Fueling the flames of the incendiary word "nigger"

Last week, I was invited back to Farai Chideya's Bloggers Roundtable on her nationally syndicated show on NPR show called "News & Notes".

Apparently, a previously scheduled guest bowed out at the last minute, and I was honored to fill in moments before going on air.

Farai threw me right into the fray by asking me what I thought the implications were of rapper Nas' soon-to-drop album tentatively titled: Nigger.

In short, I said that I'd have to withhold judgment until I heard the lyrical content. It could be just a PR stunt to sell CDs. It could also be a political statement worthy of making in the manner he framed. Or perhaps it will prove to be some combination of the two.

However, what I suspect bothered many listeners including the pseudonymous blogger, "The Angry Independent", of Mirror on America, is the belief that I "support" use of this word.

If that's what he and others took from my short commentary on the show, it's clear I have a lot to learn about articulating my opinions more clearly.

Of all that I had to say on the subject, this is what The Angry Independent chose to quote from me:

“Nigger is (an acceptable) part of the Black dialect.”

Notice the parentheses around "acceptable". Actually, given that I did not say that word, I think it should be in brackets. But, hey, I'm just a (semi-literate) apologist spraying "nigger" around like an malevolent skunk.

For those of you who did not hear the actual segment, feel free to listen to it here.

Or if you prefer to just read that part of the transcript which The Angry Indian chose to ignore or just infuse his own assumptions about my personal motivations, then by all means read on:

I use the word.

[Farai: "In what context?"]

In Ebonics! This is part of Black dialect. Now, it can be used in different ways.

I try to minimize how I use it.

I don't use it in public. I don't use it around my children. I tend not to use it as a crutch.

You know a lot of those folks who say this word should be buried and dead, I've heard them use it.

. . . I will use it among people -- in an intimate environment. . . a trusting environment, where people know my tone and my intent, and what type of person I am.

But I'm not going to call some random person that. And I'm not going to use it in mixed company. . .

I don't use it in an intergenerational context. People older than babyboomer.

It is a profane word. But there is beauty in profanity. Ever heard of Richard Pryor? . . .

This is  much different statement than "profanity is beauty", with which I wholeheartedly disagree and suspect many young artists (of VARIOUS musical genres) naively believe.

My goal here is not to proselytize though, it is to discuss this matter in a respectful, good faith manner and context.

I have friends, colleagues and relatives who do not agree with me on this subject. And I am comfortable with that. However, I do not think that people who disagree with me are idiots or disingenuous. I do think that there are some folks who can only feel right or validated by denigrating others. To me, this is a sign of (among other things) great insecurity.

I do not use the word, "bomb" at airports and other such venues for obvious reasons. However, I have not decided to refer to bomb as the B-word as though there is something inherently dangerous about the word.

In the 1990s I used the expression "da bomb" along with millions of other Gen Xers as slang for "that's great", similar to the other colloquialism: "dope". And by acknowledging use of this word, I hope that this is not taken for condoning heroine use by America's youth.

The fact is, I don't support the use of the word nigger nor do I demand its obsolescence. I understand its complex origin, uses and impacts. And as a consequence, I use it situationally and (what I believe is) responsibly in my life. I'm not proud of it, nor the least bit ashamed of it either.

My ire is raised when folks who use it behind closed doors proclaim publicly that it should never be used under any circumstance.

I am angered when we choose to focus on symptoms and not solutions to their underlying causes -- matters that deserve far more attention and care than a single word. Call me crazy, but I'd like to bury poverty and injustice. We do this, and eventually "nigger" as it was originally conceived will die a quick death. And maybe, just maybe the ignorance around how and why its complex uses and impact are important will die with it.

Farai did not ask me to speak on behalf of all Blackfolk. She specifically asked me how I used it, to which I responded honestly.

Perhaps that was not the bourgeois thing to do, but I believe in the power of authenticity to cut through the classist subtext I sense in this public discourse on "nigger".

In essence, I hear: "Nigger" can only be used by niggers. And in Chris Rock logic: There are indeed niggers among us Blackfolk. And quietly, niggers get what they deserve based on how they think, act and betray the rest of us "good" Black people.

Now, I don't mean to suggest that's what The Angry Independent thinks (or thinks about me). But this matter transcends whatever two random bloggers may think or blog about this topic. And more importantly, it should not include or depend on the Wolf Blitzers of our conglomerate-tainted media.

Assuming the average White person has learned to accept that "nigger" is 1) a highly dangerous word for him/her to use -- particularly within earshot of Black people, 2) is not conducive to fostering racial harmony, or 3) is inappropriate in polite conversation, then it seems what those Blackfolk ranting and raving about the so-called "N-word" are so concerned with is (some) people's use of the word within and by the Black community within earshot of Whitefolk.

If that's one the real, unspoken motivations of the wanton pallbearers for "nigger", then so be it. But know that that is not how this subject has been publicly framed. In other words, don't say let's bury "nigger" forever when you really mean, "Let's not give Whitefolk yet another reason to pity or loathe Blackfolk's self-destructive culture."

So, if I'm condemned by folks who I feel believe the latter, I know there's little to nothing to say to them that will change their sad and feeble little minds.

But for those folks with whom I respectfully disagree who genuinely seek to snuff out this controversial word regardless of what White people think, I'm all ears.

After all, we can agree that language is indeed a significant form and expression of power. However, how that power is manifest and can evolve is open for debate. And when we actually debate the merits and not engage in ad hominem attacks that would make the fabled Willie Lynch cry tears of joy, then maybe, just maybe, the time we spend talking about a word will be reallocated to eradicating the oppressive conditions from whence it drew its greatest strength.

Comments

[Carmen D.]

Great post! I am one of those who sees no good in the conversational use of the word. I don't believe in banning words, but I don't understand the use of it by black people...I don't understand how it's comforting, helpful or useful in any way. I've written about this a number of times and it comes down seeking/wanting an entirely new word framework for expressing solidarity and knowing support throughout the black community. What happened to terms like "brotha" and "sista" or even "my man?" My stomach still flips a little when I am walking down the street and a young man (almost always way younger than me) yells out, "Hey sis!" It makes my day.

[Yvette]

Enjoyed your commentary on NPR. I wonder: why do you make distinctions in who you will say the n-word to/around and who you will not? I ask--and hope you take--this as an honest question. I did not grow up hearing the word used as an endearment or ironically. When I heard it, it was definitely meant as a slur. Even though I do not agree, I understand the reasoning behind folks who say that by using the word they are taking away its power, etc. But then in that case, why not, for example, call your child a "cute little n*****"? Why make the distinctions?