For the last two years I've undertaken a new measure to asses my level of anger. Whenever the crafted nature of our present world vexes me I reflect back to the fall of 2004. During those times my anger for Bush supporters was so great, that I had to daily restrict the strong urges to pummel their face when they appeared in my presence, nor in a fit of road rage, run those who adorned their vehicles with "Bush Cheney" stickers off the road at a angle that would somehow cause the ignition of their gas tank, or just plain strangle those who saw "no point" in voting. While I endured such times without incurring the wrath of a stroke, heart attack or felony, the distinct immense sense of agitation conjured by the thought process (or the lack thereof) utilized by millions nearly severed the wrong color wire. Being that it seems to be the new affliction inundating the black community (Beyonce, Denzel, Taye Diggs) I wasn't to incur a strong sense of "Déjà Vu" recently when a asinine correlation created and impetus that stained a legitimate debate.
The whole Kramer episode is a stale overblown remnant of recent past which I'm not going to delve into again., however the sentiment of "Black People Shouldn't call themselves Niggas anymore" becoming the major derivative of the incident is the ire raising topic of the moment. Not that such an occurrence surprised me, more so than spawned urges to find out if there is any validity to the theory of "beating sense" into people.
The rational behind a statement is always superior to the words spoken so when. So when Black People and especially White people call for the wholesale banishment of a certain word I become extremely skeptical.
To truly assess a current situation you must have a concise understanding of how such a point was reached. If you don't like a particular action, figure out why its practiced than, see if the causes can be modified to possibly create a new or differing result. Well why do Black people call themselves Niggas? Its funny that said query is rarely if ever posed in such conversations, but let us try find and answer regardless. The ability to define ones self is critical aspect of existence that requires constant struggle to acquire and maintain. Sadly Black people have never seized ownership of their definition. From the day we arrived in the 17th century we've had many labels bestowed upon us not of are own doing. With Nigger being the famous first, Octoroons Quadroons, Coloreds, Negros, Afro American , Black, and the nefarious African American (more on this later) in succession, have been markers placed upon Black folk, no more of our own creation than our surnames. The first is often the most powerful, and the word nigger is definitely a example of that. Language is extremely potent within itself; the context it is spoken in however, immensely intensifies its meaning and effects. Regardless of the vast diversity of views our populace holds, there is almost uniform agreement in the intrinsic message inferiority and disgust being conveyed when nigger is uttered. During the 246 years slavery was practiced (I can see ya eyes rolling) in America, the spewing of the word nigger was as routine as breathing among the masses. White people ranging from aristocrats, and politicians, to yeomen and solders found nigger to be the rightful if not natural name for Blacks who adorned this land during that time. That description of facts is to plain, so view things like this. Imagine for a second for you ENTIRE life you where referred to as and by NIGGER. Then conjure the fact that during said lifetime everyone who resembled you in any family or racial ilk was also known as a nigger. Nothing more, but possibly less if a negative pre fix was attached to nigger. Then existing in such a reality caused those who where you family or of the same race to refer to YOU as a nigger while you simultaneously did the same to them. The knowledge that if you hear something often enough, you will start to believe it as true, is rarely refuted. When a person takes that one life time of experience of being known as a nigger, and multiplies it by generation upon generation, its not hard to see how vast swaths of a particular group would plainly just see them selves a niggers.
