Like many others, I first encountered the n-word at school. One of the biggest jumps from grade school to middle school is undoubtedly the amount of profanity used by the kids. It went from timeouts for calling someone stupid in Kindergarten to discipline for cursing someone out in 6th grade. Unsurprisingly, the n-word was amongst the main words. Right off the bat, I knew that I nor any other non-black person could use it. That much was clear but it was the why I was confused about. It made absolutely no sense to me because at that point I wasn't fully aware of the historical and cultural context. It wasn't an issue that mattered much to me so I just accepted it and moved on. Immeasurable amounts of media consumed and history classes taken later brings us to the present day, where I'm writing this right now. What's changed? The n-word is used and scrutinized more than ever.
What follows is not a popular opinion but it's something that I truly believe and am comfortable with expressing. The existence of the n-word is, in more ways, good than bad. Now let me explain myself. Aside from the deep history we all know it embodies, it also represents an equally deep evolution. A large part, in my opinion, is from the change from the -er ending to the more contemporary -a. Many would argue the insignificance of the spelling but I beg to differ. What was initially used to insult and oppress is now often used to express relationships. Of all the times I've heard it, at least half were used in conjunction with "my," proclaiming a close bond between the speaker and the receiver. I view this as a direct mockery of the word used by slave owners and white supremacists over the years, a message from the African-American community saying we are using your own weapon against you.
Ryan Higa and I both agree that this is the most effective way to extinguish prejudice, bigotry, harassment, and any other discrimination. By embracing a word or phrase, the effectiveness will, sooner or later, die out or at the very least diminish. While hatred will never be fully eradicated from the world, I think the n-word is one of the keys to significantly reducing it. Sure it has its negative connotations and uses but what doesn't? There can be no good without evil to match it. I can think of no better way to beat adversity than to turn weaknesses into strengths.
What follows is not a popular opinion but it's something that I truly believe and am comfortable with expressing. The existence of the n-word is, in more ways, good than bad. Now let me explain myself. Aside from the deep history we all know it embodies, it also represents an equally deep evolution. A large part, in my opinion, is from the change from the -er ending to the more contemporary -a. Many would argue the insignificance of the spelling but I beg to differ. What was initially used to insult and oppress is now often used to express relationships. Of all the times I've heard it, at least half were used in conjunction with "my," proclaiming a close bond between the speaker and the receiver. I view this as a direct mockery of the word used by slave owners and white supremacists over the years, a message from the African-American community saying we are using your own weapon against you.
Ryan Higa and I both agree that this is the most effective way to extinguish prejudice, bigotry, harassment, and any other discrimination. By embracing a word or phrase, the effectiveness will, sooner or later, die out or at the very least diminish. While hatred will never be fully eradicated from the world, I think the n-word is one of the keys to significantly reducing it. Sure it has its negative connotations and uses but what doesn't? There can be no good without evil to match it. I can think of no better way to beat adversity than to turn weaknesses into strengths.
