October 6, 1999 at 12:00 am #41649
Gloria S.
Member
I relate the n-word and its potential use for empowerment among African Americans to the word “bitch” used for and by women. Remember when bitch was a derogatory term? These days, I think many young women define bitch as a strong-headed woman who gets what she wants, when she wants it – a very powerful feeling when you’ve been told for centuries that you’re inferior based on your gender, or, in the case of African Americans, the color of your skin. It takes a very strong group of people to take a word used out of hate and turn it around to mean something more positive.