Wednesday, March 7, 2007

The "N-Word" gets banned....

Calling all rappers....

In what was billed as a purely symbolic measure, New York's city council banned the word Nigger. Yep, I said it. No "n-word" today. I heard about this last week and have been thinking about this ever since.

Earlier, I mentioned a relevant documentary we watched. It's called "The N-Word" and as you can imagine, it explores the history and usage of the word. Everyone from historians and politicians to actors and journalists were interviewed. One of the most memorable interviews showed Bryant Gumbel admitting to using the word with his buddies. Go figure! Here we were questioning his connection to Blacks and just how Black he was. All the while, he's a n-word ;)

Back to the point, as noted in the documentary, this word has been part of the African-American culture for many years. Initially, it was used to describe us. We were Black and, like the Latin/Spanish language says we were "Nigers." That's the most logical explanation for what became Negro and Nigger in our American society. But, what isn't clear is when/how we decided to use the word on ourselves.

Historians (credible and street) have said the "house/field niggers" situation was to blame. They felt a need to distinguish themselves from each other and labeled the other group "niggers." Maybe that's true. I know what is true. Some Blacks currently use a deviation of the n-word and people are making a big fuss over nothing in my opinion.

I have heard the following arguments against the use. Of course, I've added my responses…

It's hypocritical and unfair to get angry if a non-Black person calls you that but to use it "lovingly" amongst yourselves.

So let me get this straight…there is a large group of non-Blacks that would really love to use this word. They are waiting for an "okay" and are upset that Blacks only "allow" this within their group? If so, aren't we barking up the wrong tree here? Shouldn't we be asking WHY a non-Black person WANTS to use this word? Shouldn't we question their motives and intents? You see, it's usually quite clear that Blacks do not mean harm when they are using that word. At least not the racially-charged harm we associate with non-Blacks using it!

That's the whole point. Within a group, you can say and do things that are understood INSIDE the group. You know what your group is thinking and how they operate. But, an outsider cannot do the same because you do not know their motives or what they have on their minds. This is the same everywhere. I know people, of all colors, whose parents said "What goes on in our home stays in our home." And that's because it's FAMILY business that no one else could understand and, thus, they shouldn't have the privilege of knowing.

Which leads to the "so why do hip-hop artists say it so much?" question. That is a valid question and my only response is "hip-hop was never meant to crossover." And that's the truth. Just like Rock-n-Roll and R&B, hip-hop was not created for the masses. It was created for a group of people who would understand it's energy and words. Even today, artists lose credibility when they "sell out" and make music for all. I'm pretty sure no one expected 70% of hip-hop albums to be purchased by White teens. But, now that this is reality, I do wonder if, at the least, we should scale back on the usage in music?

Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks are rolling over in their graves

The word was used, by Blacks, when both were alive. It's not a new thing. It's discussed more and is definitely in the open with movies, videos and a new rapper coming out every week. But, it's not new. And, Rosa Parks (or her people) spent a lot of time and efforts suing Outkast. Were they suing them for using the n-word? Nope. They were suing because they used Rosa's name to title one of their songs. In the end, Rosa settled and took cash from rappers who have said the word many times on and off record.

It makes non-Blacks confused

There is no confusion. If anyone, in this day and age, is confused over the n-word they are either slow or too young to listen to explicit lyrics in the first place.

It continues to limit us and encourage racism/discrimination

The verdict it still out on that one. Maybe it's because I am part of the hip-hop generation. But, I do not see it that deeply. In fact, I rarely associate the word "nigga" with negativity! I know many things, that some do, add to destroying our overall self-image. But, two brothers/sisters saying the word here and there doesn’t make me feel bad. Unless it's done in public or around children, I actually feel a sense of pride in our united community. At times, our private dialect is the only visible sign of a unique African-American culture. We spent so much time fighting for equality and failed to realize, equality does not have to mean morphing into something else. We are free to have our own culture and ways. Just as Hispanics can speak Spanglish at home, we can and should do what we want with our own.

Pass the dutchie...

I'm sure, by now, you've heard of the Texas teens giving young boys (2 and 5) marijuana and having the nerve to RECORD it. Well, a reporter gained access to the uncle and did this interview. Now, I'm not sure what point the YouTube poster was making. But, as you will see, he/she added a title page, at the end, whichs says "Diversity Sucks." I suppose this was meant as proof that Blacks suck? I don't know....



Lord have mercy on my soul. Did this fool say this is a common behavior in the Black community? Did he justify his behavior by saying "9 times out of 10" these kids will be given weed (by adults) and/or smoke it themselves.

And here we are thinking racism is our biggest hindrance. Nope. It's ignorance! Ignorance causes folks to be racists and it caused this fool to think giving his young nephews weed was OKAY. All the while, he admits he would not smoke around his kids and no one ever did this to him. I think he's slow…or rather, I hope he's slow.