# "nigger" vs "the n-word" in discussions of the word itself **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 15, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312 "2010-08-15T06:50:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/101 "2010-08-18T00:06:52Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > > [@DSeid](#): > > > > I think it hard for some to understand why it is okay for the two Black teens to use it casually and without the word having hateful power but that the White individual using it it a similar context would be verboten. > > I don’t understand what’s so hard to get about it. The concept of allowing another member of your group (whether that group be defined by race, class, or some other criteria) to rag on you or throw around crude nicknames and slang non-maliciously, but not affording outsiders the same privilege, surely can’t be that _hard_ to grasp. The same dynamic occurs between siblings. All sorts of relationships have in-words that outsiders can’t use without being offensive. If my boyfriend calls me “baby,” that’s not just okay, it’s nice. But if a strange man calls me baby? Unacceptable and offensive and creepy. I can call my brother a jerk, but not my boss or my doctor. Adults know these things. It’s just in the matter of race when it all become so wide-eyed and disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/102 "2010-08-18T03:39:16Z")
Actually the outsiders _are_ free to use the words. What so many whites want to do is to use the words without others having negative reactions to it. They are just out of luck. You can’t control someone else’s feelings that way. I won’t say that it’s always going to sound crude and racist outside of an academic discussion of the word itself (or literature), but it’s probably going to be a long, long time. I had rather that the word become archaic. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/103 "2010-08-18T04:00:58Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I had rather that the word become archaic. As long as there are racists around someone will find another word to use. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/104 "2010-08-18T13:36:53Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > > [@Zoe](#): > > > > I had rather that the word become archaic. > > As long as there are racists around someone will find another word to use. I don’t think there is any derogatory word that can be invented for black people in 2010 that can even compare. People keep wanting to liken it to other racial slurs or suggest it’s just going the way of the euphemism treadmill, but no way in hell. Not that word. That word is different. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/105 "2010-08-18T14:39:20Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > > [@Lakai](#): > > > > As long as there are racists around someone will find another word to use. > > I don’t think there is any derogatory word that can be invented for black people in 2010 that can even compare. People keep wanting to liken it to other racial slurs or suggest it’s just going the way of the euphemism treadmill, but no way in hell. Not that word. That word is different. It’s only different for people who have heard it used while segregation was still in effect. There will always be a strong reaction to the word on the news while that generation is alive - and the word will be slightly more powerful than other racial slurs because of it. But when that generation fades away I see the word losing most of its power, and at that point it could be replaced by another euphemism with equal force. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/106 "2010-08-19T10:21:25Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > It’s only different for people who have heard it used while segregation was still in effect. I was born after the Civil Rights Act, but it feels different to me. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/107 "2010-08-19T10:33:55Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > > [@Lakai](#): > > > > It’s only different for people who have heard it used while segregation was still in effect. > > I was born after the Civil Rights Act, but it feels different to me. I’m not saying I agree with him but I think his point is that the people who _were_ alive during the civil rights movement and are still alive have created and are creating an atmosphere in which it’s considered especially heinous. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/108 "2010-08-19T10:37:33Z")
Well, if they did, it’s not going to disappear just because they’re gone. Culture changes, but culture also endures. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/109 "2010-08-19T15:26:26Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > > [@PrettyVacant](#): > > > > … At which point - and as I understand it - black culture is the gatekeeper of who may use it and in what context. > > Well yeah, and as it should be. What is an insult and what is not depends on the intent of the saying and on the understanding of its intent in the hearer. Obviously two black teens calling each other “Nigga” while playing basketball together, as in **madmonk** ’s example, have neither hateful interpretations on either side of the exchange. I understand the concept of “owning” the word but I remember a time when black men called each other brotha instead of nigga and perhaps I am viewing the past with rose colored glasses btu I think the trajectory of the black community during the days of brothahood was much steeper than these days of niggahood. I blame rap. ---
