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The N Word by Pam Marlett Aug 2, 2008 The reclaiming of power or the death nail to civil rights? |
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I'm an Oreo American. Seriously, I've been certified by the National Association of Real Black Folks. It came as a surprise to me when a number of said real black folks addressed me as the n-word. Now, me being a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, without the heroin use, I decided to do a little investigating the way only a teenager can. I went to YouTube, searched for Katt Williams, got the handy dandy notebook and marked the number of times he said the n-word.
44 times in one segment. Theres a golden rule in comedy that it's only funny the first time, like if your mooning someone, we only need to see it once and then the novelty wears off. Not so much in this case in fact at one point he says the word, at one point saying it so many times in a row that the audience laughs. Laughs. I myself felt like sobbing because the sad part is that if say, Robin Williams were to do the same thing he'd lose his job, money, and reputation. Most of my white friends look at me like I'm speaking in Swahili when I say honkie. It's a racial slur that used to be applied to white people, white males in particular but rarely does anyone my age know that. With the exception of the word red neck I hardly ever hear white people or even Latin Americans refer to themselves in derogatory terms. What would your reaction be if you were walking down the hallway and heard this: "Matt, what's going on honkie?" "Nothing John, me and my honkies are gonna get together after school, wanna come?" Would you have a token WTF moment, would you laugh, would you roll your eyes, or would you smile and tell your friend, "That's my honkie?" Now put the n-word in place of honkie. Odds are you don't even flinch when you hear it; you just keep walking. Some of my African American friends informed me that because they say it with an "a" at the end and not an "er" that it's somehow acceptable. I always respond with this: whether its ***** or nigger it doesn't change the fact that at the end of the day it is still a slur, a racial slur that was used to belittle African Americans. Why some of today's African American youth feel that changing the wording somehow changes the negative meaning, the roots of where the word comes from is something I've yet understand. Once you generally agree that a word is negative through and through you tend to stop using it all together. It becomes a faded term that when used by anyone stirs up anger and offense. I often wonder if the n word would have met the same fate as honkie, oriental, abbie, alligator bait, beaner, or camel jockey, had some African Americans not decided it could be turned into an empowering statement of rebellion. Is this the legacy of the Civil Rights movement? If it is I hope the founders can't listen on us. They'd be doing cartwheels in their graves. |
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