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  Posted By:
  Sweetie3.14 at 11/05/2008 11:34:32 AM
  Comment:
  I'd be more inclined to accept that the word isn't racist when it's also used to refer to non-blacks without reaction.
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  Posted By:
  Panther2u at 08/01/2008 8:43:57 AM
  Comment:
  I think I will "Call it laziness". I just feel that this new generation of black kids have been brain washed of its' culture and they have no clue of who they are or come from. Although "entertainment" displays this type of action I do not think that it is truly a "reflection" of real life. But I do think that the youth buy into this entertainment and reflect what they see. It's just what the word says "entertainment". It's not like it's been over 100 years since we have had major civil rights issues. In fact we see that we still do. But for a lot of blacks who grew up in the 60's, 70's, and part of the 80's it's just not that easy to get over and some whites from that era are just sliding the word in cause they couldn't say it back then. So until we die off let them hold their tongue.
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  Posted By:
  Panther2u at 08/01/2008 8:42:42 AM
  Comment:
  I think I will "Call it laziness". I just feel that this new generation of black kids have been brain washed of it's culture and they have no clue of who they are or come from. Although "entertainment" diplays this type of action I do not think that it is truly a "reflection" of real life. But i do think that the youth buy into this entertainment and reflect what they see. It's just what the word says "entertainment". It's not like it's been over 100 years since we have had major civil rights issues. In fact we see that we still do. But for a lot of blacks who grew up in the 60's, 70's, and part of the 80's it's just not that easy to get over and some whites from that era are just sliding the word in casue they couldn't say it back then. So until we die off let them hold their tongue. Panther
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  Posted By:
  MilesEllison at 07/27/2008 12:41:48 PM
  Comment:
  The fact that people are offended by a mere "word" may be bothersome to many, but a larger issue is why the word needs to be used at all. Are people so unintelligent and so unenlightened that spewing racial ephitets is the only way that they can express themselves? The "double standard" argument is an illustration of the fact that people have been robbed of their ability to be racist without being challenged. It's the 21st century. Grow up and deal with it.
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  Posted By:
  womanistmusings at 07/26/2008 12:45:42 PM
  Comment:
  ***, *** it doesn't matter, it all amounts to the same thing, racist terminology. There is no excuse for anyone to use such language and your female friend did a good thing by asserting her right to be in an environment tinged in assaultative language.
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  Posted By:
  Anali at 07/25/2008 8:02:34 AM
  Comment:
  I wonder if the writer of this article is African-American and not just black. If he and his famiily are black, yet recently immigrated to this country, they may have different feelings about the word. There may not be that same history and feeling associated with it.
  
  Maybe his black female friend is African-American. That may have something to do with their different feelings about the word. I also wonder if the writer of the article has ever been called the word in a hateful way, and not just once, but more. I think these differences impact how people view the word.
  
  I'm African-American. I've been called the word when there was malice and hate behind that use. I do not use the word.
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  Posted By:
  chezcrisden at 07/24/2008 2:28:00 PM
  Comment:
  i doubt the young man would liked being called honkee.
  and some one of another race heard it in the music they were listening to.
  no one would want to be called by a racists term; no one should
  be using any racists statements.
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  Posted By:
  jeffbdot at 07/24/2008 9:45:30 AM
  Comment:
  Baffling that some of us white guys would need a little clarity, I know. I mean, its such a benign topic that everyone seems to see eye to eye on. Allow me to clarify my perspective. I don't use the word because it's not me, and I do personally think it isn't a word that is necessary to be used. I think it causes more problems and dissension than it is worth. I do think if there are others that feel comfortable using it amongst others that are comfortable with it, so be it, I'm not gonna judge. As Warren says, context and the community someone grows up in is a factor. I agree, it helps form where i stand on the use of the word, I won't rag on someone else who comes from a different setting and has a different view because of that.
  "Perhaps the lead in talking about views on the word should be given to those that have the highest stake." sounds like a subtle way of saying "Not your issue - bud the f - out". I think the whole point and discussion of the article and the subsequent comments indicates otherwise.
  And as long as we're recommending music bylinediva, Li'l Wayne's okay I guess, but I'd highly recommend perusing the Stones Throw Records catalog of artists, if you haven't, and I think you'll find your Li'l Wayne albums collecting dust.
  
