The Importance Of Nigger

America Does Not Need to Censor Her Past I thought racism was a long-dead school of thought when we first began learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in the first grade; I remembering sharing this with my parents, and the dumbfounded look they had in response to my naïveté—or perhaps my stupidity. It took me another year to come around to the idea that racism was still alive and well in this country (after all, no one that I knew was being lynched or denied the right to vote): when I first heard “nigger” used to refer to Barack Obama by my grandmother’s neighbor in South Carolina—a place where prejudice runs deep and some believe the Civil War is still being fought nearly one hundred and fifty-five years later. Since then I must have heard “nigger” used hundreds of times as a term of endearment or as a vile insult; by my black friends or by my white classmates; in song lyrics or in everyday conversation; however, each time one thing remains the same: the immense power and history behind the most loaded word in the English language. “Nigger” is not interchangeable with the word slave; slave is not the invention of American racism and it does not

Mario Garza Mr. Izzy Nigger101 5 July 2015 Why Blacks Want to be Niggers For many years now, Africans have referred to themselves as Niggers, or as they pronounce it, ‘Niggas’. For many years it has been a derogatory term used to refer to the Africans, so why would you want to use this slur to refer to yourself and friends? The original definition for this word is a person who is ignorant, now it is used to describe an African American. While the original definition was in effect, many people still address each other as their ‘Nigga/Nigger’, but why?

The words, “nigger” and “faggot,” I feel are being used more often as a counter to the malediction that was placed on this words; either it be during the civil war in the nineteenth century or the modern day. George Carlin said that there are only bad thoughts and intentions that turn the words that we use into ones that may inflict pain: Both nigger and faggot are degrading terms that by themselves have no power, but when there is a meaning behind them that is intended to inflict agony upon the receiver of the word, only then does the word take on its true form. Nigger, was used commonly in the South part of America during the Civil War, where black people were kept as slaves. The word derives from many languages spelling of the word black,

• I never had any encounters with another race in my neighborhood, all the people around me were very kind. When and where did you first hear the word, “nigger,” or other similar racial slurs? • The first time I hear the word “Negro” “Black” was when I was about 13 years old, when my grandma ask me if I like that black guy.

Take a deep breath, look yourself in the mirror, close your eyes then count to ten now say it out loud and proud “nigger”. Not the n-word, not this unspeakable forbidden word just nigger. Depending what you look like, how you were raised, or where you are from, that was either grueling and painful or slid through your vocal chords with ease. It’s astonishing that a word cultivated in the 1800s can still bring pain and anger to the African American community as well as being an uncomfortable road for any Caucasian to tread. Nigger stands as the most controversial word in the English dictionary many have fought for its removal entirely, while others see it simply as a watermark of history that shouldn’t be tampered with.

One of the troop member’s fathers mistreated a group of Mennonites because he felt that it would be the only time he would have white folk on their knees working for him. The feelings were a product of the environment created by society. How can a Caucasian relate to how it feels to be called a “nigger”? How can they hate and dislike their own race? When is it even okay to use the word nigger and in what

However, people who hasn’t grew up in that time frame such as myself doesn’t necessarily relate the “nigger” to those understandings. Not all, but a lot of people in today’s society use the term “nigger” loosely. We use it on a daily in a friendly manner and not all blacks that offense when someone of the Caucasian race refer to them as a “nigger” or even use “nigger” to refer to themselves. This generation has also changed the term to “nigga” and although the “er” is taking off some people still gets offended by it. For me personally it depends in what content the word is used.

In rap and hip-hop music, “nigger” is identical to words such as “homie,” or “brother.” I don’t even have to turn on the radio to know what I’m going to be hearing. Songs about “fat asses,” “bad bitches and strip clubs,” “guns,” “money,”

“A Talk to Teachers” Questions 1-12 1. Baldwin establishes with his audience that he is not a teacher and like all of them lives in a dangerous time. He establishes his ethos by telling his audience that he is not (a teacher) and that he is (a fellow citizen who like them lives in a dangerous time). 2.

According to Matt Seitz, the word “Negro” started to fall out forty years ago. He mentions that “the word negro was easier for people

The Disease of Being Colored Colored, nigger, African American, black, coon, and Negro are all the words that describe my race. These are the words that helped mold me into the woman that I am today. Not all of the words that I have listed are in a respectful manner, but they all mean one thing; A black person. Although all of those names can be thrown towards anyone of the African decedent, often times people do not care to see behind the skin of an individual. In hindsight everyone looks alike when the lights are off, and when we are even dead and buried in the ground.

When America was founded in 1776, slavery was widely practiced and accepted, and the n-word was frequently used as a way to address African slaves. Most, or at least all Americans at that time believed that Africans were sub-humans that had no rights to their names whatsoever. The word itself evolved from the Spanish word negro as well as from the French word nègre, both which have the meaning of the color black. Even after slavery was abolished in 1865, African-Americans still lacked rights and were frequently called the n-word as well. The word holds a heavy connotation which brings up terrible memories from history as well as times of rebellion and the civil rights

Another way to combat prejudice is by teaching against it to the upcoming generation. Atticus teaches Scout and Jem that demoralizing vocabulary should not be used, especially against black people. He says to them, “nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don 't mean anything—like snot-nose. It 's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody 's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It 's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody.”

Amara Crook Harmon—L202 Major Paper 3 Clever Title Countee Cullen’s “Incident” explores the concept of unprovoked and unwarranted racism through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy. In his short yet powerful poem, Cullen uses a single incident in which a young boy “riding through old Baltimore” (1) is singled out and called the N-word by another very small child, despite having done or said nothing to offend the boy. Although this incident is clearly hurtful, why is this incident in particular so important?

In the dictionary nigger is defined as a contemptuous term for a black or dark-skinned person. During slavery it was used as a way for white people to oppress slaves, and after slavery was ended it was still used to oppress and demean black people. This is why the word nigger is such a loaded word. After the civil rights movement, the black community reclaimed the n-word.