Explain Why The N Word Shouldn T Be Banned From School

What does the word ‘nigger’ means? Why does ‘nigger’ generate such powerful reaction? Should blacks be able to use ‘nigger’ in ways forbidden to others?

We have all heard the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, depending on how words are used, and the opinions associated with them, they can indeed be very hurtful. Gloria Naylor writes about this in her article “Mommy, What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” She states “words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power” (Naylor 481). She explains that African Americans’ use of nigger does not in anyway invite Caucasians to use it. Naylor is accurate when she writes that the word ‘nigger’ would not be offensive had it not been for the thoughts, and sometimes, action others associate with it.

Historical purposes play a big role in why the “N” word should not be banned. Everyone has heard stories about slavery and what they were called or described as. This word cannot be hidden since it is already known in history where whites have used it as a negative term and there is no way of hiding it. The “N” word is always going to be refer to those African Americans who suffered. In “Straight Talk about the N-word Price”, Price stated, “A word with a particular racialized American history. But one way of getting at it is to have some critical and historical discussions about it and not pretend that it doesn’t exist. We also cannot pretend that there is not a double standard—that blacks can say it without much social consequence but whites

This word “Nigger” is also known as the N-word is being expressed into everyday world of language when speaking to friends or strangers. During the 1870’s and 1880’s before the civil war, many showed racism and how people treated color skin people and how slavery became such a problem. By looking at In Defense of a Loaded Language by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, one can analyze that this loaded word is important because a fact so basic to human speech that without it, human language might well collapse. “In Defense of a Loaded word’’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates document which acknowledges that the “Nigger” word is being stated as violent and offensive. ““Nigger” is different because it is attached to one of the most vibrant culture is inextricably linked to the violence that birthed us (source #1).”

It was a the main word back in the 1800’s and up till the civil rights movement. The N word is a very strong word, with repercussions coming for whoever speaks it. The N word is used in many black neighborhoods and ghettos, as the N word is slung to one another constantly. Racism will continue to be prevalent if the N word is still used in predominantly black communities. The N word has racism written all over it, and societies will not make progress towards eliminating racism if the N word is still used, Kevin says, “I am never again going to utter the word “nigger” to describe myself, to describe Black people, to paint a picture of a certain type of mentality born of racial oppression, self-hatred, confusion, of ignorance…”(45). Societies that use the N word to describe one another, is destroying progress made to ending racism. The word is commonplace in rap and inner city cultures, making the word seem acceptable to say in society. Using the n word is not acceptable in any culture in the United States. The amount of hatred towards Black people the word expresses is sickening, and we must make advances in society to eliminate the word from our

The N word has been around for a long time. Through slavery, the industrial revolution, both World War eras, and the modern era all the way up to right now. It has gone from meaning many different things ranging from burning or charring off, being a black person and exhausting land to a term that is racist, describes ignorant, uneducated, foolish individuals, to an endearing term between two people to describe their friendship.

At school, I hear various different racial and ethnic slurs about other students at the school. For example, I frequently hear groups of Hispanic kids referred to as the ESOL kids because they speak Spanish most of the time as opposed to English. Although some of these students actually are in the ESOL, or English for Speakers of Other Languages, program, this term is used in a derogatory manner to put these students under English speaking students. I have also heard groups of black students, or black people in general, referred to as gangs. This is an extremely offensive term especially since many blacks are not involved with criminal activities. People of various races and ethnicities also loosely use the N-word in a negative aspect at school.

In Season 1, Episode 5 of the The Netflix Original Series: Dear White People released on April 28, 2017, Reggie, a black college student and the leader of Winchester University’s Black Student Union is seen at a fraternity party surrounded by mostly white students. All is well until Reggie’s white friend, Addison, repeatedly utters the N-word while singing along to a hip-hop song. Reggie asks him not to say it anymore however, Addison questions him and attempts to justify his use of the word which leads to a debate. The creator of Dear White People uses characterization and setting to convey how non-Black people-especially white people- who use the N-word regardless of whether or not they understand its historical context, reinforce the notion that Black people are inferior which helps to maintain white supremacy.