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  Posted By:
  BlackMarketIndex at 07/23/2008 7:04:24 PM
  Comment:
  The young black woman isn't doing her friend any favors. He may be able to use that language in front of her, but that certainly doesn't fly with most people.
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  Posted By:
  bylinediva at 07/23/2008 5:50:48 PM
  Comment:
  Nas has said all that needs to be said on this topic. To all the white guys who apparently need clarity, please pick up the N--r Mixtape, available at fine street vendors everywhere, or buy the "Untitled" CD. I think you may find some answers there. If not you'll at least be supporting some brilliant rap. We know it's you guys who have helped Li'l Wayne sell a million copies, now please give back to the black community by supporting a rapper who's actually got talent.
  Thank you for your time.
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  Posted By:
  warrenlongmire at 07/23/2008 3:45:49 PM
  Comment:
  to the large number of white male on this fourm. is it possible growing up in a black american community just gives you a context that other communities just don't understand. Black is, after all, a cultural experence...not simily a skin color. It is a history and lauguage, just like any other cultural group america based or otherwise. Perhaps the lead in talking about views on the word should be given to those that have the highest stake.
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  Posted By:
  jeffbdot at 07/23/2008 2:30:26 PM
  Comment:
  Couldn't agree more with giacomo007. As a 37-yr old white dude, I don't understand the appeal of using the word in conversation. Using the n-word in any form, even w/a black friend who didn't mind, would not make me feel like our friendship was any stronger, or give any more validity to our relationship. What's the point? It's an unnecessary word. You dig it and want to use it in friendly conversation with others who don't mind it, so be it. It's a word I was instructed not to use by my father, I continue to choose not to use it, my son will learn that it is not to be used, and I don't feel like either of us are deprived of anything by not using it. I ask again, why is it so important to people to be able to use that word
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  Posted By:
  hallswm at 07/23/2008 12:53:02 PM
  Comment:
  People who take offense to words should stop and realize that they are only words and if you are taking offense to them, you are allowing the perpetration. Many intelligent people use these words b/c they see the hypocrisy in one group being able to use it an not the other. I'm a 30 yr old white male from a white trash, low to middle income city. If you call someone stupid that's an insult, if you call someone a N**** that's in insult. If you laughingly say to your friend you're stupid, haha or if you laughingly say to your friend Nicca please, where's the insult in the latter? Taking offense to words is ignorant, b/c you'll accept certain words in certain groups of people.
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    Posted By:
    Patra at 07/25/2008 1:37:34 PM
    Comment:
    No disrespect intended here, but are white people really this stupid that they don't get why the word nygger is off limits to them? I mean, can a group of people be this stupid??? I mean, damn...I years ago I worked with and Irish American man who regularly referred to himself and his older brother as a "MIC". I am intelligent enough and enlightened enough to understand why I, as an African American woman, cannot call this man a MIC...but he can call himself, his brother, and any other Irish-American person, who would not be offended by the term, a MIC.
    
    I can say with all sincerity, that leaving corporate america to work for a black owned/operated firm with black employees is the best decision I've ever made, because I'd gotten to the point that being in the company of white people just made me cringe. Instead of becoming more enlightened about race, what is and isn't acceptable, you all are hell bent on wallowing in stupidity. That having been said, the word nygger is off limits to you. Period. I don't feel like giving you a black history lesson; perhaps someone here would.
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  Posted By:
  rlwill at 07/23/2008 12:20:22 PM
  Comment:
  That word, like any other that was used in a way to shame a whole group of people should never be acceptable for any one to use. The actual term came from a word that is used to describe someone as lazy, dirty and/or selfish. Even if pop culture no longer sees it as a negative conentation, for the sake of those that suffered and even died for the opportunity to be valued as humans regardless of race or creed it would be best if that word was allowed to fade out of our collective memory. While we are at it, ***, half-breed, cracker, red-neck, JAP, ***, jap (yes - it has two differnt deragatory meanings), wet-back, rag-head and fob should be eradicated from our culture's language. They all just drag us back down to the level of people that can't stop fearing things and people that are different from ourselves.
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  Posted By:
  Typhoon McGoon at 07/23/2008 12:00:42 PM
  Comment:
  YES, Mebrahtu, you get it!
  If the word "***," (which this imbecile robo-racist forum will turn into stars despite the fact that I copied and pasted it from the freaking article above!) is acceptable for one person to say, it must be acceptable for all to say. To permit one group to use a word and to prohibit another, based solely on the color of their skin, is the very essence of racism.
  Your black girl friend can only be right in your anecdote if she herself never, ever uses that word herself, in company of any color. Otherwise she is guilty of her own form of racism.
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  Posted By:
  Elle7772 at 07/23/2008 11:46:13 AM
  Comment:
  I am a white thirty-something year old female with two teenage children whose father is black. All three of them tease me and beg me to just say the "N" word one time. I'd rather die. I don't think anyone should incorporate that word into their vocabulary...white, black or other...negative and ignorant connotations will always surround it, and I don't understand why any intelligent or sensitive person would want to emulate or produce those kinds of feelings with the words they use.
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  Posted By:
  BEdwards at 07/23/2008 10:15:34 AM
  Comment:
  "On the other hand, the gentleman grew up around people who use "***" in casual speech; it's a part of his environment."
  