**Author:** ![lil\_sapiosexual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@lil\_sapiosexual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lil_sapiosexual)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/110 "2018-04-02T09:04:34Z")
it’s one thing to simply say the word nigger and then a totally different thing to call / refer to someone as a nigger. context is always key. whether one says ‘nigger’ or they say ‘the n word’, to me, is irrelevant because the words are interchangeable… they are literally just two different piles of syllables and noises that we interpret to mean, ~and which certainly DO mean~ exactly the same thing. when someone says ‘the n word’, everybody hearing it immediately thinks about the word ‘nigger’… e v e r y time. you’re saying it without saying it but actually everyone still heard 😛 and like every other word ever, the intention behind the use of the freaking thing is the only real important factor to consider. freedom of speech wasn’t declared a FIRST amendment right to protect favored/preferred or likeable/agreeable speech… everyone has the right to say whatever the hell they want just as everyone else has the right to feel and/or react to the speech in question however the hell they want. it’s up to each of us to think about the consequences of our words and actions… duh 👀 🕶 you know what I’m too high to tell if any of that even makes a lick of sense lol short answer is just treat each other better, damn it ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/111 "2018-04-02T10:17:48Z")
Wait, “the n-word” isn’t _nabob_? Am I allowed to say “nabob”? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/112 "2018-04-02T10:26:25Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Wait, “the n-word” isn’t _nabob_? Am I allowed to say “nabob”? Only if you don’t yell it in a crowded theatre. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/113 "2018-04-02T13:32:09Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Wait, “the n-word” isn’t _nabob_? Am I allowed to say “nabob”? Yes, you are allowed to say it, BUT you need to sandwich it between “nattering” and “negativism”. Otherwise, well, you know… ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/114 "2018-04-02T22:33:02Z")
I’ve noticed that there is a certain type of white person who relishes discussions like these because it gives them the opportunity to say the word frequently, or in the case of this message board, type it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/115 "2018-04-03T01:35:19Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’ve noticed that there is a certain type of white person who relishes discussions like these because it gives them the opportunity to say the word frequently You [noticed that nearly eight years ago, too](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12802765&postcount=6). Points for consistency! (And for what it’s worth, I agree with you.) > [@madmonk28](#): > > Part of the issue is that I have run into white people who just can’t wait to break it out in a discussion about the word, or about literature that uses the word. I can just tell that they really really want to say it in public. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/116 "2018-04-03T02:07:57Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’ve noticed that there is a certain type of white person who relishes discussions like these because it gives them the opportunity to say the word frequently, or in the case of this message board, type it. Yup. I think you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/117 "2018-04-03T02:37:12Z")
Yeah, it’s threads like these that have me scratching my head when people say how liberal this board is. ---
**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 3, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/118 "2018-04-03T03:32:53Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, it’s threads like these that have me scratching my head when people say how liberal this board is. Oh? Seems like a pretty straightforward issue of freedom of expression to me. I don’t doubt some people are dicks about it, of course. Anyway, [relevant musical commentary.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw) ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/119 "2018-04-03T04:13:13Z")
Way back when, my professor got formally reprimanded and wore a black armband to school the next day, after she told a black student the ancient Egyptians weren’t black and the student took offence and reported her. It doesn’t surprise me at all that professors say “n-word”. Can’t take chances on offending people these days or your career could be destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312/120 "2018-04-03T04:22:19Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Way back when, my professor got formally reprimanded and wore a black armband to school the next day, after she told a black student the ancient Egyptians weren’t black and the student took offence and reported her. 😕 “Reported”? “Reprimanded”? Was your “professor” teaching at a military academy? > [@Ashtura](#): > > It doesn’t surprise me at all that professors say “n-word”. Can’t take chances on offending people these days or your career could be destroyed. Are you under the impression that professors “these days” would **want** to use offensive racial epithets if fear of career destruction weren’t holding them back? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigger-vs-the-n-word-in-discussions-of-the-word-itself/550312.md?page=5)