Would any reasonable parent call her little girl an ugly, stupid, b--ch ho as a way of showing affection? Would a husband call his wife a sloppy, dirty slut in front of her friends and family as a way of showing his affection for her? Not likely.
Why? Because people who respect themselves and honestly respect others do not show their affection with such loathsome and baneful language. Yet, there is a growing cacophony of black voices that argue calling one another the N-word is a perfectly acceptable way showing affection, respect and endearment for one another.
As Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy accurately points out, etymologists believe the word "nigger" "was derived from an [old] English word 'neger' that was itself derived from 'Negro,' the Spanish word for black." He also writes, however, "the term 'nigger' is in most contexts a cultural obscenity." (See Kennedy's "A Note on the Word Nigger.")
Hosea Easton, in his 1837 work, "The Condition of the Colored People of the United States; and the Prejudice Exercised toward Them," wrote, "Nigger is an opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon [blacks] as an inferior race. … the term itself would be perfectly harmless were it used only to distinguish one class from another – but it is not used with that intent … it flows from the fountains of purpose to injure."
No matter how one defines the word today, it is a vile pejorative with connotations intended to demean and insult. Any attempt to make it something else is not "tragicomic"; it is wrong. Adding insult to the perverse reasoning that attempts to recognize the word as one of endearment is the mindset that claims "we can, but you can't" – i.e., usage of the word is limited to blacks only.
A reader who teaches in a primarily black school district recently wrote, telling me he had "heard many black students call each other the N-word nearly every period of every day." His attempts to "educate" them that the word was derogatory were met with disregard. He was given "various reasons as to why it was acceptable for blacks to call each other the word," but when one of his students turned the word on him, it was clear same was not intended as a term of affection.
Perhaps the most obvious question that begs to be answered is: How did and/or why do so many blacks find it acceptable to so demean themselves? Can you imagine Martin Luther King greeting someone with "My 'nigger,' come give me a hug"? Can you imagine former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell saying to his staff, "That was just my 'nigger' on the phone"? Would Al Sharpton's secretary say, "It's your 'nigger' on the phone"? Obviously, the answer is no.
The use and acceptance of the word as a measure of endearment, I would argue, is accepted only by those who are entombed alive at the bottom rungs of our communities. It is easy to blame the hip-hop culture as being responsible for glamorizing the word, but I believe it is the destabilization of the black family that has led to such devolvement.
Blacks have been poor, they have been poorly educated, and they have been truly disenfranchised, but throughout their history in America, until recent years, blacks maintained their decency and self-respect. Yet today, we are led to believe that the basest commonality is acceptable because it is "our culture."
This is a lie from the pit of hell. Behavior that does not inspire and encourage that which is productive and positive serves only to hold people down. As evidenced by the pandemic levels of black abortion, out of wedlock births, a debilitating dependence on government and fractured, dysfunctional households – that is exactly what is happening.
Married, two-parent households, emphasis on education and an emulation of that which is proven to be positive have no socio-economic strata. It has to do with self-worth and self-respect. It is only blacks that are encouraged to accept base commonalities as a lifestyle. The question that must be answered pursuant to same is, why?
Related special offer:
"Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America"