# Usage of "nigger" among afroamericans **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494 "2015-12-15T03:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/41 "2015-12-15T17:45:56Z")
People I know who use the word “nigga” use in reference to almost anyone. Yes, they’re black. I play basketball and when I, a white guy, make a shot, I’m often greeted with “that’s my nigga!” I do not respond in kind, but I’m not bothered at all by it. I’m not going to say it, but if you want to say it that’s your prerogative. Now, what I’m really interested in is Mary/marry/merry because Mirriam-Webster says I can pronounce them all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/42 "2015-12-15T17:53:07Z")
Oh… _Please!_ ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/43 "2015-12-15T17:57:37Z")
Mary-marry-merry is the same sound to the majority of Americans and Canadians. About 57% of the US, and represents mostly people with a “normal” accent. Complete differentiation is only about 17%, mostly in New England. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/44 "2015-12-15T18:00:26Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > Why are some colors worthy of a capital but others aren’t? In an American context, “Black” is both an ethnicity (thus the cap) and a race; “white” is a race but not an ethnicity. In other words, Blacks are a group with a shared common history, culture, and set of dialects (if not language). White is a term covering a lot of groups that have little in common other than skin tone and privilege. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/45 "2015-12-15T18:03:53Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > John Mace, I think you are taking this ‘slight’ much to seriously (or perhaps not seriously enough). IMHO, when Black Americans use it among each other, the word can assume a variety of definitions, depending on tone, inflection, and the surrounding words. > > When a White American uses it, it is typically to a Black person, and unless said person is a close and dear friend, it usually has just one meaning for both speaker and listener. > > So who speaks the words and how they are used in the conversation matter. > > From an old white guy who has never (in his adult life) used the “n-word”. > > IMHO as always. YMMV. I don’t take it as a slight, it’s just that I don’t like to be told that I have to follow certain rules of speech that other people don’t have to follow. Even if I have no intention of breaking those rules anyway. I think a lot of people are like that. The same thing applies to all sorts of situations where a group uses certain slang or such that only they know about. If they continue to use that while other people are around it basically tells them: You are not really part of this conversation. Moral of the story: I’m not going to use “nigga” in any circumstances of normal speech. But if black folks don’t want white people to use it, then don’t use it when white people are around. If you do, don’t be surprised that _some white people ARE going to use it_. Put another way: don’t use the motherfucking term when motherfucking white people are around if you don’t want motherucking white people to use it, too!! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/46 "2015-12-15T18:09:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t take it as a slight, it’s just that I don’t like to be told that I have to follow certain rules of speech that other people don’t have to follow. Even if I have no intention of breaking those rules anyway. I think a lot of people are like that. > > The same thing applies to all sorts of situations where a group uses certain slang or such that only they know about. If they continue to use that while other people are around it basically tells them: You are not really part of this conversation. > > Moral of the story: I’m not going to use “nigga” in any circumstances of normal speech. But if black folks don’t want white people to use it, then don’t use it when white people are around. If you do, don’t be surprised that _some white people ARE going to use it_. You can’t remove language from the rest of the culture. Black people don’t like to be told that they have to follow certain rules of behavior that other people don’t have to follow, even if they have no intention of breaking those rules anyway. (I’ve you’re unclear what extra burdens black people face in the course of their daily existence, talk to a black person and ask.) If one coping strategy / petty revenge is imposing similar restrictions around a word or two, I know I can live with it. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/47 "2015-12-15T18:11:58Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > In an American context, “Black” is both an ethnicity (thus the cap) and a race; “white” is a race but not an ethnicity. In other words, Blacks are a group with a shared common history, culture, and set of dialects (if not language). White is a term covering a lot of groups that have little in common other than skin tone and privilege. I would feel offended by the above if I would find being called “white” acceptable. Capitals are for beginning of sentences and names, please stop the madness. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/48 "2015-12-15T18:13:38Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > You can’t remove language from the rest of the culture. Black people don’t like to be told that they have to follow certain rules of behavior that other people don’t have to follow, even if they have no intention of breaking those rules anyway. (I’ve you’re unclear what extra burdens black people face in the course of their daily existence, talk to a black person and ask.) If one coping strategy / petty revenge is imposing similar restrictions around a word or two, I know I can live with it. I can live with it, too. Which I already said. It’s just that if I invented some new language rule, I wouldn’t expect everyone else to have to follow it. And neither should anyone else if they invent some new rule. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/49 "2015-12-15T18:45:42Z")
> [@Murf](#): > > I have lived with many black people when I was in the Army, and worked with a lot of black people at work over the years. Some will use the word nigger or nigga quite often and others will not use it at all. > > The nigger and nigga terms might come down to lazy speech habits. Think of Ebonics. A lot of the older generations of blacks and the younger “gangsta” blacks do not use normally acceptable diction. Many of the middle age blacks speak very clearly and concise. If you weren’t speaking with them in person, you probably wouldn’t know what race they were. My girlfriend in college was black, and spoke in standard American dialect. So did her mother and father. No discernible “black” accent. She would often joke about people meeting her in person for the first time, after having spoken to her on the phone. They would say something like, “Wow, I had no idea that you were black!” As for the “N” word – I would be very happy to never hear it again. But It just isn’t such a big deal if black people use it. Whites and others should simply refrain – no reason to use it! ---
**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:** [December 15, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/50 "2015-12-15T20:45:43Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > My girlfriend in college was black, and spoke in standard American dialect. So did her mother and father. No discernible “black” accent. She would often joke about people meeting her in person for the first time, after having spoken to her on the phone. They would say something like, “Wow, I had no idea that you were black!” Which falls under section 106 (b) of “stupid things white people say to black people when they should just STFU”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/51 "2015-12-15T20:46:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Which falls under section 106 (b) of “stupid things white people say to black people when they should just STFU”. 😉 She just thought it was funny. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/52 "2015-12-15T20:56:56Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > She just thought it was funny. We’re a funny folk! ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/53 "2015-12-15T21:01:47Z")
Hey, amusement, mirth and merriment are always good.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/54 "2015-12-15T21:28:33Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > Why are some colors worthy of a capital but others aren’t? Probably for the same reason some uppity deaf people get all upset if you don’t write it Deaf. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/55 "2015-12-16T01:49:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Completely incorrect, which is what tends to happen when one makes a sweeping generalization about 40 million people. Cite for common usage of the “nigger” pronunciation among blacks. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/56 "2015-12-16T05:50:57Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > The pathetic “right” assertion would be the “right” to call your buddies “nigger” but be offended when someone else then also does it. > > Of course if people do this to exclude non group members: congratulations, job well done. IOW, it’s niggardly to deny white folk use of the word nigger. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/57 "2015-12-16T06:13:15Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Cite for common usage of the “nigger” pronunciation among blacks. See the above-referenced videos of the Boondocks characters. It seems it is now in regular broadcast on ‘Adult Swim’. In those snippets (Youtube), the (Black) characters use it as an epithet (curse) when another Black person does some shit-head stunt. As in: “You live _ **Down** _ to the level of what racist Whites\* think\* we all are”. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/58 "2015-12-16T12:27:49Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Probably for the same reason some uppity deaf people get all upset if you don’t write it Deaf. Huh, I hadn’t heard that. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494/59 "2015-12-17T01:28:22Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > My girlfriend in college was black, and spoke in standard American dialect. So did her mother and father. No discernible “black” accent. She would often joke about people meeting her in person for the first time, after having spoken to her on the phone. They would say something like, “Wow, I had no idea that you were black!” Were the exact comments: “You sounded … taller … on the phone”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-nigger-among-afroamericans/740494.md?page=2)