This word finds itself in the forefront of American pop culture, and still carries with it mixed feelings of hatred and injustice. It was a word used by slave masters to demean African peoples, and therefore second hand used by us to communicate who we were. They knew the word, and how it was said made all the difference. It's the tone, I suppose, that put fear in a slave's heart. Nigga..nigger...nigra.
My nigga. Look at that nigga. Stupid nigga.
The word can cause alarm now, or be used as a term of endearment. The puerto rican peoples use the word in that manner. It's just not ok for whites to use it, due to all the years it has carried a negative connotation when they did use it.
The details are complex. But in most cases, it's better left unsaid.
2 comments:
I'm a person of caucasian decent and I strongly dislike the word. I agree with you; it should be left unsaid.
My man red. I'm with you on that. It's somewhat touchy any way it goes, and acceptable in some circles, but as for me, it has no place.
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