  I know of no "gentleman" that use the term in any situation.
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  Posted By:
  BEdwards at 07/23/2008 10:13:54 AM
  Comment:
  "On the other hand, the gentleman grew up around people who use "***" in casual speech; it's a part of his environment."
  
  I know of no "gentleman" that use the term in casual conversation.
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  Posted By:
  giacomo007 at 07/23/2008 9:44:03 AM
  Comment:
  Maybe it's generational. I'm slightly older than Gen Y (born 1962). Grew up in self imposed segregation in which many neighborhoods were defined not only by skin color but by ethnicity. I remember racial tension in our dying industrial town, a local high school shut down for several days due to fights between white kids and African American kids.
  
  So for me, a middle aged white guy, the N word is a reminder of ugliness. I will never use it. I have no desire to use it. I am confounded when I hear white people complain that they should be allowed to use it because many African Americans use it. According to the Oxford English dictionary, there are 500,000 words in the English language. Boo hoo, you can't use one of them. Give me a break.
  
  Here's my point, it's not my place to decide when it is or is not appropriate for an African American person to use the N word. But what exactly is the value of me using it? To seem cool. Plenty of other words out there.
  
  Etymologically, the word is simply a stand in for "black". But white people turned it into a dehumanizing racist slur. I'm not going to get too upset about a white kid who uses it with affection rather than hate. But why? Grow up and rid your self of your own insecurities about not fitting in and just choose a different word.
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  Posted By:
  wet_suit_one at 07/23/2008 9:06:16 AM
  Comment:
  Bah, all my niggas no matter their colour or creed (except for the damned Clanners who must be destroyed) should be free to speak as they will.
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  Posted By:
  CjDB at 07/23/2008 8:56:58 AM
  Comment:
  "along with "***," terms like "wetback," "***," "cracker" and "***" are almost unavoidable." ~ Wow, I am old, I am old - I had NO idea. In my own world I do not hear these words spoken, not ever. I can't imagine life in a world where they flow freely, any more than, probably, the thoughtful writer of this article can imagine life in one where they do not. Our experiences are as different as can be.
  
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  Posted By:
  point.two.eight at 07/23/2008 3:01:04 AM
  Comment:
  That censoring completely threw off the context of my post. First *** = n***a, second *** = f*g.
  
  I know Nas doesn't speak for everybody, but I liked this line from his new tape:
  
  Not mad cuz Eminem said n***er
  cuz he's my n***er, wigger, cracker friend
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  Posted By:
  point.two.eight at 07/23/2008 2:51:54 AM
  Comment:
  It defies description, the pull of this word to white people, even, maybe especially, those I can only assume and hope aren't racist. It's liberating, almost comforting, to say '***,' and I wonder if that feeling isn't familiar to many folks of color. I think it's a valid idea that whites' allowance of the word would signify true post-racism; that the word is just a word, now and forever.
  
