Has the 'n word' finally lost its sting?

It’s tough to believe a six-letter word can pack such a powerful punch — well, at least it used to. What once was a dehumanizing and derogatory word used to make blacks feel subservient has slowly evolved into a staple of the African-American vernacular. For years the word “nigger,” or the “n word” as it is known in mainstream America, has been the topic of numerous debates.

While many blacks consider the word a racist term, a large portion of African-Americans have adopted the word as their own and seemingly stripped it of its negative connotations. For some minorities the “n word” is no longer a term filled with hate and hostility but is now a term of endearment.

But has the “n word” finally lost its power? Has the word that was once shouted by lynch mobs and Klu Klux Klan members now become a sign of brotherhood and solidarity?

In a Reaching African-American Potential (RAAP) session hosted by the African-American Student Enrichment Initiatives Office, held yesterday titled “Kill Dat Ni**a!,” UT students and faculty members attempted to answer these questions and many more.

James Jackson, director of the AASEIO, said the purpose of the discussion was to educate students on the history of the word and to open a dialogue where students could express their views on the subject.

“I think it’s something students are interested in and have an opinion about,” Jackson said. “My thought was early in the month to really do something to try to captivate students’ attention. Everyone is doing post-election discussions and ‘How does this [Barack Obama] affect Black America?’ And those things are important — but there are some smaller issues that lead into the bigger one. Why not kick-off our first RAAP session of Black History Month with something provocative and controversial for some people?”

“It’s a discussion we need to have on a regular basis,” said Samuel Hancock, assistant to the president for institutional diversity. “This gives everyone a chance to hear the variety of views that exists regarding the use of the word and how people grow up in different situations and have different opinions on the word.”

In the book “Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word” by Randall Kennedy, the Harvard Law professor writes that the word is derived from the Latin word “niger” and the Spanish word “negro,” both of which mean “black” in English. According to Randall, during the 17th century, the word had a neutral connotation, but over time it was used to describe slaves and quickly became an insult.

Although the “n word” is a controversial word in popular culture and mainstream America, surprisingly many students at the event said they embrace the word and do not see African-Americans usage of it as a problem. While some students said they do not agree with the use of the word, during the discussion, several students said they grew up with the word being used in their households and that African-Americans have taken the negative meaning out of it. Jackson attributed this attitude to what he described as a generational shift.

“The further you get away from a painful situation, the less painful it is,” he said, “People aren’t taught why a situation was valuable or why they should remember it. I really think to the college generation the word does not mean the same thing it meant to people who grew up in the ’60s. For black students now there hasn’t been a struggle; they haven’t had to fight for anything. Even though racism is still at large, it hasn’t had a direct impact on their lives.”

To help students gain a better understanding of the word, during the discussion, video clips of artists and entertainers using the “n word” in a variety of ways were played. Videos shown during the discussion included comedian Michael Richards’ now infamous onstage outburst in which he yelled the word multiple times during his comedy performance, and Chris Rock’s “Niggas vs. Black People” skit in which the comedian described the differences between so-called “niggas” and black people. 

By showing the clips, Jackson hoped to address the issue of why African-Americans can use the word and other races can’t, to which several students said the meaning of the word has changed or “flipped” over time.

“We haven’t flipped it because if we flipped it, we wouldn’t be flipping out when someone who doesn’t look like us uses it,” he said. “It’s a word that, if it’s going to flip, we’ve got to get over our sensitivity to it.”

While black America and mainstream America show no signs of “getting over” the “n word” anytime soon, Hancock offered a simple solution to solve the debate.

“It’s a negative word; it has a negative connotation, and the majority of the culture will always connect the use of the word with something negative, whether we like it or not,” he said. “We need to let the word go and strike it from our vocabulary.”

1 comments

Faithful Reader

Fri Feb 6 2009 10:06

Interesting article.

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