The "N" word - a discussion

[damian_steele]

First off, do NOT post The "N" word. I don't care if you think it's funny or whether you are just checking whether that it is the word under discussion. Just don't type it or this thread will get pulled.

So, that being written, we get to the two main points I'm looking to discuss.

1. Why is it that a percentage of the global population get to use this word with impunity whilst the rest of the population are told that it is wrong for them to use the same word? Surely either using the word is wrong, and therefore wrong for everyone, or it is OK for everyone? If it is just a question of context, then surely everyone should be OK to use it regardless of which percentage they fall into, but only in the correct context? (Assuming that there is such a thing.) To permit only one part of the population to use the word is a form of segregation, and segregation as we have been told, is wrong.

2. Why do we have to go through such ridiculous linguistic hurdles having to refer to it as The "N" word instead of actually using the correct word in a sensible manner? It seems incredibly juvenile to be forced to avoid correctly using any particular word because someone else might decide to get upset and complain. Should we all start complaining about other random words and have them banned from the English language? Or would that be seen to be ridiculous as The "N" word example should have been?

[Maelbrigda]

I was a child in the 60's/70's and the word was used everywhere and not in a derogatory fashion. My best friend at te time had parents from Jamaica and that is how she refered to herself

[astral276]

Just don't type it or this thread will get pulled.

Which says everything that needs to be said.

[westlondoncarparts]

I can speak only for UK.

There is a collective acceptance across British society that this word is offensive. This does not mean that everybody thinks it offensive but that a majority do.

Out of basic politeness and consideration for the people to whom this word refers and who might be offended by it, we should not use the word. This is just basic human decency.

People have to be relationship literate and to have empathy and consideration for other people to understand what this is about.

There is also a racist aspect in the use of the word and there are suitable penalties under British race laws for people who behave in a racist way.

[damian_steele]

Out of basic politeness and consideration for the people to whom this word refers and who might be offended by it, we should not use the word. This is just basic human decency.

So what does this mean for those that it was traditionally applied to who choose to use it themselves?

There is also a racist aspect in the use of the word and there are suitable penalties under British race laws for people who behave in a racist way.

But is its use always racist, even if it is used in, for example, a discussion about language? Or is it unreasonable and unjustifiable to refer to its use as racist when it can clearly be seen from the context that it is not?

[burgyeb]

Have always taken the N word to denote an ignorant person, without regard to their race, nationality, creed, or color. After scanning through a few dictionaries that included the word, the following set of definitions and their usage was found.

According to Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged, Second Edition, 1970 the N word was defined:

[Quote]
black, black person,
a Negro
a member of any dark-skinned people
a vulgar, offensive term of hostility and contempt, as used by Negrophobes [Unquote]

According to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993 the N word was defined as:

[Quote]
1.a black person--usually taken to be offensive
2.a member of any dark skinned race

Usage: ...in senses 1 and 2 can be found in the writings of past authors, but it now ranks as perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English. Its use by and among blacks is not always intended or taken as offensive, but it is otherwise a word expressive of racial hatred and bigotry. [Unquote]

Merriam Webster's helps to address the OPs #1 question - usage by and among often used as "a term of endearment" or casual sporting. If you are outside the by and among it is otherwise "expressive of racial hatred and bigotry" more commonly.

eBid has enough problems attracting and keeping buyers, and providing an active selling venue for most sellers, to add to its repertoire hints at racism. Both dictionaries seem to point at similar interpretations/definitions, and would seem to point towards basic public consensus of the same.

[damian_steele]

Both dictionaries seem to point at similar interpretations/definitions, and would seem to point towards basic public consensus of the same.

So does that mean that you agree or disagree with the suggestion that usage of The "N" word should not be acceptable regardless of the user's skin tone and/or intended meaning/context?

[Pink_Panther]

I have heard N's refer to themselves as N's. (It's ok in their street slang while addressing each other, but it's offensive when someone else uses the term.) I don't quite understand that?

[burgyeb]

So does that mean that you agree or disagree with the suggestion that usage of The "N" word should not be acceptable regardless of the user's skin tone and/or intended meaning/context?

It does not mean either.

[suesjools]

I have heard N's refer to themselves as N's. (It's ok in their street slang while addressing each other, but it's offensive when someone else uses the term.) I don't quite understand that?

This reminds me of a discussion I had with some gay friends a while back when they referred to each other as f--s and q----s and yet couldn't stand it when non gays used the words. Perhaps it has something to do with group membership; if you're a member, it's OK, if not, it isn't. Or something like that I guess...

Best wishes for many sales to all,