It is 1978 and it is another beautiful day in paradise.  A thirteen year old young man and his entire family have been living on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii for over three months.  The entire family includes the Sergeant; for the first time since the young man was six years old, he is sharing the same household with his father.  That alone was worth the effort of uprooting, leaving friends and moving across the globe from the southern United States but the young man has also been elected Freshman Class Vice President.  This young man is also a great student and is unknowingly being considered for a double promotion at the end of the school year.

In addition, he has also taken a job cleaning the portable classrooms after school and although the job was not necessary, for him it represented a source of pride and independence. Working meant that he was no longer able to ride the bus home after school and a 4 mile walk mostly uphill in the inactive volcanic crater converted to military housing called Red Hill.   One afternoon in particular, it is hot and he is looking forward to getting home to start his homework.  About a third of the way up the crater he is startled out of his reverie by the sudden shout of “nigger” from multiple voices coming from an approaching red Toyota with three young white males dressed in Marine’s fatigues.  In that instance the peace and satisfaction of his world is momentarily shattered.  He is alone on a narrow road and he is unsure of the soldier’s intent. 

He’s scared, so he picks up a rock the size of his hand in case the soldiers returned and he is forced to defend himself.  His heart rate hastens as does his pace, after a few minutes it is apparent that the incident was only a derogatory drive by.  When the fear subsides, he calms down and releases the rock as he attempts to grasp the situation.  In a confused state of mind, he reflects that this is not the 1960’s and he is not residing in Georgia or Alabama. He is in Hawaii, a place that is as diverse as anyplace on the globe.  Why would such an event take place here?  Unable to reconcile the event, time healed the wound but the word left its scar. 

 Thirty years later and many miles from Red Hill, he is listening to a popular song recorded by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and prominent within the lyrics is the word that left its scar.  He is forced again to reconcile the event in a seemingly contradictory context, which leads to a question; what do I mean if I call my brother “nigger?” Is this contradiction the residual product of a confused state of mind, no, there is something deeper.  In 1968, when asked about his refusal for induction into the U.S. Army, the Heavy Weight Boxing Champion of the World Muhammad Ali, instinctively responded “No Vietcong ever called me nigger.”  For Muhammad Ali, as well, the word “nigger” elicits a deep rooted negative emotional response.

The cultural confusion resulting from the use of the word “nigger” was captured in its fullness in the 2003 hit movie Rush Hour during the pool hall scene.  Detective Carter (played by Chris Tucker) walks into a pool hall followed by China’s Inspector Li (played by Jackie Chan) in hopes of discovering a lead that would help resolve the case of the abducted daughter of the Chinese Consulate.  Detective Carter greets the bar tender by saying “what’s up my nigga?” He receives acknowledgement and Inspector Li observes the comradeship and attempts to establish a rapport by stating the same greeting.   After being asked to repeat the question, violence ensued and Inspector Li has to rely on his martial arts skill to avoid severe bodily harm.  The message Detective Carter conveyed was that he fit in as part of the group and message that Inspector Li intended was that he wants to fit in as part of the group. 

Why the contradiction that led to the confusion?  Could it be that even though Chinese participating in the African slave trade was relatively small, compared to the Arabs and Europeans, that the heart of the word “nigger” is still found in its pejorative meaning; that no matter how it was said it was received with the derogatory force and effect of demeaning and belittling?  In contrast to Rush Hour, a more accurate portrayal of the underlying meaning of the word came from the movie Bad Boys II when Detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett, played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, respectively, greet a young man whose is there to take Marcus’ daughter out on a date.  Reggie, the young man is called a “nigga” as he is interrogated and threatened at gun point by Mike Lowry.  The intent of the word and the weapon is to purposely intimidate and frighten the young man into respecting the daughter while on the date and to have her home on time.  As in the days of old the word was used with the intent of its historical context; to belittle and threaten.  

 There was a rather controversial laboratory experiment conducted with wild rats in 1970’s by Professor Martin Seligman which led to the psychological theory of learned helplessness.  In the experiment Seligman cites that a normal wild rat will swim for 60 hours before drowning but a wild rat that is held until it no longer struggles prior to swimming will swim for only 30 minutes before drowning.[i]  It seams callous and cavalier for Hip-Hop Icons such as Jay-Z to use the word “nigger” in a song knowing that it cannot be nominated for a Grammy but will be widely bought by youth who identify with their music.  The message that Jay-Z is communicating in his expressions is, perhaps, that I remember where I come from and that success has not changed me even though I am Hip-Hops $80 million man.

 More importantly there are two participants when sending a message, a transmitter and a receiver. An inner city youth who is struggling with feelings of oppression as if being held down by society; at home, in school or simply trying to survive that day may identify with the expressions for different reasons than those intended by the artists.  The receiver often identifies with the artists as a source of hope, “if Jay-z can make it, I can too.”  However, being a “nigger” is not what contributed to the success of Jay-z, his success stems directly from his creative genius, his talent, intellect, courage, business savvy, opportunity and favor.  The late great Michael Jackson, one of the most successful artists of all time, “The King of Pop,” never recorded the word “nigger.” When life disappoints those who fail because of identification with being a “nigger” the negative oppressive connotation of the word takes a deeper root. It is the hope inspired by popular artist that sells not the word “nigger.”  In speaking with a 22 year old black male who is a marketing major at an institution of higher learning, his claim is that he has no problem with the use of the word nigger in songs by popular artists. However, that same young man chooses not to use the word himself.  When asked why, he nonchalantly but eloquently articulated “I don’t use it because I know other words.”

 When the word “nigger” is used in American culture today, the question is: does it affirm or disregard the sacrifices made by President Abraham Lincoln who divided a nation with a war that cost $5.2B; who nearly bankrupted the southern United States which experienced a 70% reduction in cotton exports, its primary source of commerce, post Emancipation Proclamation; and who willingly placed himself and the sons of the Union in harms way?[iii]  Does it affirm or disregard the legacy of sacrifice from the aforementioned great leaders?  Does it affirm or disregard millions of Africans who sacrificed their lives in the name of cheap labor for Arabs, Europeans and the Pre-Civil War Colonial America?  Does it affirm of disregard an estimated 360,000 Union Soldiers that gave their lives so that the Africans in the United States would have freedom from the morally bankrupt institution of slavery; a freedom to not be called “nigger”?  

In 1776, the founding Father’s of this great nation stood boldly and prophetically declared that “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  In 1865, the United States honored this prophecy by granting life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness to 4 million slaves.  Eighty-nine years after the Declaration of Independence the United States courageously, wisely and fully embraced its foundation by ending the era of hypocrisy and slavery.  In light of this truth, if you chose to use the word “nigger,” then use it purposely with a complete understanding, not of just its popular subtext but of its historical context and significance.

The choice reflects behavior which is indicative of engaging in self love or self abuse. When we act; we must ask ourselves am I loving myself or abusing myself. When we abuse ourselves we invite others to abuse us as well. When we love ourselves we invite others to love us as well. We empower them to love themselves.  Moreover, if fortune smiles on you and you are in a position to influence the mind of someone younger than you, demonstrate regard for your brother by taking this awesome responsibility to heart and remember “Too whom much is given much is required;” the proverb of social responsibility.  

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_04/017869.php. Retrieved 2009-11-16

http://www.gongol.com/research/economics/slavebuyout/. Retrieved 2009-11-16

[iii] Railroad mileage is from: Chauncey Depew (ed.), One Hundred Years of American Commerce 1795–1895, p. 111; For other data see: 1860 US census and Carter, Susan B., ed. The Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition (5 vols), 2006.