The 'N' Word

[Benicio del Toney]

No one should use it at all. But it's all a part of black people

And the way they are programmed to look at life. I don't hear china man or Pakistani man going round calling each other chinkey, paki, terrorist etc If we dd we would question it so why don't blacks?

White people call each other chav but that is more of a social status slur

Not true.

!!

I have a Paki friend who refers to himself as that all the time, 1 Paki that bought my car off me few years back we got talking in the car, asked him if he was into football, he said to me

"I'm Paki, we love Cricket man"

[Benicio del Toney]

the words mean what You mean when You say them

So Suarez is innocent?

No because referring to someone's ethnicity on a football pitch can only be taking 1 way.

To cause offence.

[Benicio del Toney]

Growing up I thought it was only an offensive term etc... till I got to secondary school and started doing Latin.

At the age of 11 I came across the word "niger", pronounced knee jair, I remember exactly where I was when I read this word in my text book, I was sitting 1 seat away from the window and it dawned on me what the words associated with it mean and that they were not necessarily pejorative at all.

The word originated as a term used in a neutral context to refer to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger ("color black")

Look at other associated words in casual existence today

Nigeria

Niger

The Niger River

Knowing this it is absurd to me why we should feel ashamed that we have taken possession of a negative word and turned the meaning into something neutral again.

To me that is progress.

I don't feel being scared of the word is.

I understand however many people don't share my experiences, I just feel we have taken ownership of the word and that is what has taken away the power from anyone looking to use the word to subjugate.

[Kompressor]

Can't stand the word tbh. The older i get the more intolerable of it I get,

Everytime I see or hear it it reminds me what people had to go through whilst that word was used in different context.

Hopefully the word dissapears from all language in years to come.

[PascalMoriarty]

@ Toney

I'd agree with what you were saying if it were possible to use the word positively, but it isn't. I'm yet to read, or hear a sentence in which the word is used without negative connotation. Its in the nature of the word, it was created to segregate and identify a being thought to be lesser than the individual using said word. You can't change that about the word, whether or not you take possession of it, it doesn't change what the word was intended for.

[Benicio del Toney]

Pascal

You seeing an old high school friend in the street and him hugging you and saying

"My nigga, damn, longtime man, how you been son?"

That's negative?

[PascalMoriarty]

Don't even wanna seem like some pompous prat but are you really telling me the "my nigga" would be necessary?

"Damn! Longtime man, how you been son?"

Again its hip-hop thats made that whole "my nigga" a necessity, old time dread who used to live in the flats opposite our school, would reprimand youts constantly for using that word, and he had been in the country since the 70's, said he had never used the word to describe himself or any of his friends. They were "Black Men" and that was a proud enough title.

That leads me to believe this whole thing is recent, 90's onwards, have to blame hip-hop. Don't get me wrong that sentence isn't necessarily negative, but the term to me is still unecessary.

[Benicio del Toney]

Again its hip-hop thats made that whole "my nigga" a necessity

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, Hip Hop has changed probably more than we know for the good.

It's arguable that Obama might not be president now if it weren't for Hip Hop.

I will deal with the rest of your point in my next post.

[Benicio del Toney]

Everytime I see or hear it it reminds me what people had to go through whilst that word was used in different context.

Hopefully the word dissapears from all language in years to come.

The chances of a word like that disappearing, with so many other similar looking words existing, are slim.

But what we can change is the meaning.

Now me and you are born in an age where we have grandparents who remember the word used in a negative sense.

But the same won't be as true for our grandchildren.

I say we keep using the word till the negative meaning disappears or fades out of memory.

Doubt it's possible?

Just look at some of these words and their former meanings.

Artificial

This originally meant ‘full of artistic or technical skill’. Now its meaning has a very different slant.

Nice

This comes from the Latin ‘not to know’. Originally a ‘nice person’ was someone who was ignorant or unaware.

Awful

This meant ‘full of awe’ i.e. something wonderful, delightful, amazing. However, over time it has evolved to mean exactly the opposite.

