Gordaen’s Blog

I was just noticing that I haven’t pissed anyone off for at least a dozen blog entries, so I thought I’d pick up a hot topic. The N-word always seems to be in the news. Any time a white guys says the word, particularly one who fancies himself as a comedian, shit hits the fan. It’s a question of intent. Was the word used hatefully? Was it a joke? Did it cross the line?

I’m pretty sure at this point it is obvious that I’m referring to the word “nigger.” If you’re offended by it being written out or said, then you are giving more power to it and you probably shouldn’t read this blog post. So many issues are tied up in this word that it means a lot of different things to different people and in different situations. White guys are always feeling awkward when they quote a Dave Chappelle sketch with “nigger” in it. Why? It’s okay if a black guy says it but not a white guy? I’m talking about direct quotes with no malicious intent. Being okay for one ethnicity and not another sounds racist to me, and that’s the very heart of this issue. Making this word grounds to die on is giving it power through racism.

I do understand how/why blacks can call their friends “niggers.” It’s a lot like saying, “Hey Asshole!” If you know the person and you are good friends, then it isn’t an insult (culture-depending, of course). If you don’t know the person, then it is. The significant difference is that many blacks will call others whom they don’t even know “niggers” and that’s okay. It is very rare that a white person, no matter how close to his/her black friends can ever do the same.

We shouldn’t censor this word (I’m not advocating that it should appear on Sesame Street, but that we shouldn’t dismiss any form of media purely on the usage of this word). Doing so ignores the history of it and why it has the connotations it does. The more that we barricade it, put it behind barbed wire, and destroy reputations based solely on this word, the more power we give to it. We’ve changed it into the holy grail of insults.

Ultimately, we decide if we are insulted by something. Consider that in America it’s “okay” to call someone “the skinniest person I’ve ever seen” but horrendously insulting to call someone “the fattest person I’ve ever seen.” Underweight and overweight can both be unhealthy, but it’s all about whether you want to be insulted or not. Culture tells us that being called “fat” is insulting, and most of us believe it.

If someone calls you an “asshole,” you’re obviously not the body part s/he is referring to, so it is not particularly meaningful other than being an insult. If this person doesn’t know you, then why care? If someone calls you a “nigger,” it can’t mean more than “black person” (which you obviously agree with or you would simply raise an eyebrow at the insult) unless you let it. It never originally meant more than that. I’m not saying you have to cheer every time the word is used; I’m just suggesting that we give power to words that are spoken not the other way around. Don’t give it power if you don’t want it to have any.