I very much get that it’s offensive to African-Americans. So I can see why it would be offensive to refer to an African-American as a Nigger. Like any number of other terms (Kike, Wop, Dago, Mick etc. etc.) to other ethnic groups.
What I don’t get is why the very utterance of the word is taboo. IOW, all this “N-word” stuff. Why this tremendous hypersensitivity to the utterance of these syllable whatever the context?
Right now, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) is apologizing for use of the word. The context here is that 1) she was relaying something that someone else said, and 2) that other person used the word specifically as an example of something offensive.
And yet, there she is, having to apologize for simply having let that terrible terrible word emerge from her lips. (The fact that she’s preparing for a Senate race probably adds to the issue, in this case.)
My suspicion - and it’s not more than that - is that a lot of African-Americans have a deep sense that they are being discriminated against in all sorts of ways that are hard to put a finger on. And as a result, some of them - not all - look for opportunities to be offended, so as to capture what they feel are legitimate grievances that are hard to specify in concrete terms. And this leads to an overemphasis on and oversensitivity to symbols of this sort.
I offer the observation that efforts to ban books and words simply increases their notoriety and impact.
It weaponizes them.
As a secondary effect, it weakens those whose sensitivities are offended by their use, in the same way that the already-weak are further weakened by a plea for external protection from bullies rather than positioning themselves to be strong enough to fend off the bully.
The cure is to develop insensitivity, not to to make attempts to hope that others will become more sensitive. It is of no value to attempt to dragoon the masses into understanding impropriety. Weaponizing words will simply increase the ability of the boorish to offend on purpose and increase hurt feelings when well-meant language is misinterpreted.
If you want a negative word to die and go away and lose its strength, ignore and/or embrace its use.
If you want to appear weak and vulnerable, get offended and go off on a tirade. Ban the word and burn the book.
People don’t want to be seen as racists, so they avoid using a word that might be misunderstood. I do get irritated with “the n-word” because it’s childish, and it’s not the word itself that’s the problem.
I don’t think she’s obliged to apologize here, but you’re wrong on point 2. She said Gillibrand had offended Puerto Ricans by telling them she supports English-only education. The caller was making a comparison between going to Puerto Rico and advocating English-only education and calling a black person a nigger.
She doesn’t “have to” apologize. She chose to apologize because she does not want to offend potential voters, and as a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, that’s a significant number of people.
Probably.
I doubt that, and if I were black I think I’d be offended by the idea that I look for opportunities to be offended. I suspect your interpretation is common, however.
Racism actually exists. It’s not something that black people invented just so they can pick on white people.
Black people weren’t sitting around one day saying “Hey, let’s invent a new word: nigger. And now we’ll get mad every time a white person says it. But we’ll say it just to annoy them.”
The word existed long before any attempt was made to stigmatize its use. It was “weaponized” decades ago.
I don’t believe it’s a good idea to “de-weaponize” words; it’ll only make it harder to identify bigots. Right now, when someone uses the N-word, we know where they stand.
I thought you said Maloney was using the story as an example of an offensive statement, which she was not. I see that’s not what you meant. Regardless of whether or not she needed to apologize for using the word, it was an ill-considered remark and it does not sound like it supports her point. (‘This guy was offended by Gillibrand’s comment, therefore she is out of touch!’) I don’t think it’s racist, but she said something impolite and people often apologize for saying something like that, even if they’re clearly not endorsing the sentiment.
I see this another way: because the use of the word has been stigmatized to the extent that it has, most racists don’t even use it. They’re in stealth mode, language-wise. I’m in no position to personally judge how offensive the word nigger “should” be, but my impression is that we would all be better off if the use of it were considered a sign of ignorance and incredibly bad manners, rather than as somehow radioactive. And apologizing for quoting the word, where quoting is reasonably justifiable, is really kind of ludicrous.
I think the Campaign to Make Everybody Stop Saying Nigger is doomed to fail and a waste of time, but you’re kind of missing the point here. Standards of what is offensive evolve. Not every bigot is blatant about it; they do realize their opinions are very unpopular in most quarters. There will always be offensive words and there will always be code words used to substitute for them in settings where the bigoted realize it is not appropriate to be upfront about their prejudices.
Oh, I never said it was a foolproof method. It’s just a useful way to spot the *stupid *bigots - or the slightly smarter ones who think they’re talking off the record.
Where does it say that African Americans expressed offense? It is a complicated and oddly powerful word, but I think most people are smart enough to figure out whether or not it’s being used to offend. Using it or not using it is a bit of a chicken and egg question. I believe somewhat that overusing it could drain it of its power, but then what? How is that meaningful, and what reason is there to believe that it will not be replaced with something else, unless the sentiment behind the slur is gone?
From the perspective of someone who does not use that word, and used around him mostly in the context of [del]annoying[/del] reverse racism*, it’s hard to tell the difference.
*I’m Humpty-dumptying that word to mean “racism that consists of the stereotype that everyone of a certain race is racist.”
That’s strange. It’s been my experience that black people don’t call each other that word, and that they get offended by any use of it; not just “when white people use it.”
What the hell is wrong with “black people?” They sure love hypocrisy.
Stigmatizing the word nigger does serve a purpose. It forces bigots to realize that they’re outnumbered. It’s not just black people who are against them. Intelligent white people also recognize they’re idiots. We can’t force them to be smarter so we settle for making them be quieter.
No it’s not, it’s context. My friends and I call each other ‘dumb motherfucker’ often and with impunity. If a total stranger calls me that though, there’s liable to be a fight. This isn’t hypocrisy on my part, I know my friend’s intentions and I know that they’re not really trying to make me mad or imply that I’m a low intelligence participant of incest while the stranger on the street would be, I have to assume, actively trying to insult me.
A black person using the word ‘nigger’ isn’t implying ‘Black people are lesser human beings because of their color.’ That obviously wouldn’t make sense since they’re black too. A white person using the word leaves that negative interpretation wide open though.
For the situation described in the op, I think the speaker shouldn’t have been pressured to apologize. Again, it’s context, and it’s absolutely clear that she wasn’t applying it as an insult toward anybody or just throwing it around casually in a conversation.
How many times have you personally experienced a black person getting offended by a non-racist use of the word “nigger” from a white person? Because I’ve karaoked 50 cent and told jokingly over-the-top offensive jokes, using the word with black friends around, with no issues from anybody. And a friend from Miami (Chinese female) says things like “see you later, niggaz.” She says that common there, for kids of all races. I’ve never said “the n-word” other than in English class. This could be a younger generational thing, but it seems to me like overcautious white people, and idiots like Jesse Jackson, have created the idea that a monolithic “black people” get “offended” when you use “the word.”
