The "N" word
Black man1: Hey niggaBlack man 2: What's up my nigga
Yeah what am I thinking writing this entry eh? Well I'm from the hood as most of you know. That hood being Brooklyn, NY. I am surrounded by black people. I'm probably one of the only non-blacks on my block. Since I was young I've heard them call each other the N word in a multitude of ways. I grew up with them and in a way I "acted black" too. I have used the word nigga amongst them and they didn't find anything wrong with it. That's the problem though, some activists say hey it's a good thing that they turned something so negative into a positive. Did they really? my answer is no. By saying it they've accepted what others have labeled them as. It's not positive at all. From the day they're born their parents teach them about white people and how hard it is to be black. They grow up with a major chip on their shoulder and it doesn't get easier.
Never have I seen a race take something offensive that was used by their enemies as if it were a good thing. I know they removed the "er" from the end and added an "a" instead but those letters mean nothing compared to the self defeat of using the term to begin with. You don't see Jewish people going around saying "Hey check out my cool swastika tatoo" Can you imagine if they did? or Chinese people going around calling eachother "Chinks"
The problem is only getting worse because the excessive use of that word in our media (movies, music, television, and internet) takes us away from it's origin and it's becoming more and more accepted into our vocabulary. I'm not talking about just blacks either, i'm talking about everyone. Sure it's still a little taboo, but in less than 5 years it'll proabably be used without any guilt whatsoever. Rappers who become poplular among white populations such as Kanye West say the N word a lot in their music (see: "Crack Music"). This will only have an adverse effect for blacks and they've had a hard time for much too long. As much as some think it's a positive use, this will backfire.
A final thing to think about: This society is still fucked up. It was only 40 years ago that we had separate water fountains, restaurants, and everything else for whites and blacks. FORTY YEARS. Do you have any idea how short of a time that is? I mean fuck, we think we're all nice and good now and think all that racist stuff was a long time ago. Well it aint and it's still prominent today in different forms. Our society needs major reform yet no one gives a shit about their own countries anymore. I will use whatever powers I have, whether it be as a Psychologist, a Sociologist or film director to help progress our community. Open your minds. posted by psychobabbler @ 1:49 AM
