Ah, the n word. I would say it’s definitely one of if not THE most controversial words in the English language. As a white male who’s grown up during an era where overt racism is no longer socially acceptable, I have strong feelings against the use of this word. Sometimes I’ll be sitting in traffic and some teenage kids (could be black, white, Hispanic, or Asian) pull up beside me with rap music blasting out the stereo system. Often the artist is saying the f, s, b and h word along with the n word. In fact, they are usually also gloating about how many black men they’ve killed or are going to kill while referring to them by the n word. Other times, I’ll here youth of all races refer to each other in a casual manner by the n word. I think to myself: “How ridiculous. Don’t they know anything at all about American history?”, which is painfully obvious that they don’t.

Historical reasons for my loathing of the n word

The current slur known as the n word originated from Spanish and Portuguese ‘negro’ meaning black. As we all know, this word was changed in pronunciation by those who wished to degrade all blacks, viewing them as subhuman. That’s also why I don’t like the word ‘denigrate’ as its roots are from the n word. When I see and hear rap artists and comedians casually throwing the n word around, I see the parallels to the minstrel shows of the late 19th and early 20th century where white and black actors painted themselves in blackface and acted out degrading stereotypes of African Americans to the delight of racist white audiences. The n word was perfectly acceptable by most whites back then, but of course so was blatant racism. Often the disdain of blacks accompanied by the n word was a precursor to white on black violence. Today, lynchings on the part of whites against blacks is rightly viewed as a terrible evil. Like I mentioned earlier though, the n word has all too often today become a precursor to black on black violence. Some say it’s a term of endearment, but it really is a double edged sword.

Why I don’t feel anyone should use it

To me, putting a positive spin on this atrocious word is the same as putting lipstick on a pig (a cliche, I know). You can put the lipstick, earrings, foundation, eyeliner, necklace, a pretty dress and high heels on a pig but in the end the pig’s still going to go lay back down in the mud. In a similar vein, the n word cannot be dressed up as something uplifting when it’s roots are so heinous. That’s why I feel that anyone, regardless of race, who uses the n word in a casual manner is an utter ignoramus. There’s no excuse for not knowing the historical background of the word. No one who uses it in such a lighthearted way truly knows their AMERICAN history. Kids (of all races), stop fooling yourselves. I know I sound like an old geezer saying this, but you’re not ‘cool’ or ‘sticking it to the man’ by engaging in self depreciating behavior. You’re really just shaming yourselves and conforming to the pan-racial phenomenon of American anti-intellectualism.