I was born in Bronx New York, and moved when I was just about to start Kindergarten. I had a lot of family who still lived in the Bronx so I would spend a tremendous amount of time visiting my cousins. I guess you could say I was basically raised in the Bronx. As a child growing into my teen years I would hangout in the school playgrounds to play Basketball with my cousins and who ever wanted to play ball. I was first introduced to the N word when I was around 10 years old. I heard it while I was playing with my cousins and a group of older kids were sitting at a table talking. The part that was odd is that some of those kids were black and white. As I grew up the N word followed me into Brewster NY where I resign currently. I had many …show more content…
I do in fact agree with Randall. “Nigger: it is arguably the most consequential social insult in American History, though, at the same time, a word that reminds us of ‘the ironies and dilemmas, tragedies and glories of the American experience’” (Kennedy 1). (Please note that my points are absolutely debatable). I do indeed believe that in today’s world, even though there is still racist lurking around us, you can use the N word if it’s in the right context. I would in no condition use this manner when speaking to an adult. I also would never use this word if I were at school or work. But I would use it with my friends, or having a casual conversation with someone my age. During my senior year of high school my English teacher asked us to write an essay using our everyday terminology. She made it clear that we could use foul language. In my essay I including the N word and the next day I was called into the office. My principle explained to me that my English teacher believed I was being racist and only chose to use that word because I had the freedom to say anything I put my heart to. I got into a big argument with the principle on how the word is used differently for my generation and I was not going to apologize or accept any type of punishment. I had to write letter for the board explaining myself. I won this conflict because I stated that if my teacher was not capable of handing this kind of paper, she should have never asked for it in the first place. I
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
In her article “ The Meanings of a Word,” Gloria Naylor, a writer, argues that the N-word is indicated a lack of self- respect in her community, and although words themselves are not hurts people, but once a group of people agree on a negative use; the word can be used to insult others. Naylor only experiences with the N-word in her community because her uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and parents use the N-word in positive ways while others use it as an insult. Naylor's community had rules for behavior and what the N-word means. In her article, Naylor gives three meaning for the N-word. In singular, the N-word applies to a man who is intelligence and desires to do well.
I can see how using the n word is bad or hurtful but at the same time I don’t see how it’s so horrible when it is used in the right context. There are multiple ways that you are able to use the n-word there is the definition where it is an insult to those who are black but there is the other reference where black people use it toward another person whom is black, and is seen as a “friend”. The n word shouldn’t be banned from schools because of the meaning and history behind it. I get that people use the word freely and don’t understand the meaning and the hurtfulness behind it but We see young teenage kids using the word without any reaction, they almost take it as a compliment.
The word “nigger” is designed to first and foremost be derogatory, and it is an expression of hate because of the fact that it was used as a degrading term by white slave owners and traders. Language is, as we know, not a stagnant phenomenon. An increasing awareness around racism and so-called political correctness has a whole lot to say. What makes the word “nigger” particularly sensitive in relation to other words is the fact that it
Harlem, New York in the Twenties was a place where colored people had migrated to show their talents. It was a time when African American Artist, Writers, Dancers, Musicians, and Doctors decided to show the world how spectacular they were. Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Langston Hughes were just a few famous names that arrived during this time. One sensational woman stood out among the rest, her name was Josephine Baker. She took a stand and fought for what she believed in, she was a strong and passionate women and she never let anyone get in the way of the things she loved to do. No matter how risqué or dangerous it may have been.
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.
Contrastly, many older people in the black community feel that this word is disrespectful and is some form of internal racism, which causes blacks to remain inferior in society. But how can that be the case when we turned lemons to lemonade. We changed something with negative denotation and made it positive. Even Hispanics call themselves "essays" which is similar to the word nigger in Spanish. Also, the term "Yankee", which is a term that has described Americans for centuries, was once an insult by the British. So do we ridicule the founding fathers of this country for accepting this name? Even if we did not change the meaning and spelling of the word nigger don't we have the right to call ourselves the word (like the founding
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
Harlem, New York.-- During a community conversation forum in Harlem, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders called on former President Bill Clinton to apologize to the American people for his administration 's role in incarcerating large numbers of black people during the 'War on Drugs ' era.
“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” (Proverbs 18:21) Words are powerful. Words are capable of expressing one’s views, sparking wars and leaving scars. They have the power to endear, separate, and communicate. The censorship of dangerous words, such as racial slurs, in school curriculum has drawn many controversial opinions. Racial slurs, according to dictionary.com, are a derogatory or disrespectful nickname for a racial group (Dictionary.com). Specifically for the African American race, the racial slur is the N- word. The usage of the N-word in its modern form has become more prevalent in society. Boundaries of its usage are grey in political, educational and social environments. Leaders, teachers and often society as a whole fail to appropriately recognize the true meaning of the African American racial slur. Because modern youth have unreliable sources, false knowledge and twisted views from which they draw their insight on the origin of the N-word; misinterpretation is common thus leading to its misuse. Misuse occurs when the true definition is not taken into consideration when teaching, using, or referencing the N-Word. This generation of young minds lack the unbiased education, the historical insight and cultural knowledge of the N-word needed to fully understand its meaning; consequently, modern youth are desensitized to the N-word. Insensitivity causes racial issues.
Our next adventure was Brooklyn, NY. Although this borough was just a 20-minute train ride away I never really had many opportunities to visit it. I was excited to visit the borough because growing up I always heard that it had the best food in all of New York City. The borough is also known as Kings County and is home to nearly three million people. This makes Brooklyn the second most populous boroughs in New York. It is said that if the Borough were an independent city it would be the third most populous city in the U.S. (191).
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
The word "nigger" has become a popular saying amongst our current population. The word appears to be used more each day by an assorted group of people. I've conducted a research in order to gather a better understanding as of to why the word "nigger" is so commonly used. I've collected responses from my fellow class mates and read a book called nigger to acquire addition information about the different opinions brought on by its usage. In these responses were patterns that helped me to get better acquainted with this idea. Most writes provided me with the same answer, that the reason why people call each other "nigger" is because it is used in a positive way. With this information given, the next question that came to mind was is it