Digging in the bag of clichés, one can easily say "Times have changed" since the years of slavery and Jim Crow. Due to extremely recent developments in our land, White people don't freely utter nigger as a greeting towards black people, and Black people aren't automatically subjected to the penalty of death for taking umbrage or expressing any displeasure to such a label. Despite the changes in interaction, the word nigger, even with all of the murder, rape, torture and exploitation behind it, hasn't disappeared from the black vernacular, instead it mutated and modified itself into nigga. Why? One reason is the illegitimacy of being defined by one who those outside of your group. Many Native Americans never liked the terminology of "Indians" and presently the all encompassing label of Hispanic vexes some in the extremely pluralistic Latin community. The same can be said for Black people. From Colored to the insidious African- American (I could write a whole blog about that, but suffice to say I'll respect that term when White people are known as "European Americans"), we never really held a true allegiance to such concoctions of definition. The second rationale was best construed by Malcolm X when he surmised, "You a nigger to you die. If you a poor nigger, you're a poor nigger, if you a rich nigger, you're a rich nigger, but you never stop being a nigger, and if you get to be educated you just a educated nigger. The inadequateness of given names is only exacerbated by the treatment and outside view of Black people. You can say anything, but your actions ultimately speak for you. You can put the hyphenated title upon Black people and deem them Americans by default, but every Katrina, police justifiable homicide, and blatant racist media distortion, vividly illustrates that a large portion of "mainstream" America plainly views Black people as niggers, whether they say it or not.
The third reason is really just a combination of factors. No group on earth can lay claim to completely unanimous solidarity, but Black for sake of discussion, just happen to be, lets say a little more fractured than most. Given that fact, along with the seeming reality, that decisions essential to Black folk must be reviewed and approved by Whites, a less disturbing term than nigga has yet to come to fruition. When the process of building is undertaken, wise persons assess circumstances and rely on familiarity. Its not hard to envision a involuntary schematic which encompass a fairly recent social position and mind state that dictates that certain types of treatment our no longer tolerable, along side an awareness how you are recognized in your land. Basically speaking, I'm not your nigger anymore under any circumstances, but for most of our peoples (Black Americans) existence we've known ourselves as niggers. You combine the two and you create the term Nigga, which if one really is objective about the situation, could see as the modern replacement for the greeting of "brother" or "sister".
I'm not going to cover the amazing dexterity of the work nigga or the tragic irony of it, but I will look at some the true rational for banning it. First let's look at white people.
Nobody likes being on the losing end of a double standard. The displeasure accrued is only magnified when those receiving unequal treatment are used to occupying a position of power. This is where a major portion of "Black People shouldn't call themselves nigga anymore" argument from Whites stems from. Their logic is for the most part like so: "If you don't want me to say it to you, don't say it to yourselves", which roughly translated equates to "I dare you have the audacity to say you can say (do) something and tell me I can't" . So to avoid all problems why don't you just stop saying the word altogether. A key aspect is not mentioned in that synopsis. Language is power. Part of the word nigger is, alongside reigning in how one views himself, is the declaration that I'm not your nigga, with that your being directed at White people. The word from its inception was no more fair than the laws and social treatment Blacks have be subjugated to in America since we've gotten here. "Niggas" unfairness to Whites is a direct result outrageously cruel degree of slant in society which has historically been unfavorable to Blacks. Given the history of this land and current truisms, just asking for the sole possession of a word instead of lets see, hhhmmm blood?, seems like a more than fair trade off to me. The "You say it so I should be able to argument" is nothing more than the speech of idiots. If anyone truly would step outside of themselves, and look at the worlds present state, or honestly looked at the history of this country beyond the generic civil rights movement and "It was bad then, but things are good now" level of thought. They would never, in good spirit, want to say nigga. Which brings us to the sad truth, a lot White people put there need to rectify a ultimately petty grievance over choosing to respect a fellow Black Person. White America is extremely adept at hopping in to a utopian vacuum when convenient. Sorry to relay this to you but unlike manipulative commercials shown directly after 9/11, everybody in this land isn't American. Comic Patrice O'Neil accurately stated bluntly "It's funny every where I go outside the country I'm American, but when I come home I'm a nigger" Unequal treatment spawns unequal treatment. For the sake of argument when police don't have a open license to kill me or when 50% White people stop locking they car doors when I cross the street, amongst a plethora of other things,(such as a true mutual acknowledgement and treatment as each other as equals)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> maybe we can open up the negations of sharing "nigga" openly like say "dude"
