’ in order to demonstrate the difference between meanings.
Obviously there is a massive problem with this: the roots of the word are pretty fucking nasty and some people are understandably still offended by this. They don’t think history should be forgotten, and I think I agree. Although I can't speak for everyone, in my experience black people are still offended by other black people using the word: it's not racially exclusive. Making light of the word ‘nigger’ will not stop some people using it in a derogatory way; in fact it could actually allow people to hide their prejudices by allowing them to excuse it as an amiable term. Arguably, nothing can technically stop people from using the word in offensively (I mean if someone wants to be racist you can only really stop them by sewing their mouths together.. And even then if they find a white sheet and a pair of scissors…), but by keeping it out of everyday vocabulary and confining it to the context of history the word will not become linked with the present.
Even using ‘nigga’ has its problems. The whole point of the letter change is to subvert the meaning of the word; in other words to destroy its original meaning and put a better meaning in it’s place. To desensitise it. This can only work, however, if everyone is allowed to say the word. It can’t only be allowed to mean one thing to one group of people and another to another group of people; as I said earlier it undermines multi-culturalism and reinforces segregation. Furthermore, what about when it leaves the written word? (Picture a classroom situation) “Sir, he called me a nigger” - “No, I was saying it with an ‘a’ at the end”. I mean, come on! It doesn’t take a genius!
So can YOU say the 'n' word? Physically - yes. Can YOU say the 'n' word without being inherently racist/offensive? I think I can safely justify my stance: no one should be allowed to say the word ‘nigger’. In fact I’m going to stop right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gYM6_hcf1Q Accessed: 02/03/11
My boyfriend and I (my boyfriend in particular) are very much into hip hop - from Tupac to Biggie, from Dr Dre to Nicki Minaj - so I am very aware of the various themes and lyrics that are present in the music. One particular word which comes up time and again is the ‘n’ word. Yeah, you know the one. The word that generates gasps. The word you have to outwardly skip in songs in order to prove you’re not prejudice. The word that… is only acceptable for black people to say? It’s true. Apart from the likes of Eminem (who is worth around $115 million and just generally doesn’t give a fuck), other races are banned from being able to utter the word. Why would ANYONE want to say it? Well, that’s kind of my point really. After I wrote this post I found this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iau-e6HfOg0 Accessed: 02/03/11 of Chris Rock’s stand-up about whether white people can say ‘nigger’ or not, which basically sums up the point of this post. His conclusion is ‘not really’. But he doesn’t really say why they can’t say it, and why it’s okay for black hip hop artists to use it in every line of a song, even when 99.9% of the time the song has nothing to do with racism.
As you probably know, but may not, the word Nigger comes from Negro, the Spanish word for ‘black’ and was used largely in context of the African slave trade in the C19th - bit of a history lesson for you right there! It became a degrading and debasing term which was used by Europeans to justify the treatment of black people. It became a means of dehumanisation, or reducing them to ‘3/5s a human’, according to the ‘precious’ American Constitution (yes, you read that correctly). Due to developments in civil and human rights, led by the civil rights bad boy Martin Luther King, the word is no longer used in this context in Western society; its meaning has changed by its cultural ties to black oppression remain problematic.
In hip hop, for example, the word ‘nigger’ has several meanings. The main ones are
a) ‘Nigger’ is used to refer to a friend in the sense of nigger/homie/brother. Someone who you can depend upon, someone who is your right-hand man.
b) ‘Nigger’ has also been used to refer to someone who is a ‘gangster’. Think 50 Cent, bling, pimpin’ hoes and “bustin’ a cap in your ass”.
