After class today, I began to think about how many times we apply rules to race and gender that we tag with a double standard. Why are some things acceptable for certain people but not for others? When it comes to being respectful and not crossing the lines of prejudice and racism, should the rules not be universal? I know that there will always be cultural differences, but when it comes to a word that is full of so much negative connotation, can we really allow it to be used by some but not by other? A good point was brought up in class today about the use of the N word. I do not use this word, nor do I think it is appropriate for anyone of any color, race, gender, ethnicity etc. to apply in any conversation. I have very good friends that are African American who use this word frequently in conversation the way I would use the word “friend.” I never think twice about them using it, its very common these days in music and conversation, but only among those of color. Although these are very good friends of mine, I would never consider using this word in their presence, or at all for that matter. While it is a personal choice for African American’s to use this word in conversation, or musicians to use it in their songs, can we really expect all people to understand why it is okay for some and not for others? I feel that society will not understand the negatives that come with this word if it keeps getting used so frequently. I once was told that it’s not the word but it is how you say it. Can a certain ending can change the meaning entirely? The point I am trying to make here is how can we make society understand that this word is offensive if we keep using it, no matter which way we say it?
I brought this point up to two of my friends today just to see what their opinion on the topic was. Their response was that they think it is similar to us calling each other bitches. I can see my best friend and say, “hey bitch”, why we say this I’m not really sure, but it is as common as my African American friends calling each other the N word. If some random person on the street, no matter what race or gender, called me a bitch you better believe that I would be running my mouth to them in a heartbeat. So I guess I practice the same double standard I talked about in the paragraph earlier. Am I going to work to give up using foul language to my friends on a daily basis, probably not. I tried to give it up for lent once and it lasted maybe a week. I talk like a sailor, unattractive yes, but it’s not a habit I can easily change. So unless all words with negative connotation can go unused, I guess society just has to understand there are certain rules that come with dropping these gender and racial bombs. It is not hard to understand what is offensive to some and to others. Only my friends can greet me with a “hey bitch” and I can’t use the N word.
Part of the problem, I think is that people still hold on to the past in anger. The N word is one such example, where its use in the past was an act of extreme degradation to the black people by white. I am not sure if, in that past, black used that word to refer to each other in friendly terms!
ReplyDeleteNow they do—in conversations and in song, almost every other time they speak—and it’s not hurtful to them because the context is different. That word, minus the context is, in my opinion, just another word that need not cause much ruckus whether used by black or white, but lo! It does.
I find it rather hilarious too, that people cannot even say the word, and can only refer to the ‘N-word’ when we all know what is being referred to. Someone once said that words have only the weight to insult that we, as a people, give them.
Its time America, I think, stopped being hypocritical over this word. What is the logic in only being allowed by society to say N and not the whole word?
You bring an interesting dimension when you talk about your friends calling you ‘hey bitch’ and it’s a friendly greeting. It’s simply because there is no malice intended that your friend calling you bitch is fine.
The same should apply to the N word and indeed to most aspects of communication. If there is no malice intended, I do not see the problem of using the N word.