Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 29 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 9 months ago by
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- Haven't you ever heard the saying 'A single word can take on different meanings depending on the speaker'? If a white man were to call a black man a so-called 'nigga,' it doesn't mean the same thing as it does when a black man calls another black man that.
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Name : Renee, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 46, City : Terra Bella, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Why is it that blacks continue to call each other 'nigga' but become upset when anyone else says it? Isn't this still viewed as being derogatory?User Detail :
Name : Ronnie E., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Christian, Age : 27, City : Hesp., State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Trainer/Instructor, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Understood. However, that still does not answer the question of why they continue to call each other nigga. I am Hispanic but would still be offended if another Hispanic called me 'wetback' or 'beaner.'User Detail :
Name : Ronnie-E, Gender : M, City : Victorville, State : CA Country : United States,What if a white man calls another white man that? Is that OK?User Detail :
Name : PB19823, Gender : M, Age : 30, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States,I think it's kind of like how some women call each other 'bitches.' Depending on the person, some women call each other bitches openly and take it as just a comment or don't care, but those same women become highly offended when a man calls them a bitch. It's the same way when black people use the word nigga. When women call each other bitches, it's like they both could be so-called bitches because they both are female, so it's not as much of an insult coming from another woman. So when black people call each other niggas, it's like both of them could be considered 'niggers' since they're both black, so it isn't a real insult coming from another black person. But if a white person, who would not be considered a nigger even if called one, calls a black person nigger, it's offensive. A white person wouldn't even use the word nigger unless he or she meant to offend or piss off someone, so just saying it shows you have nothing but bad intentions.I also think tone of voice counts a lot. When a woman who's friends with another woman says she's a bitch, it's usually in a playful tone of voice. Same with black people in most cases. In cases where the tone of voice is serious, I've seen women break out into fights. It's the same with black people. Tone of voice shows your intentions, and usually when a white person uses the word, their tone of voice shows their intention is to offend, and even if it isn't, a black person would still feel offended because of how white people before them have used that word to put us down.
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Name : Danny L. Williams Jr., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Memphis, State : TN Country : United States,I'm not black, and I don't live in the US, but I believe blacks call themselves that to actually make fun of the expression, and in a friendly way. Here in Venezuela people in general call each other negro (black or nigga), catire (blonde or honky), flaco (skinny), gordo (fat), etc. and there is no offense taken. The only expression I haven't heard is 'indian' said to a 'brown' guy. A blonde guy can say to a black guy something like 'c'mon nigga, give me a better price' and he would answer 'no way honky, you know it's already dirt cheap'. The terms are also used among people of the same race, and always, it's in a friendly way, because we consider that being black, brown or white is not something good or bad, it just . . . is.User Detail :
Name : Nelson-A, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 33, City : Caracas, State : NA Country : Venezuela, Occupation : Lawyer/Business, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I also was disturbed by this for quite some time, especially since my neice is biracial. After asking some black friends, I came to the following assumptions: The 'N' word, which I will never use or write because of the history behind it, is similar to the word 'bitch.' They are both are very derogatory, and depending on the context and the relationship between the people using them, have very different meanings. I would be quite offended if someone I didn't know called me a bitch, but with close friends and my sister, we use it sometimes in a joking manner. I do not feel comfortable using the 'n' word and will not allow it to be used in my household. I do, however, understand why blacks have taken the work back and given it a new meaning. I do not feel white people in general should ever use this word. It is a word that was once used by white people to humiliate and demean black people. So, no matter how much time goes by, I feel that given the history of the word, white people should not use it. When used by black people, it takes on a different meaning and is used under different circumstances. I would be very interested to hear from others on this topic. My neice is a very important part of my life, and the fact that she is half black makes this is a very sensitive subject for me.User Detail :
Name : michelle, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Ok, I don't want to respond to my own question but I don't feel as though it has been answered yet. Maybe I should ask first then What does 'NIGGA' mean? If you were asked to define the word for a study or to enter it into a dictionary,how would you define it? this may help me understand why they continue to call each other Nigga.User Detail :
