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Nigger: The Most Controversial Words In African American Culture

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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. No matter where you stand on the issue one thing is clear. The time has come for African Americans to stop being offended by the word nigger. The first recording of …show more content…

An ideology was created that justified the use of deceit, exploitation, and intimidation to keep African Americans bared in every major societal establishment only to offer legitimacy to the racial hierarchy. ("Nigger (the Word), a Brief History") Ministers would preach that God was white and had condemned African Americans to be slaves. Scientists would measure the brains, faces, and genitalia, of African Americans only seeking to prove that Caucasians were genetically superior. Caucasian teachers, teaching only Caucasian students, taught that Blacks were less evolved cognitively, psychologically, and socially ("Nigger (the Word), a Brief History") With that information in hand it is safe to say that for over the course of 245 years (PBS) no other word existed with the sole purpose of demeaning and lashing out cruelty to a single group of people quite like

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

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He ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!’” (Twain 334). Becoming a freeman was the goal of almost every slave, most of the human rights that they were denied were now given to them. By censoring the word “nigger” they are not changing all the difficulties that the african americans had to face in the 18 and 1900’s. History cannot not be changed but it can be learning

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1658 Words | 7 Pages

When discussing about American history many tend to ignore the unpleasant events from the past. One word, that was commonly used in the past yet rarely used in the present, still causes a sense of discomfort and displeasure when being used. The word has caused many controversial disputes concerning the proper usage of this word. This word is often referred to as the “N-word” and reminds us American of the terrible actions taken place in the past. In remarkable novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has caused an uproar of the repeatedly usage of the “N-word”.

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For example, as a child, “[white kids] called [Malcom X] ‘nigger’ … so much that [he] thought [it was his] natural names” (12). There is a problem when a single word is used to describe someone’s race, which occurred in the north, where race relations were expected to be better. It’s even worse when it is used so often they believe it is their name, their identity. For another example, although Malcolm X was one of the top students in his class, and the class president, his teacher still told him “A lawyer – that’s no realistic goal for a nigger” (43). His teacher directly, without hesitation, told him he couldn’t become a lawyer.

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Is there even an actual problem with using the word nigger, most teenagers hear it when they are listening to a rap song so it should not be a surprise if it is used in a novel that actually explains our history. Yes, the n-word may affect many people but if it actually affected many people then there should not be any discrimination happening in today's society since it truly affects people, right? But this isn't true since we can see discrimination towards African American. We can see it in the Pretrial Release, “The National Academy of Sciences found that blacks are more likely than whites to be incarcerated while awaiting trial” (HuffPost). This shows us that our society only changed in some ways like not having slaves any more but there are different ocasiones that still show us that racism still exists.

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1654 Words | 7 Pages

Also to a white child, or a Hispanic child, those words could be damaging.” Charles Stokes made his point, and stated his thoughts but in all reality, the word is coming back and being used all the time. Kids use it with their friends meaning the word friend. Many “black” people admit to saying the word freely with their friends not meaning as slave. In a “Teaching Tolerance” magazine, printed in 2011, there is an article called Straight Talk About the N-Word.

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589 Words | 3 Pages

Though the word is offensive to many African Americans, ignoring the word would be completely disregarding its history which has no good consequences. The word’s history would wash away and you would be left with the appropriated slang version of it. By covering up the word, one is essentially lying to the students about today. Restriction in literature is an attempt to protect to student from the language and reality of the world which will eventually set them up for failure since they do not have the knowledge and experience they should get. The best way to approach the word is not to "sugarcoat" it, but to acknowledge its history and context while understanding that the usage of the word is still offensive today.

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1146 Words | 5 Pages

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.”

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I believe that buzzwords are used in speeches such as Americanism, the use of the word sacred, and any form of religious propaganda in order to fearmonger listeners to feel a sense of being attacked by the other party. I believe that the Ku Klux Klan used these tactics to try to incite violence and mass discrimination toward African Americans. This is one of the most egregious setbacks during the Roaring Twenties. The progress mentioned in prior paragraphs does not necessarily ameliorate the state of racial equality during these

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In an article by David Gutman, a board member observed “And it never has a discussion of why that word is bad why it is hurtful or why it should not be used” (qtd. in Gutman). While the book never discusses why the word is bad, one thing that readers must keep in mind is the age and maturity of Scout. Scout is still a young child in early elementary school. If her father went in-depth and explained to her the history of the n-word, she may not have fully understood it. The n-word’s past is something that should be taught when a person is mature enough to fully understand it.

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African Americans have systematically been deprived of equal opportunities and fundamental rights in America since the establishment of slavery. Although the Civil Rights Act banned the implementation of segregation and racial inequality over 40 years ago, the overall concept of racial and cultural hierarchy still lingers at the forefront of today’s society. White America’s history of racially oppressing, isolating, and segregating African Americans have led to present-day issues surrounding the political and economic forces that intentionally limits Blacks access to and opportunity from social, economic, educational, and political advancement through the institution of structural racism. Structural racism within America’s governments and

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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.

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572 Words | 3 Pages

I think that the word nigger, is appropriately used when talking about race or oppression. It needs to be said so people can feel the weight that it carries. Many people say that only black people can say the n-word because the word was used to oppress them. I think that when saying the n-word, context is key. It can be said by anyone

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568 Words | 3 Pages

I remember when I was a young boy going to the gas station and I saw two guys arguing, one was Caucasian and the other was African American. The Caucasian guy called the African American the –N word- and they started fighting. While they were fighting they both was struck by a car and both needed medical attention. That’s why everyone need to watch what they say to strangers, especially the people that is a different race. However, for some people that abuse the –N- word that usually means it started at a young age.

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• 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.

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