Posted on 08/14/2013 2:43:56 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
We've decided to take a weekly look at a word or phrase that's caught our attention, whether for its history, usage, etymology or just because it has an interesting story.
NOTE TO READERS: This is a post about one of the harshest racial slurs in American English. In the interest of forthrightness, we're going to use the slur throughout this essay. In other words, you'll see "nigger" used throughout the essay. We understand that the word is upsetting, so we wanted to offer people a chance to opt out now
You can set your watch to it. Every few months, some person of note gets in trouble for saying nigger. This summer's been especially busy: In the last eight weeks, we've had controversies involving former NFL player Hugh Douglas, current NFL player Riley Cooper, Trayvon Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, the comedian Tim Allen and disgraced TV food personality Paula Deen.
After each incident, after the perfunctory opprobrium is directed at the person who initially used the word, comes the invariable call for everyone — particularly in hip-hop — to stop using the word nigger. But I always wonder, given its widespread use (and the myriad ways in which people use it): How would stamping it out even work?
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Treat blacks who use it like whites who use it are treated.
80 Hours community per offense service for every Black person that uses it.
“How would YOU kill the n-word?”
______________________________________________
While I am from the south, we rarely said “nigger”, but my Atlanta grandmother said “nigra” as a form of “negro”. In my family we used the term “colored”, which was common in Memphis, my home city.
The term “African American” is so stupid, and I refuse to use it. If “white” is OK, what is wrong with “black” or “colored”?
I like how you think too.
I would not kill the word because I refuse to submit to the Orwellian (communist) technique of thought control via redefinition of words and politically-correct social intimidation. The harder they try, the harder I resist! We need specific words to describe things or express ideas.
It is alarming how many words have been re-purposed during my lifetime. Back in the early 1960’s, you could walk into a grocery store and buy a can of oysters whose brand on the label was printed “Nigger Head”. There was a also a respectable portrait of a negro man on the label. I don’t imagine anyone thought much of it — we didn’t. The word has changed from limited social acceptability to pariah in 50 years.
I think “nigger” should describe a state of mind, rather than be a racial epithet. There are some white people that I’d just as gladly call “niggers” because they have the same low-class attitude as the thugs with a tan.
Really? There’s not enough trash to pick up along side the highways in the whole USA that would keep them busy doing 80 hours.
The way to de-fang the word is not to STOP using it, but to make it so commonplace it doesn’t merit any attention. Kinda like what Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have done to “racist.”
Think of all the derogatory terms that have been applied to Jews over they years. There are a lot of them but none of them are widely used aside from the occasional Jesse Jackson outburst.
Jews don’t use the words as a means of setting themselves apart and keep the words alive.
Let everyone use it freely without fear of reprisal legally and morally.
Race relations are worse today than they were forty years ago, when Mel Brooks made “Blazing Saddles.” He effectively killed the n-word. It’s the civil rights industry, the race hustlers, who have revived it.
I learned long ago in a communications course that the meaning of a word is assigned by the listener, not the speaker. All that is needed for a word to lose its power is for the hearers to quit taking offense and the word will die a natural death.
Doubt NPR wants to hear this but the easiest way to kill the “n word” is to kill all the black people.
(not advocating this in case any libs are reading. jes’ sayin’)
The same way you would kill Crazy A$$ Cracker.
Death penalty. Anytime you hear someone say “nigger”, shoot them.
NAACP OK with that?
“Nigger” is a cash cow for the race-baiters. They’ll never let it die.
BUMP!
Get rid of all the n’s? They say it more than any other race.
And by the way, I’ll bet there are some Hispanics who think “Spic” and “wetback” are pretty bad. And a few Chinese who don’t like being called “Chinks”. Germans who don’t like to be called “kraut”. Japanese who don’t want to be called “monkey”. American Indians who don’t want to be called “redskin”. The difference is none of the people I just mentioned use the words to describe themselves.
Speaking personally, I would annex the Sudetenland.... Oh, n word...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.