growing up in a mixed race neighborhood where everyone called everyone else a nigger. its wasn’t an insult it was just like saying “buddy”. now you can’t even type it. what gives? how can we make such a word sacred? is there another word that gets such treatment?
Well, the answer to the OP is: “Not if you’re in the mood for a fight.”
But certainly words come in and out of fashion and acceptability. The language is alive, after all.
And with something as pejorative as ‘nigger’ I’d say that it would make me uncomfortable even in a friendly setting. The mocking in that isn’t good for the soul. Keep your mocking lightly humorous, it’s better all around.
Following my point from the other thread, I can’t type it because I’m a Republican opponent of affirmative action. 
It’s not sacred.
It’s a word with highly negative connotations to millions of people. It’s a word that pisses people off,a nd causes people to have their faces rearranged. And it’s a word that often hurts the hearer more than that.
If you are absolutely certain that the person you’re talking to will not take offense, go for it. I think it’s a bad habit to get into, but hey, I can’t make that decision for you.
Regardless of how “nigger” was used where you grew up, it has always been considered an insult for most. All that’s changed is your locale.
And yes, there are other words that are widely considered offensive.
why can’t we do the Lenny Bruce trick of using it so it becomes harmless?
and I can’t think of any other words that I have seen in these threads that are a _-word. except “fuck”. have I missed something. hate to think I was insensitive.
Yes, addressing to a Black/African-American/African person by using the word “nggr” is racist and beyond bad.
What neighborhood is this? What do you mean by “mixed raced neighborhood”? What’s the mix?
I am no sure what is your definition of sacred, but nggr ain’t a sacred word, but rather a racial slur that has been used historically by racists of this nation to attack African-Americans. Though it is used by African-Americans within the group, that still does not take away the fact that nggr is a racial slur.
Yeah, all other racist slurs such as bn*r, grsr, chnk, etc., etc., etc.
XicanoreX
Been done.
Didn’t work.
The Bruce/George Carlin/Chris Rock stragegy though interesting and even funny it can only exist w/i the context in which they talk about it. “Words” exist within a social/historical context. Until the social conditions exist to the point that racism as an ideollogy/belief ceases to exist, nggr will continue to be a harmful word. For the word it is not only harmful psychollogically, but it is a symbol of the racist structure in a society to repress those who they see as inferior.
Look at my previous thread. As far as insensitive, that depends. If an African-American in your community allows you (here I am assuming you are non-African-American) to call him/her by such, well . .but I would suggest that you shouldn’t go to other communities and start calling an African-American “Hey, my nggr!”.
XicanoreX
Did you say “offensive”?
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A leading U.S. dictionary publisher said it would revise entries for more than 200 offensive words after receiving complaints that some definitions, especially for the word ‘nigger’, were racist. Merriam-Webster Inc. said it would make the alterations to ethnic, religious and sexual slur words in the 1999 edition of its Collegiate Dictionary to ensure that readers were aware just how offensive the words are. The dictionary will also modify its entries for words considered vulgar and obscene.
But what, I ask, do they mean by racist, offensive, let alone vulgar? If, and one must assume they do, if they have a line, where exactly is it drawn? Who cannot be hurt; who, more vitally, can? The knee-jerk response is simple enough. The so called obscenities, natch; racism, of course, nationalist stereotyping, probably; homophobia, maybe; sexism, well, sometimes. The grey areas come swooping in. And, anyway, where do you stop? Because every group wants its say these days. The populist authoritarianism that is the downside of political correctness means that anyone, sometimes it seems like everyone, can proclaim their grief and have it acknowledged. The victim culture, every sufferer grasping for their own Holocaust, ensures that anyone who feels offended can call for moderation, for dilution, and in the end, as is all too often the case, for censorship. And censorship, that by-product of fear – stemming as it does not from some positive agenda, but from the desire to escape our own terrors and superstitions by imposing them on others – must surely be resisted.
I have posted this on a couple other threads. We use all sorts of words to describe one another and it usually says more about the person using the word than the person it is directed at. If I choose to use the word “nigger” it should tell you that I am not sensitive to words that may offend others nor am I required to be sensitive to any particular word that may offend others. These are words used to communicate thoughts. No it is not bad to call someone a nigger if the implications represent the thought you wish to convey. I think most people don’t wish to convey these thoughts so they don’t use the word. This doesn’t change the fact that I should be able to express my thoughts without censorship. (if you would like to consult with me personally about this issue, the thought police already have my address.)
Saint Zero’s simple rule for the “N” word:
If you’re anything but black, it’s off limits. Say it and you will be villified, pilloried, and otherwise lambasted as a barbaric slimeball.
If you’re black, it’s safe. At least, in my observations in Public Schools where I was in the distinct minority.
So don’t bother.
At the risk of highjacking this thread…
A group of were hanging out having a drink at my place. The group consisted of four females and 2 males (me being one of the males). All were white.
During the discussion, one female used the n-word in a racist context and was severely censured by the group. She wouldn’t recant. Much discussion ensued, to the point of the other guy becoming extremely irritated and leaving early. I must admit I was lacking my usual energy in ragging on her. (I felt kind of lazy, argument was wasted on her and the rest of the group was doing a fine job). Lame, I know.
