N*gger? Yes, no, maybe, you don't know?

Ok, so it’s 4 in the morning, I cant sleep and i’m on youtube. Im lying here watching a video about a lady in America, Dr. Laura, a white woman who gives radio advice. An african american woman, who is married to a white man, calls in and seeks advice about racial slurs from her in laws. The next thing i know, this Dr. laura is saying something along the lines of get over it, you n*ggers say the word to yourselves anyway and she goes on to say this word several times. 

So the show has four black people on it, (Link at the bottom), and they have varying opinions. Two major questions arise which i’d like to address from my point of view and open up a discussion about what you all think. 

Issue number one: should black people be using this n word in general?

So we all know about slavery. And please, don’t be rolling your eyes out there because it was very real and people really did suffer. The n word was a big part of the racial discrimination at the time and so especially for the older generation, brings back negative emotions and experiences. i just want to get that out there right off the bat, because a lot of black people are out there now just like ugghh slavery yada yada, we weren’t even there or know anyone who was there, or say stuff like other races had huge social issues too (which they did, and also refer back to to this day - Jews and the holocaust being an example.) anyhoodly! the n word whichever way you look at it, has derogatory connotations. 

Ok, so now my opinion. Maybe the fact that i’m black and British and not American means that the whole ‘sup my n*gga’ never fully entered my vocabulary. However, i have used the word several times as a joke with my brother and other people close to me. I’ve always had a feeling that i shouldn’t really use the word, and always make sure that i’m using the ‘friendly’ version, i.e. with the ‘a’ and not the ‘er’. I don’t think a word that caused so much pain, not just to black americans, but even those africans who migrated outwith africa, should be thrown around. 

Yes rappers use it, and people have tried to use it colloquially, but all i think this does is minimise the tough experiences people had to deal with. Imagine, no, just imagine, (If you are black), you come back from work or uni, and you’re like, yo i’m hungry. Imma just hit up that Mcd’s real quick. (pardon my americanisms lol) so you’re on Union Street, (shout out to my Aberdonians, ken) and theres one big A3 sign on the window talkin’ bout, no niggers allowed. How are are going to feel? So but after someone has used this word to exclude you and make you feel inferior, its the first word that comes to your mind when you holla at your friends? even if it is, which means you need some kind of help to separate positives and negatives emotions or something, i think we can do better to come up with less ‘loaded’ terms. 

Thats what i think. I say it occasionally as a joke, i know i ‘shouldn’t’ and when i do i try to make an effort to stop. What do you think? Are you cool with it? Is it not a big deal anymore? After all, we aren’t even in yankee? lol COMMENT. NOW. 

Second issue: should members of other races be allowed to say the n word?

Ok, so this is really what made me jolt up in my bed at this funny hour to blog. One guy was like, oh he kind of agrees with Dr. Laura in the sense that there’s confusion because black people are saying it to themselves. Let me just give a personal example. I was in secondary school, and my closest friend, was a lovely white girl. so one day, my friend asks me, what would you do if i called you a n*gger? I was taken aback and said something along the lines of ‘i’d shank you’ or something, just because i thought i was hard haha. So it really got me thinking that if a person not of the black race, called me that word, i would be offended, demand an apology and probably not speak to them for a while. My reasoning is, if my mum and my brother, my sister and my dad, call me fat - i’d be like aight, laugh out loud or whatever. but if some random on the street or some acquaintance swags up and calls me fat, lets just say i wont be jolly. So, i think its like that. What your family can say to you and get away is is different from what someone outwith your family can. 

I think we should stop trying to act like we live in Utopia and the world is just paradise and smells like perfume and full of peace and harmony. Im not a pessimist by nature, #HopeIsTheNameOfTheGame, but I really don’t believe the world has ever been like that, since Adam and his wifey anyway, nor will ever be. #JustThatHeavenSteez but thats a different story. So, as much as you want to hug a tree and tell me we are all one, we aren’t. life isn’t balanced, or fair or just in general terms. Yes it would be nice that we live on balanced scales but the fact of the matter is, there are differences that are prevalent and we are all trying to overcome. so if i was ever cool with a black person calling me n*gga, im not cool with a person who isnt the same race as me doing it. 

What do you think? Is this double standards and hypocrisy? Should we stop separating ourselves into factions and have rules that apply across the board? share what you think! i cant write all this, more so at this time, for nothing #IBeg. 

Thats it folks, I sat up and started talking to myself like people were up in my room so i decided to approach the passion to deal with the issue in the slightly more sane way of blogging. 

Hope its not too long a read! 

Heres the link if you are interested in watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRpzIgEoXcU&feature=relmfu 

p.s going to be blogging a lot more. i have a lot to say. 

x