The essay “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor discusses the many definitions of a word and how its meaning can change according to context and delivery. She made this point by telling a story of her childhood and the first time she heard the n-word used by a white person in a derogatory, demeaning way. She described her this situation that took place when she was in third-grade and a boy in front of her in math class called her the n-word. She had no idea what it meant to be called that in a negative way because the people she grew up around only used it as positive and empowering. At the end of her essay, she once again emphasized how easy it is to change a word into something hateful simply depending on who says it and their

When some think about the word nigger they immediately think about negativity and some might even venture to say that it is a "bad" word. It takes you back to a time when blacks were oppressed and demoralized. When blacks were looked at as inferior and not worthy to obtain equal rights in America. But that was decades ago and it is now the 21st century. Not only have we changed the spelling of the word, by dropping the er and adding a, but the definition has changed also. According to Gloria Naylor, we have took our "past history of struggle and present survival against the odds" and transcended the word nigger into a "victorious statement of being". So a word that was used to depict

In the English language, the word "nigger" is an ethnic slur, usually directed at black people. The word originated as a neutral term referring to people with black skin, as a variation of the Spanish and Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger . It was often used disparagingly, and by the mid-twentieth century, particularly in the United States, its usage became unambiguously pejorative, a racist insult. Accordingly, it began to disappear from popular culture, and its continued inclusion in classic works of literature has sparked controversy. In the contemporary United States and United Kingdom, using the word is taboo, and it is often replaced with the euphemism "the N-word". "Nigga" is sometimes used among African Americans in a non-derogatory sense or as a term of endearment. Etymology and history

What is the problem with the n-word in the first place? This word has a racist history starting during the 17th century when it was used to insult slaves (Asim, 2007, as cited in McClure, 2015). The writer states that no matter what race, the word is a powerful symbol of the history of anti-black oppression in the United States. In the essay, the author explains that some people believe that the use of the word in rap music has stripped it away of its original racist meaning, but others say that the term should be forbidden. Reading the essay, it shows a lot of proof of the inconsistency between the usage and meaning behind the n-word in society. For example, rappers would use the word in their lyrics referring the term to themselves and their friends, but hateful people would use the term to yell at others or write it out as threats. The way the term is used and who decides to use it determines how people will interpret the

The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the

After reading the responses, I took note that for many people in the city, the word "nigger" is a regular saying. In the responses I've read from Data Collection 1, there were many narrators that resided in the big city area that claim the word is perfectly safe to use by any race. In passage eight a narrators writes "the word can be heard anywhere around New York City." "In New York City the word is used so much, but in a positive way" (Passage nine). This was a continuous pattern in the responses. But why do so many people of different races use the word so frequently in New York City? In Passage Seven, the narrator wrote "people in New York City along with myself has transformed the whole meaning." Once again, because it is not used destructively it is an acceptable term. New York City is a place where many different cultures come together. The usage of this word by people of different races is common. Age is also a component of the usage of the "n" word. Most of the people using the word "nigger" are young, mainly because older people are more accustomed to its former meaning which, as we know, was used to demean black people. "People in New York City, along with myself have transformed the whole meaning". This provides an explanation of why the word appears to be used so much and by so many people. Author Randal Kennedy explained in his book entitled nigger that young people

The first viewpoint is non- black people should not be allowed to say nigga because it’s racist. Yes, black people do say it casually doesn’t mean everyone has that same privilege. For example, Sen. Ben Sasse appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his new book, he also invited Maher to visit Nebraska after they talked about how adults in California still dress up for Halloween. "We’d love to have you work in the fields with us,” the senator said to Maher. "Work in the fields? Senator, I am a house nigga” (Stern). There was a mixture of reactions but Ice Cube was quick to come onto the show to let his opinion be known.