# White people: your use of the N word **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043 "2020-09-07T17:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/81 "2020-09-08T17:59:30Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > People don’t get fired for making stupid and thoughtless comments. They get fired for broadcasting them on social media. I had sympathy for the first million people who were fired for this cause. I can’t muster up any sympathy for people who still haven’t learned yet. I almost got fired for a stupid and thoughtless verbal comment. It had nothing to do with race, but yes, people can lose their jobs for a two second verbal quip. That’s the danger. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/82 "2020-09-08T18:04:18Z")
Unfortunately, we live in a world where a person can be fired for anything. Showing up to work one minute late. Going to the bathroom one too many times. Having one too many sick days. Not laughing hard enough at the boss’s Dave Chappelle impersonation. IMHO, it is so much easier not to make stupid and thoughtless comments than it is to avoid these kinds of mistakes. Maybe this is why I can’t get worked up about people losing their jobs over the word “nigga”. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/83 "2020-09-08T18:09:37Z")
Same here. I did read something that suggested that saying “n-word” was actually _worse_ in that you’re not owning the word, you’re making the recipient own it. I’m not sure I agree but I thought it was interesting. It is kind of a cop-out. Not that I think anyone can get away with saying it and using that explanation to justify it! ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/84 "2020-09-08T19:38:15Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Unfortunately, we live in a world where a person can be fired for anything. Showing up to work one minute late. Going to the bathroom one too many times. Having one too many sick days. Not laughing hard enough at the boss’s Dave Chappelle impersonation. IMHO, it is so much easier not to make stupid and thoughtless comments than it is to avoid these kinds of mistakes. Maybe this is why I can’t get worked up about people losing their jobs over the word “nigga”. It’s not the world, just America. Most countries have employment protections and it’s fairly difficult to fire even an underperforming employee once the probation period is passed. In my dialect -er and -a are homophones, but I assume the people using them can tell the difference. Not my business, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/85 "2020-09-08T19:53:40Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > But in a rude way With full racist intention. I have certainly never said the ‘N-word’ with full racist intention. I’m fairly sure that my first introduction to it was probably couched in the context of “this is a word used by horrible racist people”. (Because I blew off reading Huck Finn and all.) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/86 "2020-09-08T20:34:56Z")
I voted never. I think once I may have said the actual word during a conversation with co-workers, including one who is black, about derogatory terms in general. IIRC, I said it was, in my understanding, the only thing worse than calling an adult black male, “boy.” It felt weird to say it, even though I was referring to the word rather than using the word. I don’t recall saying it any time before or since. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/87 "2020-09-09T01:47:14Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > > [@jtur88](#): > > > > Not a complex issue. In a closed group of acquaintances, I use any suitable and descriptive word I feel would not offend anyone who hears me say it. And I avoid using any word which I feel may offend any of the actual listeners who may be present. . How hard is that? > > So you’ll freely use the word if there isn’t an actual Black person present? And you’ll use sexist terms if there isn’t a woman present? How about antisemitic or gay slurs? Wow. I’ll say “I don’t give a fuck” if my grandmother is not around. Why is that different? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/88 "2020-09-09T02:12:50Z")
I voted ‘never’, forgetting that I had once used the alternate term for “jury rigged” back in the day, though not in decades. It was quite a common thing where I grew up (Chicago, 60’s-70’s). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/89 "2020-09-09T11:12:42Z")
The difference between the “a” and “er” ending isn’t semantics, or PC-ness – it’s dialect. They’re two different, but related, words, in two different dialects (African American Vernacular English and Standard American English) of English. Folks who aren’t fluent in AAVE are probably not going to get the context and usage right for the “-a” version, regardless of their race. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/90 "2020-09-09T11:22:59Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The difference between the “a” and “er” ending isn’t semantics, or PC-ness – it’s dialect. Yeah. Writing dialogue in dialect for a black fictional character by a white author would not go over well either. No, it is semantics to argue that the two words don’t mean the same thing. “Going to” and “gonna” mean the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/91 "2020-09-09T11:35:35Z")
This is just factually incorrect. Different dialects really exist. Different words in different dialects, with similar roots and sounds, really exist. The usage of these two words really is quite different. And I’ve seen many, many white authors write dialogue using both dialects, with no controversy. These are facts that are not particularly controversial in the linguistics community. > **[Nigga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigga)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > Nigga (/ˈnɪɡə/) is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word nigger, an ethnic slur against black people. The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and African-American gang culture. In dialects of English (including standard British English) that have non-rhotic speech, nigger and nigga are often\[a\] pronounced the same. > The use of nigger non-pejoratively within ... ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/92 "2020-09-09T11:59:02Z")
In Boston, both versions sound exactly the same. So everything has to grind to a halt while you take a lie detector test. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/93 "2020-09-09T12:02:28Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > "Going to” and “gonna” mean the same thing. I have to disagree, at least in some circumstances in some dialects. You might say, “I’m gonna have to get that fixed some day.” but you would never say, “I’m gonna Louisiana.” You would say, “I am going to Louisiana,” Other pairs of similar words might also be used slightly differently. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/94 "2020-09-09T12:40:58Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > … > > > [@wiki](#): > > > > Presently, the word “nigga” is used more liberally among younger members of all races and ethnicities in the United Stat… Sure it is, pal. There’s a reason why Wikipedia is not accepted as a credible citing source. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/95 "2020-09-09T12:48:52Z")
Please don’t attribute a Wikipedia quote to me. But if you want to reject the accepted conclusions of the field of linguistics and the existence of dialects, go right ahead. It’s an absurd, pseudoscientific view, but you’re free to hold it. Just don’t expect others to treat it as anything other than absurd, pseudoscientific nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/96 "2020-09-09T13:06:37Z")
I am super perplexed by you right now. What is it that you’re skeptical about? There’s got to be about a million redditors with some permutation of “nigga” in their handle. I doubt the majority of them are black. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/97 "2020-09-09T13:07:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Please don’t attribute a Wikipedia quote to me. I didn’t mean to attribute the Wikipedia quote to you. That’s something the quote function did. I apologize for that. But let’s try a little experiment. Let’s have a white person volunteer to start dropping the word “nigga” freely in conversations around their workplace. Let’s see how long it takes for HR to step in. Let’s see how well the defense of " no, really, it’s dialect" works for them. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/98 "2020-09-09T13:11:56Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > But let’s try a little experiment. Let’s have a white person volunteer to start dropping the word “nigga” freely in conversations around their workplace. Let’s see how long it takes for HR to step in. Let’s see how well the defense of " no, really, it’s dialect" works for them. The f-word and c-word are used pretty liberally by young people, but you wouldn’t want to drop those freely into workplace conversations either. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/99 "2020-09-09T13:12:34Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > But let’s try a little experiment. Let’s have a white person volunteer to start dropping the word “nigga” freely in conversations around their workplace. Let’s see how long it takes for HR to step in. Let’s see how well the defense of " no, really, it’s dialect" works for them. It wouldn’t work, and it shouldn’t work. This shows you’re not understanding the facts here. The vast majority of white people are not fluent speakers of AAVE, _and therefore don’t understand how to correctly use the word “nigga” in the right context_. And using it incorrectly is indeed quite reasonably seen as offensive. So, quite rightly, they would probably be sanctioned for using offensive language at work. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043/100 "2020-09-09T13:21:54Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > And I’ve seen many, many white authors write dialogue using both dialects, with no controversy. Even writing about characters who are a different race from the author is becoming controversial nowadays, sadly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-people-your-use-of-the-n-word/920043.md?page=6)