Brave

This once was used to signify cowardice. Indeed, its old meaning lives on in the word ‘bravado’.

Manufacture

From the Latin meaning ‘to make by hand’ this originally signified things that were created by craftsmen. Now the opposite, made by machines, is its meaning.

Tell

Its original meaning was ‘to count’. Which is how we came by the term ‘bank teller’.

[Drift]

we should do like them 5 percenters and call each other 'black' or 'god'

[Kompressor]

we should do like them 5 percenters and call each other 'black' or 'god'

Everytime I see or hear it it reminds me what people had to go through whilst that word was used in different context.

Hopefully the word dissapears from all language in years to come.

The chances of a word like that disappearing, with so many other similar looking words existing, are slim.

But what we can change is the meaning.

Now me and you are born in an age where we have grandparents who remember the word used in a negative sense.

But the same won't be as true for our grandchildren.

I say we keep using the word till the negative meaning disappears or fades out of memory.

Doubt it's possible?

Just look at some of these words and their former meanings.

Artificial

This originally meant ‘full of artistic or technical skill’. Now its meaning has a very different slant.

Nice

This comes from the Latin ‘not to know’. Originally a ‘nice person’ was someone who was ignorant or unaware.

Awful

This meant ‘full of awe’ i.e. something wonderful, delightful, amazing. However, over time it has evolved to mean exactly the opposite.

Brave

This once was used to signify cowardice. Indeed, its old meaning lives on in the word ‘bravado’.

Manufacture

From the Latin meaning ‘to make by hand’ this originally signified things that were created by craftsmen. Now the opposite, made by machines, is its meaning.

Tell

Its original meaning was ‘to count’. Which is how we came by the term ‘bank teller’.

Agree 100%

Sadly

[PascalMoriarty]

I don't doubt that the examples you gave are relevant, what I have to point out is that none of them have anything to do with race, which is the issue here. The word relates to members of a specific race, a race who won't forget about the connotations of that word, because they won't forget about slavery. I think we're underestimating the social stigma thats attached to this word, people have died because of it. Its not just going to be forgotten and transformed into some acceptable piece of language. Whether its 200 years from now, i don't want this word becoming part of day to day language.

We may aswell suggest that Auschwitz become a nickname for beach holiday destinations.

[Guest PROFIT MARGINS]

U niggaers still talking about this?

[Benicio del Toney]

lol @ the last line Pascal.

All I'm saying is the word nigga is here to stay.

I'd rather we use it how it was originally intended and keep possession of the word than we be scared of it and let racists win by destroying our confidence when they use it.

If we let the word become as taboo as it was 50 years ago then the word carries too much power over us imo.

[Da Luv Doc]

Any black person who uses the word "nigga" is a bounty.

[Guest PROFIT MARGINS]

That's gonna make a lot of guys bountys fam

Basically every black rapper is bounty then yh?

[Francis Coquelin]

one few the times it's acceptable

http://www.xvideos.c...ying_the_n-word

[roberz999]

Nigga is jus a word why make a big deal over it

[stacksbranning]

Would have expected local to make this topic

[roberz999]

Who made my AIDS topic?

[stacksbranning]

Nothing to do with hip hop its everything to do with America , It is the most effed up country in the world .

Anyway the difference between an asian calling themselves a paki and a black person calling themselves the n word is that paki was a term they used amongst themselves untill whites took it and started paki bashing . Originally it was not racist where as nigger/nigga was always racist .

Black people should NOT use it . Nor should we be calling eachother monkeys like brainwashed idiots .

Also i have noticed that other races are starting to get abit pally pally using the word more freely,

Because we allow them too .

[MARVELL]

there is no difference between nigga and nigger. its just one dumb coon who coudlnt spell and like sheep other coons found it cool to be stupid

thank heavens we dont have Jews running about saying theres a difference between Kaik and Kyke.

[Guest PROFIT MARGINS]

Is ur bf Jewish or suttin?

[MARVELL]

he wants a back and forth. go find your mum

[Guest PROFIT MARGINS]

Shalom fam.