Saying No to the N-Word

Brian Lehrer of WNYC had a segment onhis show this morning discussing The N Word that I found interesting. For the sake of this blog post, I’m going to USE the ACTUAL word’s. The N Word is nigger, the B Word is Bitch, Queer is Queer, etc.

Here’s the back story: A city councilman in Queens submitted a “symbolic moratorium” bill on the banning of the word “nigger”. According to him, he want’s people to stop USING the word, but to continue to TALK about the word. He says that they use the word incorrectly and not he way it was historically meant to be used: “to hate and subjugate people”. He states that when people use the words that were hate driven as a term of endearment or expression it shows they are not understanding or respectful of their history and are unaware of the emotional impact it has on people around them.

When I was first listening to this and was thinking about blogging about it I was kind of upset that SUCH a big deal is made out of this ONE WORD when people commonly throw around words like bitc, or queer… and the list goes on and on but for the sake of this blog post I’ll focus on these three. I agree that originally the word was born of hate and misunderstanding and ignorance and in THAT time, to use it was wrong. But so were the other words I mentioned. You speak of a time when black people could not vote, or own land, and were enslaved to do the work of a master and guess what! There was a time when WOMEN could not vote, or own land, and who’s sole purpose was to serve a master (husband, kids, etc). And NOW, TODAY, AT THIS MOMENT, we will not let two people who love eachother, who want to vow their lives to the other, to do so because they share the same anatomical organs used to reproduce and urinate. Now, the difference between not letting two people get married and lynching and mob killings is big and I acknowledge that. Those things are wrong. The ACT was wrong. Inexcusable, really. But we are living in a different time and place now and we’ve evolved and changed and now african americam people have the same rights and privelages as every other American (unless, of course, you are gay).

And I realize now what made me upset. This guys is spending FAR too much time (and tax payer money) on a word that has a HISTORICALLY negative context. Any of these three words can be used to demean somebody, but they ALL have alternate meanings now also. I’d think the fact that the word has evolved into something more than a derogatory slur would MEAN something. The people that once let the word make them feel fear and shame have turned it into something they can “own”. Women call their friends bitches all the time and what they mean by that is YOU ARE FIERCE, GIRL!! WORK IT!! And queer? Not only has the gay community embraced the term but Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is a massive success! These words can still be used to try to harm somebody but by taking the word and changing the meaning and OWNING IT, they’ve taken some of the power away from those that use it in a negative context. And the more they make the word into something they own, the more the power will continue to dwindle until there is no negative power left in the word.

It’s time to leave the past and evolve. TEACH the past, KNOW the past, LEARN FROM the past, but GET OUT OF the past. Spend time at press conferences problem solving and planning the FUTURE for the very youth you seem so concerned about instead of dwelling on something has already grown past the point of no return. In short, quite your whining and focus on POSITIVE things you can do for your community, instead of trying to hold on to the negative.

*climbs off soap box*

Disclaimer: This is my opinion. You might disagree with it and if so, I encourage you to speak up and let me hear your side because I know that I can always learn more by hearing what you think and feel. But! Please do so calmly and respectfully.