# Is it possible for a white person to use the n-word and not be a racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 19, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919 "2011-04-19T02:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/21 "2011-04-19T12:13:00Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Sure. Nigger. I’m not racist. QED. > > It’s just a word, guys. I don’t think a white person is qualified to say this. The circumstances in which the word was uttered actually caused a black person to quit the guild. It’s easy to say it’s “just a word” when it’s a word that has never applied to you. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/22 "2011-04-19T12:21:00Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I don’t think a white person is qualified to say this. The circumstances in which the word was uttered actually caused a black person to quit the guild. It’s easy to say it’s “just a word” when it’s a word that has never applied to you. Do you have to qualify to give an opinion now? ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/23 "2011-04-19T12:36:05Z")
> [@humanafterall](#): > > My mother had always taught me that the N word refers to someone uneducated and rude, not, someone of a dark skin color. “Whites can be n\*\*\*\*\*s, too.” That’s what she told me. Your mother lied to you. A white person who grew up in the hood with mostly black friends is the only case where I’ve seen someone “get away with it.” And you have to use the -a ending not the -er. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/24 "2011-04-19T12:42:25Z")
> [@mil0](#): > > I’ve grappled with this for a while as a “serious” gamer. > > High-end gaming has a thick profanity-laced atmosphere when things aren’t going well. Keyboards are slammed, headsets thrown, egos crushed, and racial expletives are tossed around like nothing. It’s just the culture. I don’t think I’ve ever met a genuine racist gamer, but nearly all of them will on occasion color their language with “nigger,” “gook,” “faggot” etc. > > As for myself, I’ve been marinated in the culture from an early age and I can throw a vent-rage so outrageous that even Haley Barbour would denounce me. And honestly, I truly don’t believe I have a racist bone in my body. > > There really is no racist intent when these expletives getting thrown around. That’s what’s important to remember. So while to an outsider, it may seem like Ray is a _culturally tone-deaf, insensitive, moronic jackass and immature jerk,_ to Ray I’m sure it’s just frustration leaving the body. > > Btw, a female in WoW with no recourse? Sounds like you’re not thinking hard enough ^\_~ Man, if that’s what gaming culture is like, I have to say I don’t see the appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/25 "2011-04-19T12:43:40Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Your mother lied to you. I agree he’s wrong, but it’s true that other people have used the word that way. (Sen. Robert Byrd did it late in his life.) That use grew out of the slur anyway. You don’t have to be an etymology expert to figure out where the word came from. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/26 "2011-04-19T12:49:42Z")
Probably not. I swear a lot but I, as far as I can recall, have only ever used the n-word in 2 contexts - talking about Mr Lennon’s song _Woman is the N-word of the World_ or talking about [the ‘N-word’ Brown issue](http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/nigger-brown-issue-laid-to-rest-at-last/2009/02/17/1234632793995.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/27 "2011-04-19T13:31:40Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Sure. Nigger. I’m not racist. QED. > > It’s just a word, guys. You say this as though words are unimportant. Given that words are our primary means of communication, this is especially true when speaking to gamers through a head set, they are important. The words we choose and the inflection of our voice are but one criteria by which we are judged. If you choose to throw racial slurs around then you can’t reasonably expect people to avoid the conclusion that it says something about your character. You say that you’re not a racist but to any reasonable observer you’re acting like one. Odesio ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/28 "2011-04-19T13:33:13Z")
Anyone using the word ‘nigger’ as an insult or even just a descriptor of another person is not necessarily racist, but is at best an ignorant asshole deserving only contempt. Chances that they’re racist are pretty high, but not 100%. Anyone may use the word when talking about the word itself, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/29 "2011-04-19T13:35:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Do you have to qualify to give an opinion now? I don’t see or hear black people or racially-sensitive whites saying “it’s just a word.” I grant it’s possible, but it’s not likely. Whereas I hear racist white people say that all the time. Anyone \*\*can \*\*give an opinion on this topic without the “qualification” of being black or being race-sensitive, of course, but they will lack credibility as a result. I was pointing out Cisco’s lack of credibility to say “it’s just a word” when it’s most likely a word that has never negatively affected them before, and this attitude demonstrates racial insensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/30 "2011-04-19T13:37:57Z")