Now on to the Black people, how fucken stupid can you be? Let it be said there is a great, not good, but great, reasoning for why Black people should never call themselves nigga ever. The default utter disrespect for ancestors and elders, the distorted self imagery of self etc etc which I talked about last year HERE . That being said WHY DO YOU WAIT FOR ACTIONS OF WHITE PEOPLE TO INITIANTE THE DEBATE ABOUT ARGURBLY ONE OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES?? Is almost as if it was like, white people don't like this so lets rectify it now. How long will we be dependent on the White cosign? One of the most sobering aspects of said events is manipulation so blatant that nobody even sees it. The whole Kramer thing would have been a perfect point to launch the "much needed discussion on race" I so often hear about yet never see occur. You know since he typifies the typical American, go and do a whole bunch of racist shit, and them proclaim he isn't racist, while in the process attain sympathy from other non racist people who coincidently blame Black people for there suffering during Katrina. Sounds like a magnificent starting point lol. But no, instead, oxymoronic black leadership started yelling from the mountain top for niggas to stop saying nigga, with out even realizing they where opening up Black people to becoming the scapegoats, once again being seen as the wholesale creator of their problems, while concurrently letting White America off the hook of having a discussion they say they want, but really don't want. The day the Black agenda is not set by non Black people, Black people will be far better off. Those same Black leaders are also just as guilty as masses of White people are for not taking the time to address if they know or at least understand why if they don't, millions of Black people utter nigga every other minute. No wander there is a Civil Rights Generation vs Hip Hop Generation divide. Talking down to a group is no way to spur unity. You wanna impress me Black Leaders, find a way to cops stop killing us and fight hard for real education for your youth not the drivel supplied to indoctrinate us now.
Alight now on to the title on a personal level. Why do I call my self a nigga? I call my self a nigga because that's what the majority of my black friends, family members, associates etc view me as. Being seen as a nigga to them is not an inherent labeling of all things wrong, but an affirmation of being apart a extremely unique race of people who endure an equally unique struggle. Painful as it is to some eyes and ears there is a distinct difference between nigger and nigga which is why you almost never here black people say nigger. There is also a difference between White people saying nigga and Black people saying nigga. While meaning is immediately understood in a way only kinship can immediately decipher when nigga is spoken between black people, when uttered by whites a range of stressful assessments and reminders instantly come to the forefront of the Black conscious. Sadly since the relationship between Whites and Blacks hasn't been and isn't currently anywhere near good terms, the kinship needed for free language is blatant in its absence. I also call my self a nigga, cause I acknowledge within this country for the most part I'm just seen as a nigger. Hiding from facts is a unhealthy endeavor and membership his its detriments along with its privileges. Lastly for the white people who state "Why can other races say nigga and we can't their not black either??!!" Well I can give two answers one the general variety and the other personal. Once again I would implore you to leave your "everything is good now bubble". Shared experience creates understanding, understanding creates comradely, comradely creates loosening of relations. Spanish people know the pain from being seen as a job stealing immigrant, Arabs know the pain from being viewed as terrorist, Blacks know the pain of well just being Black, pain is a incredible unifier, especially when it is seen to be derived from the same source.
Personally I don't subscribe to that last theory. I just go on if you have some African ancestry in your history than I don't mind you calling me nigga, because we are related in some form, plus in your own unique way, you understand my struggle. So I don't mind Puerto Ricans, Venezuelan, Dominicans etc calling me nigga, but I damn sure take offence to Mexicans, Asians and of course White people approaching me in such a manner. Remember this works for me tho, .not all Black People.
Anyway, for those who read down to this point I give to you topical music on the subject lol
I hope it takes an edge off of Americas fucked up race relations for you.
Mos Def "Mr Nigga"
N.W.A "Nigga 4 Life"
A Tribe Called Quest "Sucka Nigga"
Peace.
Msn daconection@hotmail.com
aol illaim365
