How do you feel about the N word?

I feel like it is less a racial epitaph and now a filler word used by rappers who can't otherwise fit their lyrics into iambic tetrameter.

 

This.

 

I guess it depends how its being used and how close/cool you are with the person im not black but have black friends and they dont seem to be bothered when i say shut up n***a or wassup n***a, we continue to talk normal or keep playng( basketball). On the other hand if you use it while you might be arguing or something its a fighting word.

 

I have seen racism first hand and it shifted my perspective from a young age. Most of it started in my final years of high school age when I started hanging out with some dudes from my new church. Growing up California in the late 90s, early 2000's you'd think that here is a pretty progressive state, very ethnically diverse, not a lot of racism probably right? I mean we live in the year 2000 now, nothing too bad is gonna happen to a black guy right?

My new best friend (Mexican/Black dude wore baggy clothing and listened to rap music loudly) would be pulled over and hassled by the police constantly. Over a span of 2-3 years we were pulled over 8-9 times by the local police. 4 different times we were told we had "violated traffic laws" such as "rolling stops", and they took advantage of our ignorance to search his vehicle for drugs every time. I was searched physically at least 3 times. It sucks. Most people don't understand how degrading it is to be searched and talked down to and considered a hooligan and judged as "likely to have drugs and be up to no good."

Those cops were ****ing pigs, and we called them pigs and I don't have any respect for them. There were other cops who were cool, but those racist pigs can kiss the whitest part of my ass.

We would play basketball in the park in the evenings and the cops would come and tell us we had to leave, obviously people from the houses across the street were calling them and telling them we were making trouble. We'd tell them there were no signs up saying the park was closed, but they'd say "we can't make you leave, but you need to leave". Stupid.

When I was driving in my car I was never pulled over, my other white friends rarely were pulled over either, and if they were... they were given "warnings". The cops seemed to be convinced that anyone who was bumping rap music and wearing baggy clothes was probably gang affiliated and had narcotics on their person.

My other friend in the group, Shay was bi-racial, and he was fond of his black heritage, and kind of boisterous about it. He was young and would say foolish things to waiters, strangers etc. One day at Jack in the Box he made some passing comment about white people jokingly, and some 40 year old dude in the drive-thru shouted "WHATD' YOU SAY BOY?". A fight nearly broke out, I was just sitting there shocked and paralyzed, not really knowing what to do.

But that was just Shay man, racism was a joke to him in a lot of ways. He would get really blazed and come over to my house and we'd watch Chappelle's Show and laugh our asses off, one time he tried to fill out an online application to join the KKK. He was a funny dude. He thought it was funny to try and get me to talk street and use the N word. We listened to a lot of rap music, so we would quote lyrics, Tupac and Nas, we were young and stupid, we didn't know what that word really meant to people.

 

^ I admit I skimmed this post to make sure I wasn't getting Bel-Air'd before I read it.

 

i'd be happy to see the word disappear completely. baring that, if you're white, and born before 1980 or so, you shouldn't ever use it. it's not remotely cool.

 

*sigh*
How Jewish Feel about the word K*KE?
How Women Feel about the word B*TCH or C*NT?
How Hispanics Feel about the word W*TBACK?
How __________ Feel about the word <INSERT OFFENSIVE TERM HERE> ?

Don't answer. . . because it is really not a question anyway.
If you say it . . and you get beat up . . .well . . don't b*tch about.

Rocket River

 

It depends again if you dont know the person you will get your ass whooped.

If a black or white friend called me a wetback ill just laugh and call them names back, thats just how i get along with my friends and thats how they get along with me.

 

Well now, that's an interesting rule.

 

Well, It kind of sets your friends up for an AW if they think
or they 'slip' and call someone else that . . who is not a 'friend'

Rocket River

 

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Say it. Take responsibility.

 

In 1996, I worked for a very small business whose owner was fond of using that word in its derogatory, racist manner. Now, if I were any more Caucasian I'd be translucent so I'm sure he thought I was in his corner, but once I got the chance to jet, I was out of there. I told him I had to make about $18K more than he was paying me and if he hadn't made me so uncomfortable, I wouldn't have asked for the entire amount I had been offered elsewhere.

Racism is ugly even if it is never directed at you.

 

you disagree?

 

I think that is kind of arbitrary, because it presupposes intent based on someone's age and skin color, which I disagree with.

 

thing is, for white folks of a certain age, and any one who might be within earshot, it's nearly impossible to keep from being misunderstood (assuming of course, that one's intent is benign). i'd rather err on the side of caution; moreover, i think the word has such negative connotations that they can never be fully purged from our collective experience. let it die.

 

If you have to ask then you DEFINITELY shouldn't use it. Simple as that.

 

Unforunately, the seriousness of it's history is being degraded by black youth.

It's hard to be seriously offended when I hear it in casual conversation after hearing it every other word in the latest rap hit.

Similarly, it ticks me off that there is this stigma that it's "ok" if black people say it, but not "ok" for white people. I mean, that's really dumb. Like, Isaiah Thomas dumb.

 

Maybe that isn't such a bad thing. Maybe they were tired of being afraid of a word.

 

A fair point, but contradictory given the usual conclusion if the word is used by a white person.