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,
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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