How do you feel about non-black people using or being called the n-word?

It is about as significant as the difference between "figua" and "figure"

It is simply about how the word is pronounced.....any black person who tries to tell you different is simply lost imho

 

You're wrong on the highlighted point. But I do agree with you that the usage is wide-spread in this country.

 

It's stupid to use the word at all. After several decades, there's still much outrage to the word, so I doubt there's any sort of empowerment by changing its connotation and allowing its usage. Worst off is when black people use it to denigrate others with it while using it in a positive tone in a different context.

It's like wiping your ass barehanded and using the same hand to shove food into your mouth.

That cultural empowerment theory is deeply flawed. "Queer" might be a fanciful enough term of endearment by some homosexuals, but context and damage ultimately derives from perceived status of that group. Which is why cracker...or the affectionately given "cracka" (srs!) isn't that hard stinging.

Just stop saying it. You're not blunting anything.

 

Are you often in heated exchanges?

The reason I ask is because I have seldom heard the term used in public, in a hostile manner. I have heard ignorant people say it thinking it was an acceptable greeting like they would say "dude" or "brother". I am not black, but my cousins are and my ex girlfriend/fiancee was and only a few times was the term directed overtly towards them, it was usually cowardly stated behind their back.

 

My Asian friends call eachother that all the time because it makes us feel gangsta

 

But if you look at Queer today, and it's totally a word that once was pejorative and how completely owned by the LBGT community. They use it everything - in posters and events etc, and it has a different meaning than just gay. You don't hear people use queer negatively anymore.

So there is a precedent. Anyway, my two cents.

 

And my point was that the LBGT community as a whole has enough political, economic and social influence to effect what the word means...much more than when they started speaking up 30 years ago.

It's the chicken or the egg question. The empowerment approach tackled one end of the question, yet the N-word is still the N-word because we aren't there yet with blacks and equality in the previously mentioned influences.

 

Maybe, I am not sure about that.

Look, if people find it empowering that they can use that word and no one else can, so be it. Reasons don't matter at the end of the day. It's just a word no matter what its history.

 

Are you implying that the LGBT community has more political, economic, and social influence than the black community or that American society in general is more tolerant of LGBT people than black people? Sorry, I don't buy that.

 

Its no big deal, im white and say it when im hanging out with friends.

Its not racist, it means nothing more then "dude" now days. I feel nothing when i say it, my black friends feel nothing when they're called it or saying it either. But theres a difference in your white friend saying whats up *****, and a racist kid saying **** you ****** etc.

I say whats up ***** to my black friends and whats up bean to hispanic friends, and theres nothing racist to it from me its really just saying "dude".

 

Personally, I don't think there's a need for the word in any setting.

With that said, anyone who uses that word, whether ending in an "a" or an "r", forfeit's the right to be offended by someone else doing it no matter what race that other person is.

 

Using it? Seems like those are just trying to think they are cool in a way that isn't. Being called it? Guess it depends who's doing the calling and what the person did to 'deserv'e it, but I wouldn't think it would be appropriate, regardless.

 

My suggestion to you is to tread lightly, because you're begging for someone out there to over hear you and make you FEEL the true meaning of that word. Seems like you and your friends have a nice and sweet understanding, but I gaurantee that there are many others out there that don't give a damn about what you and your friends have going on. I've wittnessed it happen, and it didn't work out to well for the guy who thought it was "no big deal."

 

Many responses on this thread are pretty much proving my point. The use of term by many isn't so much about a conscious redefinition of the language but more a cool way of twisting cultural and historical significance of the term with little regard to history.

Language is meant to have power but something like this just shows how lazy we are with language.

 

Thanks for the suggestion but its still no big deal to me, making it a big deal will keep the word racist. Im not racist it means dude when i say it, if everyone restricts the world it will stay a bad word, let it play out and get old like all the other slang.

 

It's a word. I have no issue with roundly shrugging off its usage, or with never using it again. The only time I use it now is when it's quoted, but not quoting Friday or the rap lyrics stuck in my head while in public isn't hard.

It's just some word and I don't care enough about a combination of letters to fight for or against it's usage. It's been #1 on my "Not Necessarily Pejorative but Close Enough To Invoke Hurt Feewings" list of words for non pubic usage for a long time now. The title used to be "...Invoke Butt-Hurt," but that was added to the list of colloquialisms.

 

So you are calling Jay Z, Biggie Smalls, N.W.A. (guess what the N stands for), Tribe Called Quest....you are calling all of them lazy? Because they are highly responsible for the term gaining popularity amongst blacks.

 

I'd say the media is more adverse to making a mockery out of gay people than black people (comparatively...as the media still does). The median income for LGBT is higher than black people and LGBT on average hold higher skilled jobs more than the average American.

It's a bit of an apple to oranges comparison because LGBT can with some degree of success hide their true preferences and can choose whether to take on the social stigma of homosexuality. Being black, otoh, is not a social stigma, but as the whole Trayvon ordeal has reignited, there's still rawness deep within the American social fabric over equality and class as a black American.

 

Not too often any more and I tend to avoid bars and places were excessive alcohol consumption is common. But those are the situations I have heard the word coming from non-black people the most......when they are pissed or full of "liquid courage".

 

The individuals you named are hardly role models.....but they are not to blame for the word becoming "popular amongst blacks". (In this country...in a lot of places in the Caribbean, that word is very unpopular...the "redefinition" isn't as wide spread as some would believe once you leave the country and it's sphere of influence)

"*****/******" has been used within segments of the "African-American" community for decades........Older family members of mine still use the word...much to my dismay