kalikshama
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Joined: 8/8/2010
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quote:
It's one thing to deter the use of a derogatory word, quite another to pretend it doesn't exist.
When I see ####, I know what that means and the ugly history behind it. I don't need to see it spelled out.
quote:
Yeah, I've always found it hypocritical that you get **** for the "n" word but you can type white trash, cracker, hillbilly and other bigoted hate terms all day long.
I don't think this is the same at all.
http://wrt-intertext.syr.edu/XI/Nigger.html
Nigger: Language, History, and Modern Day Discourse
...As a black American male, the word nigger conjures up within me hate, hostility, violence, oppression, and a very shameful and unfortunate part of American History. The word symbolizes the everlasting chains of a people plagued with hate and bondage simply because of skin color. For many black people, including myself, nigger is the most pejorative word in the English language. Even when compared to racial slurs like kike, honkey, cracker, wet back, spic, jungle bunny, pod, tarbaby, and white trash, nigger is noted as the worst insult in the English language. The word nigger suggests that black people are second class citizens, ignorant and less than human.
...Derogatory Context from a Historical Perspective and Why Nigger Should Not Be Used
“Q: What do you call a nigger on a bike?
A: A thief.”
Q: How do you stop a nigger from going into your backyard?
A: Hang him in the front yard” (Kennedy 7-8).
Here we see nigger used in its most pejorative context, to dehumanize black people. Black people were so oppressed by the word that it made and still makes some of us sick at the echo of the two syllables that heave it into the air. Nigger was infused with power, hate and ignorance. For instance, in his book Kennedy recaptures some horrific moments created by the use of the word. These stories are based on facts: “One man recounted the following painful memory: ‘I stopped in Arkansas to get some gas and a sandwich.’ But when he asked the clerk for it, the clerk replied, ‘We don’t serve Niggers here’” (Kennedy 66). Here we see the historical root of the word reflected strongly. Another example can be seen in the retold story of the famous baseball player Hank Aaron. When Hank Aaron threatened to break white baseball player Babe Ruth’s home run record, letters began pouring in to Hank Aaron’s home, For instance, one person wrote: “Dear Nigger: I hope you don’t beat Babe Ruth’s record. How will I tell my kids a nigger did it?” Or “’Dear Nigger: You black animal. I hope you never live long enough to hit more runs than die great Babe Ruth’” (Kennedy 24-25).
Here white people used the word as a tool of oppression to label black people as less than human, as animals. Not only so but the word nigger usually generated stereotypes, The word suggests that black people are all thieves, lazy, worthless, and all second class citizens. In fact, Fredrick Douglas encountered the word when first learning to read; he was told, “learning would spoil the best nigger in the world” (Kennedy 13). Malcolm X was told as a youngster that he needed to be “realistic about being a nigger” in terms of his career goals (Kennedy) 8). So it is not a mystery that the word nigger has serious, implications in black history as a method of categorizing, stereotyping, insulting, and oppressing black people.
...The word is still a weapon of oppression today. For instance, an author of an article in USA Today says that the word was aimed at him in a derogatory way in response to a previous article that he had written. He said, “The same tired argument has been made by other niggers...” (Wickham). After using the word the man attempted to quickly make a distinction between black people and niggers in order to justify his statements by saying, “I’m not some racist that thinks all blacks are niggers. You’re black by birth, but you are a nigger by choice,” (Wickham). This article was written in February of 2002, and the context in which the word is being used clearly indicates a lack of respect by the user for the history of discrimination against blacks in America. At the same time, this proves that the word is still being used pejoratively. It also shows that the use of this word by blacks within their own community could never totally deflate it from its original intent and meaning. Here the person who uses the word pretends to be using attitude, which in turn brings Randall Kennedy’s idea of context into question. Can the word be used in a context that makes it allowable for all people? Clearly, the answer is no. The answer is no because the use of nigger across all races leaves blacks susceptible to its derogatory use and opens the prospect of their being deceived by someone who will quickly deny that this was his/her original intent. Then how will one ever know if the word is really being used racially or endearingly?
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