The main word deemed untouchable in our society is the word nigger. This word is so intense most people will not say it out loud. It has become the N-word. It has become more oppressive now than it has ever been. Nigger is the word that has been used to demean and injure African-American people for over two hundred years. It stems from the Latin word for black and became a racial slur in the 1800's. The shame of slavery and Jim Crow laws have caused the word nigger to become the evilest thing a person can say. Because of this, only the worst of the worst use the word nigger. This causes even more panic and animosity whenever it is said.
Percival Everett demonstrates this idea in his short story The Appropriation of Cultures. This short story is about black musician Daniel Barkley and how he ignited a movement to destroy the power of the Confederate flag. He did this by driving a truck with a Confederate flag decal and by telling every black person who protested the flag to instead treat it as the Black Power flag instead. The outcome of this story is that the Confederate flag is used by so many black people that it no longer holds any worth as a racist symbol. It has been defeated.
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| Percival Everett and his pet crow which he has named Jim. The photo was taken by The Paris Review. |
The same thing can happen with the word nigger. The term nigga can be seen as the beginning phase to change the social meaning of nigger. However, the changing of the word from nigger to nigga has made nigger more powerful. This word is so bad that not even black people can use it. If African-Americans would embrace the word nigger and use it as a rallying call for black power, and white people were not afraid to use the word in a non-racist context, then the power of the word would diminish. As a bi-racial female whose great-great-great-great grandparents were slaves, I am proud to call myself a nigger. Kendrick Lamar writes in his song I about how the word nigger can control the people and condition them to feel fear. He then calls everyone to action to use the word negus. Negus is an Ethiopian word which means black royalty, or a black king. Nigger should mean the same.
Reclamation of language seems to be a reoccurring theme in the discussion of dissolving inequalities. As you mentioned above we have seen it in the LGBTQIA+ community with 'gay' as well as 'queer'. Both have been reclaimed in some instances. Both of these terms have a similar historical roots to your topic (arguably not as deep) of oppression. Queer oddly enough is used in academic language now seen as umbrella term and can be used freely by anyone without scrutiny (in the right context). Although I wonder if the N-word will ever be able to be used by all communities? Or is it just a word for the black community to yield as a means of empowerment? What are your thoughts regarding the N-word in popular culture, such as Rap music?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean nigga in rap music, or nigger? I understand that nigger is a very jarring word to say, or even think. But this is an academic conversation. In the context of these comments, anyone can say the word nigger without fear. It's okay. I feel as if the fear of saying nigger contributes to how scary the word seems.The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee uses the word nigger. Harper Lee was a white woman and her use of the word in her book was not racist. By her not shying away from it, she made the book more powerful. In my opinion, if African-Americans take back the word nigger (using rap or any other way) and everyone else gives support by not being afraid to say the word in the right context, then there will be no more power in the word. When nigger can be used in place of African-American or black, then progress will have been made.
DeleteI think one of the main reasons it'd be hard to use "nigger" to express black power is that it has a thick history of abuse tied to it, abuse by white people. It was used to beat down an entire group of people, and even though now it may be less widespread, it has transitioned into a word to express hate for another group. It seems the best way to move on from using nigger as a hate word (and thus turn it into a method of empowerment) would be to utilize "negus," the Ethiopian word for royalty you mentioned, and then perhaps progress from that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting proposal that has the potential to eliminate hate speech as a whole. Words are just words, as children we were told not to use swear words cause they are "bad" words, but in reality they are just words that society as deemed as having a negative connotation. As a generation millennials are changing many words and the meaning they hold, but the only concern that crosses my mind is that if people change and adapt the word nigger to mean black empowerment, will society still come up with another word to oppress black people and African Americans as a race and culture? The end result of this idea is an amazing idea, a world without the the negative form of the word nigger. However the process of adapting a new meaning to the word nigger will be one of violence, emotional turmoil, misconceptions and miscommunication of what people are trying to say. Overall I agree with this idea and I think that it has great potential to change one of the most hateful words throughout any language, to that of a powerful sign of pride and power.
ReplyDeleteI feel like some people may view this stance as being somewhat controversial, because there is a lot of fear tied to the word "nigger", but I completely agree with this need to reclaim symbols and languages. The story by Percival Everett, The Appropriation of Cultures, is a great example of this, and I think that everyone should read it because it shows the power that symbols have in our society.
ReplyDeleteI think that it will take a lot of time and reconditioning in order for all people to say nigger comfortably, in a non-racist context. As someone who is white, I feel uncomfortable saying it because I do not want to offend or hurt someone due to the word's historically racist past. If nigger becomes a commonly said word by all people, what context would it be said in? Would it be used for self-identification, or a way that others identify each other?