In 2014, journalists at the Washington Post conducted a study on the history of the n-word. Here’s a video they created: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/the-n-word-through-history/2014/11/09/0c3b6a08-669a-11e4-ab86-46000e1d0035_video.html
After watching, I started thinking. We all know where the n-word came from, or at least most of us do (if you don’t, I highly recommend watching the video I linked above). But what about our history and background? A person’s upbringing plays a big part in who they are and what they believe. For instance, I grew up in a multicultural home with a black mother and a Hispanic father. The n-word was not a word I heard either of them use. In fact, I didn’t hear the word until I was in middle school, but I had no clue what it meant or the history behind it. However, I still didn’t say it. I knew that there was a reason that my parents never said it, so I assumed that I shouldn’t say it either. I realized that maybe the reason I don’t say the n-word is because of the way I was raised. I wanted to know if others’ upbringing correlated with why or why not they say the n-word or not. So, I asked:
Does your background have anything to do with why or why not you say the n-word and/or does it depend on your culture?
Azya Lyons says, “Being mixed, I grew up around the most ghetto black people and the most preppy white people, but I just picked up a lot of the attributes of black culture.”
“Yes, in the black community, there’s so many different cultures. There’s a bunch of black people who don’t say the n-word or people who grew up saying it but don’t anymore. I respect black people who don’t say it, and I wish I didn’t grow up in a community that used it so loosely. I’m kind of on the edge of the fence though. I relate to saying it because of the community I grew up in; I didn’t see the issue at first, but now I can kinda see it, but it’s also just something that I’ve been comfortable with, so I think that it’s the community and the people that you hang around. I mean, I know Hispanics that say the n-word because they grew up in a black community. They were treated as black people, so it wasn’t a big deal. But I’m not gonna go around saying, ‘I’m gonna go get my chaclas’….that’s weird. I’m not Hispanic. And I know that’s not a derogatory word, but it’s out of place. That’s not my culture. So while it isn’t cultural appropriation, it kind of is, if you get what I’m saying,” adds Carter Skipwith.
The next question I asked was:
Is the n-word significant to you or your culture?
“To me, it’s not just a word. Simply because of the times we’re in now. Personally, I think we shouldn’t say it at all because I don’t wanna decode what you’re saying or try to decipher how you intended the word to mean. Because that word can switch between meanings, and it’s not what you say, but how you say it,” said Elijah Karriem.
Skipwith says, “I try not to give it power. I don’t prefer any other races say it. Because with white people, they get called a cracker, but there’s literally no meaning behind that. It’s nothing serious. I mean if you get offended at the word cracker then why can’t I get offended at the word nigga. Because it does have many meanings. The way that I use it is like friendly. I feel like when I use it, I don’t give it that much power; it’s just a word I’m using. But I’m trying to stop using it because I’m looking at it differently now. Now, I view it as a word of entrapment. A lot of people in the black community call themselves the n-word, saying that they are one. And I’m like, No, that’s not what we are. We’re black. We’re not n-words. You know what I mean? So, personally, I think that it can mean something loosely, but it’s also rooted with hate. It’s a very hateful word if you use it the wrong way, and it’s a very risky word to use. And that’s something I’ve had to realize as I’ve gotten older.”
In 2018, The Washington Post furthered their dive into the n-word by creating a video project consisting of 10 videos. The videos explore the n-word with the interviewing of people of all races including college students, athletes, talk show hosts, and even KKK member, Byron De La Beckwith Jr. It features topics like ‘the n-word being used in hip-hop/comedy,’ ‘how the n-word will be used 30 years from now,’ and more. The project is powerful and evocative. The videos are great in number and very lengthy. They also have explicit language such as the use of the n-word, but this is to be expected. Therefore I do not presume that you’ll watch the entire project, but I do urge you to watch at least 2 or 3 of the videos that pique interests. https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/introduction–the-n-word-project/2018/12/28/50efb214-5c9c-4e17-be48-f1d809e59154_video.html
Inspired by the project, I asked my peers some of the same questions that were asked in the videos. I was really interested to know what people thought about the change in spelling the n-word has had over the years and if the meaning changed with it. I asked:
Do you think that by taking the -er off and replacing it with -a has made a difference in what the word means?
Karriem said this, “To me, it’s all the same. It originated from one word. It’s like a tree: you start from the bottom and progress to the top, but you’re still on that same tree. And if the word has changed, then let others of different ethnicities use it too.
I also wanted to know what people thought about the connotation of the n-word.
Do you think that the n-word has a negative or positive connotation? Has it changed over time?
To this, Karriem said, “A black person once told me that I “act white” because I am educated and self-educated. I just don’t get that. To say that I act of another race, that puts down on our race, but uplifting the other race. So, to say that, you are putting not only me but yourself down. Like now it’s more common when you think black people to think: ratchet, sagging pants, and uneducated— you think of the n-word. So yes, it is negative.”
“The word was originally used to degrade us. It means thug, so if someone is acting like that then, yeah, I will use the word. But as a term of endearment, I can’t do that because that’s basically saying someone is my property. That word does not mean anything good. It’s a racial slur! You can’t make that into something positive.”
My former classmate said differently. He says “I don’t think it should be socially acceptable because it was once degrading, but no, I don’t think it holds the same connotation anymore.”
“That’s a difficult question. I think that it originated in a negative way, but now is being used positively. Not by everyone, but I use it as a term for ‘friend’. It just depends on how you use it— like most words,” says Stephyne Weathersby.
The n-word is used widely and frequently. However, where is it that it is used most commonly and where people seem to hear it most? The answer is simple: music. For many years, the n-word has been used in the lyrics of so many artists and rappers— many of whom who are against people of other ethnicities using the word. This prompted the question:
What do you think about artists and rappers who release music with the n-word in their songs?
Skipwith says, “With rappers, that’s their art, and they’re letting you enjoy it. People can say whatever they want, but it still doesn’t make it right. Rappers and artists make music as a form of expression. If a person of another race says ‘nigga’ in a song, I’m not gonna like make a big fuss, but c’mon now. That’s someone else’s culture. Don’t overdo it. But that’s like when you’re in the car with your parents and you hear a curse word, you ain’t gone say it, you gone skip the word. Why can’t you do that with the word nigga? That’s my take on it.”
However, Karriem disagrees. He says, “How can you release a song to the public and tell people not to use a word written in the lyrics? Or say that other audiences have to replace it with something, just don’t use it at all.”
Similarly, Cedrick Smith states, “I remember watching Oprah and Kanye West was on there, and they had a discussion on why he used the n-word in his songs. And he said he was taking the word back and making something postive out of it. First of all, the music that he makes is not empowering black people. It is tearing them down.”
The n-word is a word with many meanings and significance. How you choose to use the word is up to you. However, I challenge you to ask yourself why or why not you use the n-word? Is creating a community? Are you a part of that repeating cycle of hate? I hope this delve into the n-word and its many layers made you realize things that you have before. Ask yourself these questions, and make a choice, a change, or a correction.
[the poll results of the next topic will be up next week!]