Is it okay for African Americans to say the "N" word?

It is not okay for anyone to say it

Can you elaborate your stance?

I am very passionate about this subject so excuse me if this post is long. First of all I'm a Black woman and I don't advocate the use of the word at all. But I am also very opposed to censorship so I will use the word in this post but only out of necessity.

When pressed, Blacks who use "nigger" or any of its variants claim the following: it has to be understood contextually; continual use of the word by Blacks will make it less offensive; it is not really the same word because Whites are saying "nigger" but Blacks are saying "nigga;" and it is just a word and Blacks should not be prisoners of the past or the ugly words which originated in the past. These arguments are not convincing. "Brother" and "Sister" are terms of endearment. "Nigger" was and remains a term of derision. Moreover, the false dichotomy between Blacks and "Niggers" should be oppsed. No Blacks are "Niggers," irrespective of behavior, income, ambition, clothing, ability, morals, or skin color. Finally, if continued use of the word lessened its sting then "nigger" would have no sting by now. Blacks, begining in slavery, have internalized the negative images that White society culitvated and propagated about Black skin and Black people. This is reflected in periods of self-loathing. The use of the word "nigger: by Blacks reflects this loathing, even when the user is unaware of the psychological forces at play. "Ngger" is the ultimate expression of White racism and White superiority, regardless of the way it is pronounced. It is a linguistic corruption, a corruption of civility. "Nigger" is the most infamous word in American culture. Some words carry more weight than others. At the risk of hyperbole, is "genocide" just another word? "Pedophilia?" Obviously, no: neither is "nigger."

What you say is true. Most people dont understand that the N words as we call it is something that was used to refer to blacks to show that they were inferior. But to say it in between our own kind is a name of normality like saying homey. Although some blacks do not like the word to be used around them period. It depends who you are and where you are and also HOW it is said. I know some people who who aren't black who say the N word and its not seen as disrespectful.There is a difference especially in the tone that it is used and around who.

I dont get how it's ok for one black person to call another nigga but if anyone else does it they get pissed and are ready to jump you. go figure!

I haven't heard any white people get away with using the "N" word. Even white rappers who are just as immersed in the Hip Hop culture like Eminem and White Devil don't use the "N" word in their lyrics. Most Black people I've talked to feel that it would be disrespectful for any non black to use that word.

If as a people we're trying to overcome this racial barrier, then why are we still using the word "nigger" or "nigga" as a form of segregation?

I believe their is a difference, non blacks useage of the "N" word is usually in a demeaning manner, ie, making fun, telling racist jokes etc.

In our culture today, people of any ethnicity use the word "nigga" in regular conversation. They aren't trying to sound demeaning or making fun/telling jokes. But it still doesn't make sense for anyone to coin the word "nigger" as a positive word.

I think they are giving it a different meaning that only they can use.

Instead of giving it a different meaning, I think we should just drop the word as a whole and leave it in the past.

As a black woman I think it is wrong to use the N -word by anyone. I recently learned that African slaves used this word to stake claim to this country but it was not willingly. That had to abandon there real heritage to claim this one because there was no more home for them. I believe all races have come to far in 2006 to try to hold on to the use of this word which has come to mean something derogitory and something that should not be associated with anyone.

http://www.progressiveu.org/105021-signs

calm down you niggers in the us.. i'm from germany, sure no niggers here lol.
fuck your political correct talks.. a nigger's a nigger, nothing to do about it ;P

you blacks are lucky in da us.. if you'd walk in berlin marzahn... without overdoing, you'd likely be dead..
be happy of ur american paradise, where whites allow you to repress them..

Having certain things that blacks can say but not whites basically continues the monstrosity that was "Separate but equal". True equality is not about having different standards for different races. Things like the 'n' word do nothing but perpetuate racial tension, bigotry, and hatred on BOTH sides of the racial spectrum. Any and all derogatory terms centered on race should be 'bad' words, or none of them. You can't have it both ways.

You say "african" americans. Are you referring to the AMericans that actually immigratedf rom Africa in their lifetime? OR Black Americans that were born and raised iin America. Difference there.

I don't think that anyone, regardless of race, should use any racial slur. The words will always be known and renound for being demeaning and belittling, even if people try to change the meaning.

I don't think that "black people owning the N word" marks progress or steps to quality or anything like that. If anything, it helps to keep black people subjugated because outsiders don't understand that they mean it in a "friendly" way, and many still believe that it's ok to say it because the "black people are saying it anyway." If that makes sense.

And in terms of the term "African American," I don't think that's the right thing to say. Not all black people come from Africa.

Black and white people were created equal, but their experience in this society has not been an equal one. It's not that African Americans are the only ones who have suffered. It's because they've suffered in a way that is unique to African Americans and therefore to the word "nigger." If they want to retake the word and make it their own, they have every right. Just like Irish people can make jokes about Irish people being big drinkers, and Mexicans can joke about parental dysfunction within the community, African Americans can us the word "nigger" to their heart's desire.

Also, it's really not just about being Black. Latinos, Asians, Natives and certain White people have earned the right to use the word. Living in the ghetto or the projects and having to deal with a lower-class lifestyle allows anyone the right to use the word. I know plenty of non-Black people who use the word, and it isn't in an offensive way. They don't use it to express racial supremacy- they use it to express racial and class unity. "My nigger" doesn't mean "you're my property" it means "you're another person here, in the ghetto." It just so happens that there aren't as many White people in low-income neighborhoods as Latinos, Asians, Natives and Blacks.

I would also like to point out that shit, fuck, cunt and cock are not derogatory. Derogatory remarks have to target a certain person or group. Bitch and bastard have always been and will always be misogynistic insults. The word "bitch" assumes that a woman is akin to a dog... this word has not yet been culturally retaken by women. Bastard is an indictment on the object's mother; it's an expression of her as a whore or a loose woman. Both are very derogatory and have always been so.

Really, it's not the words you use. Words are just words, shells to convey meaning. It's the -meaning- that you convey. Usually when when Whites say "nigger" it isn't the same meaning as when Black people say it. Your principal overreacted. He made an unfair assumption about your family- but that doesn't mean that white on black racism doesn't exist, or that Black people should be denied a word they have earned.

Is it okay to use that word? My short answer is no. To me it seems that the strongest reason for not using this word is not because it offends people, or to prevent kids from saying it. It's self-respect on the part of black people. This word is still an insult, no matter who says it. Are those who insult themselves just trying to use an insult in their own context before somone else does? There's no getting around the fact that, more often than not, it's hard for a black person to fight the disrespectful image this country so often holds for him or her. But who am I more likely to respect, the person who fights against slander and refuses to accept it as a description of himself, or the one who practically seems to agree with degradation?
I'm not black and I could never pretend to know what it's like to be black. But I do know that for anyone to be respected by others, they must first respect themeselves.

ORPHIOUS THE NATORIOUS OF WICHITA
FEAR ME HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHa ( Not Really)

to say the n word is to bring judgement on your self what in the world possessed this generation to say this to one another anyway that is the real question their because of some one that was of a negetive influence people think its a cool thing to say its not.

ORPHIOUS THE NATORIOUS OF WICHITA
FEAR ME HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHa ( Not Really)

to say the n word is to bring judgement on your self what in the world possessed this generation to say this to one another anyway that is the real question their because of some one that was of a negetive influence people think its a cool thing to say its not.

the N word.

NOBODY should use it. Not African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, Native American, Indian, blue people, pink people, green people...NOBODY!!!

I would agree that no one should say it. To say that it is okay for some to use a specific word, but not okay for others does nothing more than reinforce racism.