c) ‘Nigger’ can also be used to label someone as ‘scum’. Well, label a black person as ‘scum’, which is the closest meaning to the original sense of the word. Chris Rock’s stand-up ‘Black People vs. Niggers’ is a perfect example of the use of the word in this context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwejDybX8oA&feature=related Accessed: 20/12/2011
Meanings a) and b) are attempts to subvert the former understanding of ‘nigger’. Rather than an insult or an oppressive term, it’s used as a term of comradery in black culture. It’s basically recognition amongst the black community that they share the same roots and history; they all wore balls and chains put there by white people. However, it has become the ultimate taboo for a white person to call somebody a ‘nigger’. On the British Big Brother 8, Emily Parr (a public school twat) was thrown out of the Big Brother house for calling her fellow black housemate, Charley Uchea (a loud mouthed twat), a ‘nigger’ when they were dancing and joking around. There was uproar in the media and it was on the front page of every major newspaper. Emily was using the word in the sense of meaning a). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj4jMww3ol4 Accessed: 02/03/11 On the surface it is pretty black and white (excuse the pun); white people shouldn’t say the ‘n’ word; it was white people who used the term as a tool of oppression and subordination originally; they don’t deserve to use it; white people should be prevented from using it to stop history from repeating itself. That’s all very well.
But by only allowing it to be used by black people to black people undermines the idea of equality of culturalism which is the foundation of black people’s advancements in civil rights. By saying ‘nigger’ this and ‘nigger’ that and only allowing it to be used in one race by one race reinforces ideas of segregration that dominated the C19th. Why not just let anyone say it as long as it’s in the ‘nigger’=‘my brother’ context? The spelling of the word has even changed to ‘nigga’ in order to demonstrate the difference between meanings.
Obviously there is a massive problem with this: the roots of the word are pretty fucking nasty and some people are understandably still offended by this. They don’t think history should be forgotten, and I think I agree. Although I can't speak for everyone, in my experience black people are still offended by other black people using the word: it's not racially exclusive. Making light of the word ‘nigger’ will not stop some people using it in a derogatory way; in fact it could actually allow people to hide their prejudices by allowing them to excuse it as an amiable term. Arguably, nothing can technically stop people from using the word in offensively (I mean if someone wants to be racist you can only really stop them by sewing their mouths together.. And even then if they find a white sheet and a pair of scissors…), but by keeping it out of everyday vocabulary and confining it to the context of history the word will not become linked with the present.
Even using ‘nigga’ has its problems. The whole point of the letter change is to subvert the meaning of the word; in other words to destroy its original meaning and put a better meaning in it’s place. To desensitise it. This can only work, however, if everyone is allowed to say the word. It can’t only be allowed to mean one thing to one group of people and another to another group of people; as I said earlier it undermines multi-culturalism and reinforces segregation. Furthermore, what about when it leaves the written word? (Picture a classroom situation) “Sir, he called me a nigger” - “No, I was saying it with an ‘a’ at the end”. I mean, come on! It doesn’t take a genius!
So can YOU say the 'n' word? Physically - yes. Can YOU say the 'n' word without being inherently racist/offensive? I think I can safely justify my stance: no one should be allowed to say the word ‘nigger’. In fact I’m going to stop right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gYM6_hcf1Q Accessed: 02/03/11
Do you know why I think it’s used so much in rap? Because it’s one of very few words that rhymes with ‘trigger’. If hip hop stopped using the ‘n’ word then maybe ‘gangsters’ would stop using guns because they wouldn’t be rapped about any more (no more association with being 'cool' an' all that) and the whole world would be a much better place.
http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rappers/eminem-net-worth/# Accessed: 01/02/11http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6729673.stm Accessed: 01/02/11http://www.daveyd.com/nword.html Accessed: 01/02/11http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=my%20nigger Accessed: 06/02/11
http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rappers/eminem-net-worth/# Accessed: 01/02/11http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6729673.stm Accessed: 01/02/11http://www.daveyd.com/nword.html Accessed: 01/02/11http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=my%20nigger Accessed: 06/02/11
Nice post. I don't use the word, not even in my living room among other black people. I don't see why we (black people) use it. Given the history behind it, no one should be using it in their vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteOne of my more controversial writers (who happens to be white) wrote an article about the n-word. It speaks about the "double standard" and the reasons why certain people think they can say it while other's can't.
http://www.insaneasylumblog.com/2011/04/affirmative-reaction-etiquette-of-n.html#axzz1PTeysZel
~Chap
www.insaneasylumblog.com