  Then there are the infuriating, deeply shameful moments, of which I'm sorry to say are plenty, where the full, unabashed, "-er" version of the word is thrown out, one white to another, as an insult, quickly followed by a nervous giggle. Coming from an upbringing where "gay" and "***" were ubiquitously acceptable, almost amicable epithets, I can't outright condemn this as hate speech, but it sure makes me want to slap a ho.
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  Posted By:
  Rosa_N at 07/23/2008 12:26:59 AM
  Comment:
  Sorry, dude, but that's not the definition of racism. That's an example of racial discrimination (which is part of the Venn Diagram of Racism, but isn't the entirety of it). Slurs are racially motivated and have become loaded with the accumulation of history. They encapsulate vicious ideas, images, and beliefs - all of which reinforce a racial hierarchy that's still in operation today whether you or your white friend might like it or not. The notion that "neutral" personal intention erases this fact is extremely naive and self-centered.
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  Posted By:
  Rosa_N at 07/23/2008 12:16:43 AM
  Comment:
  Sorry, dude, but that's not the definition of racism. That's an example of racial discrimination (which is part of the Venn Diagram of Racism, but isn't the entirety of it). Slurs are racially motivated and have become loaded with the accumulation of history. They encapsulate vicious ideas, images, and beliefs - all of which reinforce a racial hierarchy that's still in operation today whether you or your white friend might like it or not. The notion that personal intention erases this fact is extremely naive and self-centered.
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  Posted By:
  yellow at 07/22/2008 6:19:13 PM
  Comment:
  why is it so pressing for a white person to say the word ***? I'm not understanding why they want to say the n-word so badly. Why does the topic away come up?l
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  Posted By:
  victoria17 at 07/22/2008 5:00:47 PM
  Comment:
  If race wasnt an issue then there wouldnt be the obvious racism that we have in this country. The media's treatment of Obama is a clear example of race realtions in this country
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    Posted By:
    hallswm at 07/23/2008 1:08:51 PM
    Comment:
    If there is obvious racism in the US, go to another country in this world. The US is perceived as racist b/c we allow the topic to be in our media. There are soccer games in France where chants of "Monkey" come up whenever a black guy touches the ball. Asians abhor black people, unless they are American. Italians and South Americans hate black people. It's human nature to stereotype people and race makes it easier to put people into groups. If you pull up next to a brand new mercedes convertible with a 30 yr old white male with long curly hair in it, what goes through your mind? (Don't say nothing). What goes through your mind when you roll your window down and he's listening to 3 6 Mafia? Probably astonishment that a stereotypical cracker is listening to hard core rap. As a white male entering my 30s the middle aged men being racist is about to be over. I'm from the generation where we grew up with NWA, Doctor Dre, we saw Flava Flav before he looked like a skeleton. I think that now the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are seeing a majority of the racial boundaries falling and they're trying as hard as they can to hang on, so they don't lose their source of income.
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  Posted By:
  Pete at 07/22/2008 3:46:27 PM
  Comment:
  I think we all should set down, eat some watermelons and shake hands.
  
  
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  Posted By:
  Folic Pollen at 07/22/2008 3:24:12 PM
  Comment:
  I would really like to know what brought on this exchange between your White and Black friends, it would help set the context of the conversation. However, this is my take of the situation. Terms like "***, ***, Wetback, ect., are insulting words used to describe a persons culture. Because people of that culture choose to change the context in which the word is used, to some how make the word more "endearing" or exceptable does not change the meaning of the word. If we as a people understand the power of words, we would not use these terms. We as Americans love to label or categorize everything. This is fine for places and objects, but not people. Take the word "***" for example. When the was first used, ***, or Niggas as they pronounce it now, was used in negative terms and held a very derrogatory meaning. This was in the South, many years ago. Many Blacks were killed because the fought being labeled under this negative conotation. These people new that if they didn't fight this labeling, that this is what they would become. Not in the way they looked at themselves, but how others looked at them. If you call Black people Niggas long enough, they will start to believe it. And we do. We believe it so much that we refer to yourselves as Niggas. Wetbacks, Spics, Niggas, Mics, are all negative cultural description that degrades the greatest part of the indiviual, and that part is where he or she came from. If we take the time to analyze these cultures and their accomplishments, there would be no place for insults or words like these.
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  Posted By:
  ch555x at 07/22/2008 11:46:48 AM
  Comment:
  Maybe a few more generations down the road, this author's viewpoint may take shape. It'd be a decent place without reference to race, ethicity, or culture but this issue may take awhile to resolve, unfortunately...
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  Posted By:
  miss lauren at 07/22/2008 11:23:36 AM
  Comment:
  your essay could defend the use of lynch mobs in the south, they grew up with that event happening, why is it wrong. I know thats an extreme analogy but it still applies. I would have to say I am in the crowd who cringes everytime that word in all of is variations as well as the other words you mentioned are spoken or written and think they should not ever be used. I agree with your other friend, and I believe she was respectful in the manner of her request.
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  Posted By:
  thinker2008 at 07/22/2008 11:20:23 AM
  Comment:
  I have to agree with many of the comments, this article makes no sense. The fact that the author thinks it's acceptable for non-blacks to use the word, does not mean that we are past race. Really, all it means is that the author himself has no problem with the use of the N-word. In a society where there's a viable African-American running for President, but the press is calling his wife, a Harvard educated attorney, his "baby mama," the author cannot possibly believe that it's a world of "race schmace, whatever." Of course, the author will say, the news reporters aren't Gen-Y'rs but the fact is, that even though you're "cool" with white people and you may not them or anyone for that matter using the N-word, the fact is no white person is ever being called the N-word for real, and they never will be.
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  Posted By:
  TManigo at 07/22/2008 9:40:50 AM
  Comment:
  I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this entire essay. First of all, just because you and your White friend have no problem throwing around the N-word, doesn't mean that we've reached that place in society where race is no longer an issue. There was an Indian man recently convicted in Atlanta for having his Black daughter-in-law killed; he didn't like the fact that his son married a Black woman. So don't stand here and say "race shmace." Trying telling that woman's family that race doesn't matter.
  
