Wen Guang Li English 101.0781 Professor Kelly Connelly May 25, 2009 The N-word We know blacks had a miserable history in the United States. Even today, some discriminational events still happen for them. Therefore, the N-word is a very sensitive word to them. When new immigrants enter the United States, they may be advised not to say the N-word to blacks. The original meaning of the N-word is offensive to blacks; however, the N-word is often used by blacks or among black communities. Just as Clive Davis describes the N-word can be freely used with a multiplicity of meanings among African-American, some friendly, some ironic, some hostile (Davis). Therefore, when the N-word is used in different context, it can produce different influences and effects. It even can become positive meanings. The United States is a diverse country. Some discriminational events often happen among people who have different races and cultures. For blacks, they also have to experience and stand discriminational environment and events in America. Like Mr. Williams, a film director, says, “in Hollywood, just because they don’t call me nigger doesn’t mean they don’t treat me like one every single day. I’m still treated like a second-class citizen” (Waxman). Actually, some people like to use the N-word to insult and attack blacks. These situations even happen in childhood. For example, when Gloria Naylor handed the math text paper to a little boy in back of her in her third-grade class, the little boy snatched his test from Naylor and spit out the N-word (380). Although Naylor didn’t know what the meaning of the N-word is at that time, 1 at least we will figure out blacks are hard to be respected in America. Based on the human nature, discriminational situations or minds can not be eliminated. Just as Naylor says, if the N-word was to disappear totally from the mouths of even the most liberal of white society, no one in that room was naïve enough to believe it would disappear from white minds (382). Therefore, it will easily hurt blacks deeply if people directly use N-word to attack and insult them. Especially for some blacks, the N-word is deep scar in their heart, they say, no one should ever be permitted to forget what the N-word has meant, and still mean, in America (Marriott). They really hope to finally lay the N-word to rest. However, the N-word still often is used by people, especially blacks often use it by themselves. Actually, when blacks use the N-word among their friends or black communities, the meaning of the N-word has been changed. In different contexts, the N-word can be freely used with flourished and multiplied meanings. It even can have positive meanings. Naylor says, the N-word was set within contexts and inflections caused it to register in her mind as something else (381). For example, when used with a possessive adjective by a woman-“my nigger”-it became a term of endearment for husband or boyfriend (381). When the N-word is casually used among blacks, it usually can express respectful or intimate calls. Therefore, Naylor doesn’t agree with the argument that use of the N-word at the social stratum of the black community was an internalization of racism (381). After all, the N-word is very sensitive, and the original meaning of the N-word is to insult and attack blacks. Therefore, no everyone can use it, and people had better 2 not use the N-word, especially the people who aren’t blacks. If they use the N-word to express some kinds of insults and ironies, it can hurt blacks’ hearts deeply. Just as Marriott says, the N-word has not lost its wounding power when used by whites (Marriott). As if somebody is fat and doesn’t care his good friends call him the epithet, fatty. However, if a stranger calls him fatty, he will be hurt and become mad. It has similar situation that using the N-word. Even though blacks use the N-word that it doesn’t have an internalization of racism and can express respectful and intimate calls or can make fun, it will be better to reduce to use that word, especially when they face old blacks because old blacks experienced the miserable history in the United States. For them, the N-word is a word which reeks of hate, and worse still, dehumanizing contempt (Davis), and it still retains its sting (Waxman). For example, Ms, Jerome, a 53-year-old mother of three grown children says, “When I hear it, it makes me angry and very sad. There are times when I honestly feel like crying.” So, she makes her mission to discourage young black people from using the racial epithet (Marriott). The N-word is so sensitive, not to use it or to use it very carefully will reduce discriminational events and reduce to hurt blacks’ hearts. Although, Ms. Echegoyan, a producer, says, “the dominant culture is asking us to decide: use it or don’t’ use it. That’s so binary” (Waxman), we’d better reduce to use it, use it very carefully and not use it if you aren’t blacks. Like the N-word, there are a lot of other sensitive words in reality that we also need to use carefully or not to use them because most of them are offensive to people, and it’s very easy to hurt 3 somebody. In America, no matter whether you use their original meanings or not, not to use them or to use them carefully will be good for more people and you. 4 Works Cited Naylor, Gloria. “What’s in a Name?” Across Culture: A Reader for Writers. 7th ed. Comp. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Becker. New York: Pearson, 2008. 379-82. Print. Waxman, Sharon. “Using a Racial Epithet to Combat Racism.” New York Times 2 July. 2004, late ed.:A1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 25 May. 2009. Davis, Clive. “Turbulent History of the Troublesome N-word.” The Times (London) 9 Jun. 2007, late ed.: A1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 25 May 2009. Marriott, Michel. “Rap’s Embrace of “Nigger” Fires Bitter Debate.” New York Time 24 Jan. 1993, late ed.:A1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 25 May. 2009. 5