NIGGER And NIGGA Are Just WORDS Right?!

 HEY NIGGER! WHAT'S UP MY NIGGA! These two phrases will always receive different reactions and depending on the hue of your skin tone might incite violence or at minimum, quiet whispers and dirty looks. But Nigger & Nigga are just words right?! They hold no more power than other phrases or slang words correct?! If that's true then why is Nigger considered taboo almost blasphemous and Nigga an accepted term of the culture. Before these questions can be answered a look back into the history of both words needs to be made...walk with me and maybe we can shine more light and understanding on this hot button topic. The word NIGGER has its roots in the Latin word Niger and in the Spanish word Negro which both describe the color black. So from its earliest history the variations of the word were meant to describe a particular color. But as with many things in life, big things have small beginnings. Fast forward a couple of hundred years and take a trip from the eastern to the western hemispheres where the extended colonizations of Africa, North America and South America have made the trading of slaves between Europeans, Africans and others (either through prisoners of war, extended indentured service or outright hostile capture) a lucrative monetary opportunity. The trades eventually evolved into the business of slavery and unfortunately human beings (not just black & brown folks) became resources that were treated as property. However even though blacks were not the only slaves, slavery was the birthing place for the term Nigger and that is where the drastic change and applied meaning of Niger/Negro became a derogatory term applied to people of darker skin hues. Brown and black folks were now considered objects and not considered worthy enough to be treated or viewed as equals to their whiter skinned counterparts. So calling a person of brown/black skin hue a Nigger became a common and accepted way for a person of beige/white skin tone to verbally subjugate and demean them.

 The role of slavery in the United States of America created a divide so great that it eventually exploded into a violent Civil War and set in motion the great Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's. The use of the term Nigger became so sickly popular in the United States and is a word that is so deeply cemented in its connection to slavery that it was even ceremoniously buried in a failed attempt to conceal the negative connotations it still carried into the present day. Over the few decades, terms such as Colored and African American quietly attempted to replace Nigger because they were considered to be less offensive but regardless they were still labels to describe and separate brown and black folks from whites. Then the infamous word NIGGA was created. Originally credited to a comedian named Paul Moody the term was used as a punch line in jokes about black folks and black culture. But the world wide exposure of Nigga can be claimed by the hugely popular influence of Hip Hop, more notably Rap music. It was said that it was used as a way to counter the negative emotions associated with Nigger. It was meant to take back the power of the word Negro and turn it into cultural term of endearment. If you were a fan of Rap, especially in the late 80's into the late 90's you would have heard the word Nigga in just about every song. It was so ingrained into the music scene that Tupac Shakur famously said that "N.I.G.G.A. stood for Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished." By the year 2000 it had found it's home in the mouths of an entirely new generation. The term spread rapidly from the hood to the suburbs. It had become so widespread and accepted that even young whites and other non blacks/brown folks used it regularly in their daily conversations. Now with both words spoken in heavy rotation by different generations both privately and publicly the debate between brown and beige people on whether either word is acceptable to use became a frequent discussion point. In the cultural society of the United States of America, it has been generally accepted that people of non-brown/black skin tone should not say Nigger or Nigga without the expectation of receiving some sort of backlash. But why, this is 2012?!

  The racial harmony in the US should be at an all time high...hell a bi-racial man that looks more brown than beige is the elected President. That means we are progressing right?! If we as a people have advanced so far with racial tolerance from the time of legal slavery to electing a bi-racial president why can't a white friend call a black friend Nigger or Nigga and not be ridiculed or labeled an insensitive racist? Why you ask?! The answer is simple...WE AS A PEOPLE HAVE NOT PROGRESSED. As individual persons we have had progressions but as a group of people we are still a long way from racial tolerance and acceptance especially in the US. The wounds inflicted by the history of slavery may have healed but the scars are still visibly ugly. But it's the confusing issue as to why black folks say Nigga to each other but will flip the fuck out screaming "RACISM" if a white person calls them a Nigger. But if Nigger & Nigga are variations of Niger/Negro what's the difference? I guess one could argue that the difference is the intended meaning. But that stance is one that is unbalanced and irresponsible to use. What's that, you need an example?! How's this, as a brown dude if I call another brown dude a Nigga and mean it in a degrading way I just called him a Nigger using a different pronunciation. I meant to offend him but it's not as evident because I'm brown. But if a white dude calls him a cool Nigger and means it as a compliment to him (it has happened) does that same logic work?! Sadly it does not and that is why white folks AND black folks should be leery of using BOTH WORDS. Because as much as people of either skin hue want to condemn or condone the use of Nigger or Nigga the fact is that because of the effects of slavery these words will always hit home personally and evoke negative responses from either side of the human color spectrum. So the next time you refer or hear another person refereed to (regardless if you or they are brown, beige or another hue) as a Nigger or a Nigga consider the perceived meanings of both words. One cannot defend the use of Nigga and ignore the history of the word Nigger. The argument will always be made that NIGGER and NIGGA are just words right?! Yes...they are, but one would be a fool to still think sticks and stones can break bones BUT words will never hurt.


Be Safe. Be Blessed.
TWIL