How are you defining racially sensitive white person? If using the word means you’re not racially sensitive, then that seems a bit circular. Not that I’m saying people should use it, but I’m just trying to see what your logic is for what makes someone a “racially sensitive white person.” ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/31 "2011-04-19T13:39:14Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > Reading _Huckleberry Finn_ aloud. What I first thought of. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/32 "2011-04-19T13:39:31Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > You say this as though words are unimportant. Given that words are our primary means of communication, this is especially true when speaking to gamers through a head set, they are important. The words we choose and the inflection of our voice are but one criteria by which we are judged. If you choose to throw racial slurs around then you can’t reasonably expect people to avoid the conclusion that it says something about your character. **You say that you’re not a racist but to any reasonable observer you’re acting like one.** This was my main reason for bringing up the subject in the first place. Even if one could somehow objectively “prove” that one is not a racist, the use of racial slurs makes one functionally identical to a racist. How could an onlooker be reasonably expected not to think you are? (these pronoun gymnastics are giving me a headache, ha) ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/33 "2011-04-19T13:40:20Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How are you defining racially sensitive white person? If using the word means you’re not racially sensitive, then that seems a bit circular. Not that I’m saying people should use it, but I’m just trying to see what your logic is for what makes someone a “racially sensitive white person.” Bingo. At best, she’s reasoning from anecdotal data, and that’s assuming she has a definitive way to distinguish the racists from the racially sensitive. Odd choice of terminology, too - I find racists are pretty sensitive about matters of race. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/34 "2011-04-19T13:44:49Z")
Yes. It’s not like “nigger” is some kind of magic talisman letting one read all of a person’s past, present and future. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/35 "2011-04-19T13:44:55Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How are you defining racially sensitive white person? If using the word means you’re not racially sensitive, then that seems a bit circular. Not that I’m saying people should use it, but I’m just trying to see what your logic is for what makes someone a “racially sensitive white person.” It’s not simply the difference between people who do and do not speak racial slurs. I’m related to several religious fundie racists who choose not to use ANY swear words (including the n-word), but that doesn’t make them racially-sensitive. That’s a tough question tbh. It’s hard to quantify the ways in which a person can be defined as racially-sensitive; up until now I’ve been judging that on a case-by-case basis. I suppose I could come up with a list, given some time. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/36 "2011-04-19T13:55:21Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I don’t see or hear black people or racially-sensitive whites saying “it’s just a word.” I grant it’s possible, but it’s not likely. I’m not sure what makes somebody racially sensitive. And I don’t mean to discount what you’re saying here. I agree it’s easy to say “it’s just a word” if it’s never been applied to you. But you don’t have to be qualified to give an opinion on something like that. At the same time, it _is_ a word and in spite of appearances there are situations that the word should not be confused with the racism it usually represents. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/37 "2011-04-19T14:30:31Z")
This strikes me as the same discussion that’s currently going on in other threads as to “gay” and “lame.” Like with those other words, this usage seems juvenile and historically ignorant, but I think it’s certainly possible to use them without intending to convey the literal semantic content. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/38 "2011-04-19T14:50:05Z")
I think this is being over-analyzed a bit in this thread. I don’t think it matters much if the person is a “real” racist. That word is rude, it’s ugly, it’s not acceptable to use. If I was around someone who was using it, I wouldn’t stick around any longer than that black guy did, because I don’t want to hear it, and I don’t want to hang around with people who think it’s an ok thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/39 "2011-04-19T14:58:49Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > I think this is being over-analyzed a bit in this thread. I don’t think it matters much if the person is a “real” racist. That word is rude, it’s ugly, it’s not acceptable to use. If I was around someone who was using it, I wouldn’t stick around any longer than that black guy did, because I don’t want to hear it, and I don’t want to hang around with people who think it’s an ok thing to say. Yup, I’ve never heard that word dropped by someone worth listening too. It’s actually a handy litmus test that has saved me a lot of time in country bars. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919/40 "2011-04-19T15:00:31Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > I think this is being over-analyzed a bit in this thread. I don’t think it matters much if the person is a “real” racist. That word is rude, it’s ugly, it’s not acceptable to use. If I was around someone who was using it, I wouldn’t stick around any longer than that black guy did, because I don’t want to hear it, and I don’t want to hang around with people who think it’s an ok thing to say. This, I do agree with. I’m also curious if the OP defines herself as a racially sensitive white person. Not to be rude, **rachellelogram** but it’s a little weird that you go out of your way to talk about who is and isn’t sensitive and to say how it’s not just a word…but at the same time say that you’re still going to stick around a guild where people say this. If it really mattered to you, wouldn’t you just leave? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-white-person-to-use-the-n-word-and-not-be-a-racist/578919.md?page=3)