I was just wondering peoples opinions on this word. I'm southern raised myself and have heard it all my life, almost on a daily basis. It is a real double standard though to me that because I am white, and irregardless of whether it is true or not, for me to use this word I'd HAVE to be racist.

The only time I ever really used this word, I was a little kid, and didn't know it was a sort of "cuss" word.

input?

I just want to add my two cents ...
I went to an African American Youth Leadership Conference a few months ago prior to my graduation and one of the main topics they discussed was the usage of the "N" word.They first asked us to write down a few words or thoughts that came to mind when we heard it. (The students participating in the conference were either full african americans or bi-racial like me). I can guarantee you that a very SMALL percentage of us wrote down things like "my best friend" or "the way i greet my fellow black brothas and sistas." The majority of kids said things like "racism," "slavery," "degrading," "hurtful," and "inferiority." With that in mind they also showed us a fiew scenes from the movie "Roots." It is a movie set back in the old days when an African man was taken from his village and sold into slavery here in the US. The scene we saw depicted white males constantly using the "N" word to degrade a black male they were talking about. To them, the "N" word meant nothing more than an inferior, worthless animal ain't good for nothin but pickin cotton in a cotton field.

I rarely ever said the "N" word myself because it has always felt wrong to me. I think it is quite hypocritical for Blacks to use that word for whatever reason. You don't see respectable African Americans like Condoleezza Rice or Collin Powell saying "what up my niggas?!" The "N" word to me is merely another profane and disrespectful word. I don't think ANYONE whether you are Black, White, Mexican, Asian or whatever should be using it.

omg that word "negro" as im going to say is so disrespectful and just rude! obviously people don't think before they say something like that or their brains up their butt! but its usually wannabe suburban "street" guys they just think they are soo cool!" and the word cool is directed in so many ways liek its cool to drink alcohol which can cause low heart rate and different types of cancers along the way and etc..

I think this word should be taking out of the Afro-communities language. I am of African decent but I was born in Toronto & been here my whole life. I was raised in the 'ghettos' if thats what you want to call it and I've heard this word literally EVERYDAY ! And when I was about 9 I moved to the States - Georgia and I've heard it more times then ever. Moving back to Toronto I still hear this word. And its ridiculous its not a word that only black people can use towards each other! Its not right for anybody to say, because using this word is taking us back into history & when will we move forward ? I know this word is in our faces listening to RAP or watching black celebrities [EG. Nas's new album is titled NIGGER] use it like its a meaningless word makes the younger youth BELIEVE its a meaningless word. So I think the money makers need to realize and stop using this word and hopefully the youth of today will stop too.

I don't think we should use it. People who are black use it towards each other, but a white person cannot use it towards a black person. Its completely ridiculous. I don't think ANYONE should be using this word. It causes so many problems and its just rude and offensive.

i think ppl use it to much and they shouldnt becuz it puts ppl done

It is used a lot in rap.

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Originally posted by tenniswild65:
i think the african american community would have more of a case for people not saying it, if it wasn't in every single rap song 500 times. it is overused and much abused. does it even mean anything anymore?

Since when did African American=Rap? My parents are dual citizens Nigeria and America and they hate rap.

personally i think words on their own arnt racist, its how you use them. for example asians being called 'packi's'
now my gran calls them this to their face, thats what they used to be called in yesteryear just like nigger but this is how she was brought up and she doesnt mean it offensively and they understand this

however if someone said something derogetory and called some one a 'packi' then it would be different.

i think the african american community would have more of a case for people not saying it, if it wasn't in every single rap song 500 times. it is overused and much abused. does it even mean anything anymore?

I Be One MySelf. But It Really Doesn't Effect Me When SomeOne Of Another Race Uses It. It Make Me Feel Proud. But If Their Namin Me One Then It Still Don't Make A Difference Because Their The One Lookin Really STUPID!!

i think that by now we as a black community need to take the power away from the word because we should be able to hear the word and not cringe or even flinch a little. I don't like the word but if anyone calls me it i'll call them something worse and i won't let it get me if a word can hurt us as a race what will happen to us when they start using bigger weapons?

I personally don't like it because I am black, but I will tell you what my Dad told me once. There are black people and then there are niggers. There is a difference.

Anyway, I don't use it, frankly it scares me because of the history of it, and it just doesn't feel right in my vocabulary. I cringe when others say it.

Danielleh, it does not matter what you think. What matters are your actions. People cannot hear your thoughts.

oh no dont get me wrong i do not think that it is positive at all i think those words are very demeaning and since I discussed this argument in a class a few months ago I have tried stopping myself from using it in that way but i think right now it is one of few things that we do have power over so we use that to our advantage...I dunno just a thought but no i do not agree with the use of the N word or Bitch or any other negative word towards a group of people but i'm just trying to identify why they are used

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It's the same as the word Bitch...I am a women and I have before called my girlfriends that in a casual way (its our society) but if a man were to call me that I would probably punch him in his face lol not really but you get my point...it is a word that is demeaning to women and now women have control of it and it is not acceptable for a man to use it against a women

I still don't agree with it's use. It may give women "power" and "control," but is it a positive power and control? Or are we treating ourselves the way misogynists want us treated?

I think that this word is a form of showing power and control. White people once were the only ones to use this word and now black people have turned it into their own turning it into a word that is not demeaning to their culture. It's the same as the word Bitch...I am a women and I have before called my girlfriends that in a casual way (its our society) but if a man were to call me that I would probably punch him in his face lol not really but you get my point...it is a word that is demeaning to women and now women have control of it and it is not acceptable for a man to use it against a women the same as it is not acceptable for a white person to use the N word.

Well i feel a certain obligation being black to write about this topic because i havent read one reply from a black person and that is who usually uses the n word. "what about honkey, cracker, spic, wet back, beaner, chinc, gook, jap-o, wap, dago, flip. all are the same yet none of those races get as offended as black people when someone says that. why is that?" I have never used the n word i think it is stupid for blacks to use it because then there is no reason that any other race shouldnt use it. I think that blacks that use it use it (of course) to refer to one another. Also blacks that take offense to other races using it think of their heritage, meaning that of slaves. even when you talk about a black man's moma hes going to "bust sum caps in yo ass mutha f!@#a" so he would do the same if you talked about his slave ancestry.

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KKK in the past or not, he still loathes black folks. He may not say it out loud anymore, but I can guarantee you, it's still bubbling under his starched skin.

True, but I have this wierd thing in which I try to see the good in people (and considering he's representing me, I'm in a little state of denial). That's what makes me so hopelessly naive. It also viciously slaughters any dreams of a political career. *shrug*

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As far as I know, nigger is the black mans favourite word, which he uses affectionately (in a manly way) to refer to his brothas?
Don't yo deny it nigger! Or ill bust sum caps in yo ass mutha f!@#a.

And it's those people who are at fault as much as the white people who use it. Degrading one's own race in that manner only gives the white people the a-okay. You can't set a double standard like that.

There's freedom of speech and then there's respect. Think about it.

Just don't use it, whether you detest me for calling it the "n word" or not.

"You can take the white hood off the man, but not the hate out of the man."

That's my say against Senator Robert Byrd. And yes, I agree with Michael Savage that he is a "West-Virginia White-Hooded Rat." Read The Political Zoo sometime.

KKK in the past or not, he still loathes black folks. He may not say it out loud anymore, but I can guarantee you, it's still bubbling under his starched skin.