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What It Means To Say N Word Essay

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To discuss the N-word its needs to be said. The word nigger is a when word, not a who word. Meaning that anyone can say it, the most important thing about the n-word is the context it is used in. It can be used in an extremely positive context or a highly racist or oppressive context. 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. When a black person says it to another black person it has several positive connotations. …show more content…

Now I believe that anyone can say it but the context it is being said in matters a lot. I hear the n-word a lot now because I listen mostly to rap music. In music it is usually being used positively by a black person. When I hear the word now, and I know that it is not being used to oppress or demean, it does not make me uncomfortable. However if I hear someone saying nigger to demean, it would make me incredibly uncomfortable and offended. The word nigger needs to be used today. If people stop using it, its oppressive past will be forgotten and neglected which is ignoring the problem. There is still lots of subconscious racism in our society and the solution to fixing that problem is not ignoring race, it is acknowledging that race exist and then realizing that it does not matter. 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 but the situation it is used in is the most important part of using the n-word

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