  Moreover, how can you be so sure of what your friend meant? Were you inside of his head? Can you think, feel, see and taste for him, too? And one would think that if he were really your friend, he wouldn't say the word at all. I don't care how many Black people he grew up with or how many rappers may have led you to believe otherwise, but at the end of the day, "***/***" still means Black folks. It's not a pretty word and it's not to be embraced. I applaud the young lady who asked your 'friend' to stop saying it. Maybe next time, you'll have the sense (and courage) to do the same.
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  Posted By:
  Dantresomi at 07/22/2008 9:31:56 AM
  Comment:
  "I'm just not as in touch with black history as I should be."
  
  and that right there, homie, is the problem.
  
  i grew up around rampant drug use. that doesn't mean I should smoke crack.
  
  sorry, bro, too many poor excuses.
  
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  Posted By:
  crownjewel82 at 07/22/2008 9:10:50 AM
  Comment:
  Personally I can't stand the word. It's one of very few words that I don't like. Your black friend was exactly right in asking for someone to stop using that word. And while your white friend was wrong for using the word in the first place, he did the right thing and stopped.
  
  While you seem to think that his upbringing, and the fact that he didn't mean anything by it, excuses him it doesn't. He should have know that that particular word is very loaded and is rarely going to be taken well.
  
  That's really the root of the problem with these kinds of issues. I see that while some blacks overreact to comments, many whites don't react enough. They don't seem to get the simple point of respect that when you know something could be taken the wrong way you either don't say it or you preface it with some context.
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  Posted By:
  Jeffrey Tate at 07/22/2008 6:21:35 AM
  Comment:
  While your viewpoint may appear to be enlightened. Your perspective is very telling. It is suggestive of the fact that as we move further and further from the time when having the "wrong" color met that you were considered property (and subject to lynching, beating, mis-education and/or rape) one can have the luxury of maintaining such a cavalier attitude. The reason the word stings for many is not always due to hyper-sensitivity. Something that your article appears to imply regarding the black female. Black people have traditionally been labeled in this manner as a way of changing the subject. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall when your white friend is not in your presence. When the playing field is truly level and we interact based on character then we can begin to talk about these sorts of issues in honest terms. In so many ways we are not there yet. Just taking a look at most tenured faculties will show this. Unfortunately we still live in a society that honors white skin privilege even if the manner in which this is done is subtle and nuanced. Use of the N-word and other racially derogatory terms does not help to move us forward.
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    Posted By:
    kdog at 07/22/2008 1:25:46 PM
    Comment:
    45f2
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      Posted By:
      kdog at 07/22/2008 1:34:33 PM
      Comment:
      How do you feel about Jesse using the N word? This article highlights the reason why our grievances are not taken serious. We, African-Americans, are holding different races to a standard that we fail to meet for ourselves.
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        Posted By:
        growth12 at 07/22/2008 6:21:12 PM
        Comment:
        Jesse Jackson is a self-hating pig who has made a living off of being a "***." I'm sure the word is used daily in his household and that he hates being a black man, especially as he sees all the white men he's moved and grooved with become "heroes" and "men of import," while he's still seen as a laughing, jiving, rhyming coon. Jesse doesn't speak for me, just as Jesse Helms didn't speak for all white people.