Name : Ronnie-E, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 24, City : Victorville, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Social Services, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Because a white person will never know how it feels to be black. Because there is still racism in the world. Because when a white person says it, they are either being racist, or they are assuming they have the experience to use the word. If you're the only white person around your group of all-black friends who you are very tight with, I think it's acceptable. If you are a person of color who has experienced being a so-called 'minority' and the baggage that comes with, I think it's acceptable. But if you grew up in white suburbia or white middle America and think it's cool because you like Snoop Dogg, it's just not quite right. I would like to know from other readers when they think it is acceptable.User Detail :
Name : Charlotte, Gender : F, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States,I agree with you. But I listen to a lot of hip-hop and attend shows with friends of several races. Hip-hop and other types of entertainment media (ie TV shows) that are inspired, supported and performed by black artists routinely make use of this word we are all talking about. Honestly, when I hear an older white person use the word I get the shivers, but if one of my friends (white or black) approaches me and says, 'What up, nigga?' I don't really give it a second thought. What really concerns me is the barrier the word creates. I feel like there is an entire group of people that I missed getting to know growing up because of these kind of barriers. My wish is that all ethnicities in this country could communicate without having to 'watch what they say'. I'm interested in knowing what black people feel about this word as a barrier between us.User Detail :
Name : Jeremy, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 27, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,For a better understanding of this topic I beg each of you and everyone you know to read: 'Nigger, The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word' by Randall Kennedy you should be able to get a copy of it from amazon.com. MY WORD: It is amazing to me, as an African American, that a word can have so much meaning to so many people after so many generations. "Nigger is fascinating precisely because it has been put to a variety of uses and can radiate a wide array of meanings." (Kennedy, 34) African Americans are discriminating against themselves and do not realize it. The dominant group (white males) started the usage of the n-word and over generations we have adapted to use the word against ourselves. It does not even set off a trigger in our mind this is happening because in a small aspect it has lost meaning. The usage is institutionalized because them or we are not trying to stop the usage of the word the only solution is that white people should not use the word and that will not solve the word. On the other hand, African Americans feel that if they get to use the word the pass does not matter anymore when in fact is matters now more than ever.User Detail :
Name : Tim, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 19, City : St. Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,When you think about it, the word itself is used differently among urban folk. Blacks say 'Nigga' and some who use the word to offend or oppress say 'Nigger'. Needless to say in 2002 we should do away with the word all together. And for the record being a 'nigga' is a state of mind not a state of being. I know some non-blacks who personify what most consider qualities of an 'N'.User Detail :
Name : Sion, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 26, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,'Nigga' is derogatory no matter who says it. It seems as if my people (Blacks) have convinced themselves that if you drop the 'er' and add an 'a' to the 'nigg', then it means something totally different... Well, it doesn't. And with the addition to the popularity of hip-hop into the mainstream, you'd think that we'd use that format as a tool to educate, but instead, we destroy and rebuild up a world who now freely uses a word that was originally designed to break-down my entire family. How many Jews call each other 'kikes' freely and in songs? How many latinos call each other 'spiks'? How many Whites call each other 'crackers'? How many Italians call each other 'Wops'? None. Blacks are the only race who use their own derogatory word against each other and try to say that it's a term of embracement instead of use the more difficult method (like every other race) of just NOT using it. 'Bitch' is not the same because 'bitch' can be used with any person of any race of any sex to one another. 'Nigga' and 'Nigger' is designed to degrade Blacks as a people. It's not that difficult. Quit using it and it'll go away eventually.User Detail :
Name : The Zodiac, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Brooklyn, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Graphic/Web Designer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,People are what they want to be...therefore whats the point of gettin upset about somethin u refer to yourself as.User Detail :
Name : alex29034, City : houston, State : TX Country : United States,I am an African American female and I disagree with anyone of any race using the 'N' word. Many African Americans claim to use this word as a term of endearment. They feel as if they are giving a positive meaning to a word that has been very hurtful to African Americans for many years. Therefore when they use this term with each other it is a positive, but still viewed as a racial slur by people outside of their race. Since the original meaning of the word refers to someone who is ignorant and because of the history behind the word, I do not use it and will not allow anyone of any race to refer to me with that word. The truth of the matter is that the 'N' word will never lose the meaning of a racial slur to blacks or an ignorant individual. Unfortunately, though there are some African Americans who endeavor to give this word a positive meaning, there are some blacks who still use this word in the negative way that whites historically used it.User Detail :
Name : C. Warren, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : Hyattsville, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : grad student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
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