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“Nigger” What Does This Word Mean to You?

Where did the term “NIGGER” Originate?

The word ‘Nigger’ was  created during slavery by oppressors of African Americans.  The word was used to demean and dehumanize blacks. It was associated with the falsely created perception that blacks were inferior, lazy, ugly, thieving, good-for-nothing clowns. Today, many blacks use the “nigger” word as a term of endearment. “disrespect of self invites the same from others, especially when those being disrespected are willing to tolerate it from each other”.

The following is an excerpt from the book,  Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy. It explores the controversy surrounding the N-Word.

Click here for more info about the book

How should nigger be defined?

Is it a part of the American cultural inheritance that warrants preservation? Why does nigger generate such powerful reactions?  Am I wrongfully offending the sensibilities of readers right now by spelling out nigger instead of using a euphemism such as N-word? Should blacks be able to use nigger in ways forbidden to others? Should the law view nigger as a provocation that reduces the culpability of a person who responds to it violently? Under what circumstances, if any, should a person be ousted from his or her job for saying “nigger”? What methods are useful for depriving nigger of destructiveness? Read the full article here

More on the N-Word

The N word WSU prof traces its roots in slavery hatred. Worcester Telegram. Nigger is a violent word Mr. Guyton said. He read passages from slave narratives in which the word was salted through descriptions of sadistic beatings. He showed lynching postcards from the 1930s on which the word was scrawled as a final insult.…

Gigwise. ‘N ga Please Talib Kweli hits back at Piers Morgan’s N-word campaign. Gigwise. After Morgan writes that blacks are aware of the history of the word nigger he writes that blacks enjoy the freedom of being able to say it now in the knowledge that it’s become taboo for whites to do so. This is the true heart of the matter for Can black people really stop white people from using the N-word The Guardian. Piers Morgan n-word expert Washington Post blog New Slaves to the N-Word Why Piers Morgan mostly had a valid point. New Pittsburgh Courier. all 35 news articles.…

paula-dean-nigger-commentAnd who can forget Paula Dean’s controversial comments that cost her millions in endorsements from sponsors.

 

What’s your opinion? Leave a comment below and share!

KNOW YOUR HISTORY – LEST WE FORGET