The next night, the racist was absent from the group and another male had joined, not knowing of the previous night’s “discussion”.
The new member was asked at some point, how it was they had been absent from the scene for some time, and answered that working overtime and other imposed chores had kept him away. In the response, male 2 used a phrase something like, “… I’ve been niggerin’ for the last couple of weeks …”. (How weird it was to have the word come up two nights in succession without it ever having come up before in these little gatherings).
As one, the group started,
“Let’s not have any of that again …”
“Oh no, not another Laura …”
“We went thru this last night …”
“I don’t want to hear that shit again …”
The speaker defended himself, explaining that he had used the word in an acceptable context.
His argument was that he wasn’t calling anyone that, but that he was being put upon (unfairly) by these impositions and treated badly, etc. etc. and made to “feel like a slave”.
I kind of saw his point. Is there an acceptable use of the word or form thereof?
They draw the lines where dictionaries have always drawn the lines: they look at usage as found in newspapers and magazines, transcripts of TV and radio, movies, published fiction, non-fiction, scholarly journals, etc. They will look for references to indicate what is or is not offensive. This means that some items will continue to offend some groups if the use of the word or discussions about the word have not overwhelmingly indicated that it is or is not offensive.
The compilers of dictionaries spend most of their time collecting neologisms and new uses for old words. This means that if an old word’s meaning has not changed, but that the social response to that meaning has changed, they are less likely to note that in revisions.
When M-W had some of its older definitions pointed out, they decided to expend more energy re-examining the social aspects of words. I have a 1962 M-W Collegiate Dictionary that clearly notes that the word nigger is insulting. From their original perspective, the use was documented. What they will probably do is modify the definition to emphasize just how insulting it is.
That is what dictionaries should do, anyway: show us the actual use (denotation and connotation) of each word.
I would never use it in polite company, along with a bunch of other words,but if I was quoting somebody that said it then I would say it or write it instead of “the N word” .
I would bet they have a “C word” in Ireland for catholics. kind of silly isn’t it.
I grew up in black and white mixed neighborhood 50/50. the word lost its power.
I must say that I find the OP offensive and ignorant. I don’t care what community you grow up in, “mixed” or not, how can anyone live in America, hear about racial profiling, the disproportionate numbers of blacks in prison, the harsher punishments for possession of crack as opposed to cocaine, the large numbers of neighborhoods that are still segregated by race and class, see reported again and again in the media how unarmed black males are shot down and killed by police, and then ask if it’s bad to call someone black that name? How can you access this board, see the many threads on race that folks have done, and still ask this question? What planet have you been living on justinh? I interact with plenty of cultural groups, and they seem to know that using words that have been used traditionally to insult and that are STILL used to insult members of a particular cultural group is a bad thing. [VERY BIG SIGH]
The OP makes me wonder what non-black folks see in the N word that fascinates them so. Is it the power to hurt others under the guise of “freedom of speech,” the implication being that those insulted just need to get over it already? Is that what’s so titillating about offensive terms? Yes, we are free to insult folks, but just as we are free to insult, we are also free not to do so. With freedom of speech also comes the greater responsibility to USE IT WISELY. I’d suggest, justinh, that you educate yourself on the history of race relations in this country and then revisit the question you asked in the OP. It’s not just the word, it’s the thought behind the conscious use of the word. If you are not black, then don’t use it. And if you are black, you better be damn sure you know what you’re doing if you opt to use it.
Again, not for the vast majority of Americans. In some situations, perhaps, it can be acceptable, but generally, there is no accepted usage of “nigger” in conversation.
Well, except a conversation like this one, I suppose.
andros, I really don’t find the use of the N word in this conversation acceptable either. What more could there possibly be to discuss? It’s offensive. Don’t use it.
Being curious, I went to Encarta and found this
The definition they give was not the same as it was in the Webster dictionary when I last looked it up in the 80s. What I did find curious was this:
I agree.
celestina,
I am not arguing for using a word to hurt people. I am just commenting that we are giving the word too much power by not being able to type it.
If I called you an “ignorant slut” (I am not by the way just using an example) that would be a horrible thing and something I would not say in public. but if I was quoting the saturday night live skit then I would use it. If I was quoting the saturday night skit that used “nigger” then I would use it instead of n****.
I would liken it to “cunt”. a word that I have never used in a conversation. I think this is the first time I have ever typed it. It is a disgusting word. but its not sacred. I repeat its not sacred. It can be spoken. just like any other word.
I don’t think that all blacks get a free pass when they use That Word. In my experience, it is used only by uneducated black youth, as in the conversations I hear on the Metro, “I told that nigga to step outta my face before I busted his ass,” and so on.
The educated black people I work with would rather be boiled in oil than say That Word. Can you imagine Colin Powell saying to Condi Rice, “Looka here, nigga, what’s the 411 on the Afghan bizzay?” Didn’t think so.
It’s a trashy word used only by trashy people, and I would think that anyone with a scintilla of respect for himself or the people around him would excise that piece of vulgarity from his vocabulary. There is no possible reason for a white person to use That Word that would not demean him.
Chris Rock on using the “N-word”.