Nigger

spade is a derogatory end point utilise to refer to individuals whose skin color is dark. Most of these people are of African descent. For centuries, the term nigger holds a negative implication, and in contemporary period is taken as a racial insult in most circumstances. Modern gather in uses takes in a synonym for a person and an attempt to retrieve the word for colored people, which continues to be a contentious subject.Former variations like neger or negar originated from the Spanish term negro which literally destines black, and in all probability alike the French word ngre, which has also been apply negatively, and it was also used in a positive manner such as in Negritude. Negritude originated from the term Negro. In French, they commonly use the term noir for black. Negro and noir alike (and consequently the terms ngre and nigger) eventually came from nigrum, the accusative form of the Latin term niger which means black.In Colonial America, the term negars was util ized in the year of 1619 by John Rolfe, illustrating the slaves which are existence transported to the colony of Virginia, neger or neggar also exists in Northern New York as well as on Philadelphia. For an instance there is an African cemetery in New York which was initially known as Begraafplaats van de Neger which could be translated as Cemetery of the negro (Pearson, 2003).In US, the term nigger was not al behaviors believed to be bump offensive rather the term is used by some people simply as a connotative of a black or dark complexion. In 19th century literature, the term nigger had been used in many instances without intending to use it in a negative manner. Charles Dickens and Joseph Conrad for one, authors of Nigger of the Narcissus made use of the term nigger without having any bigoted intention. Mark Twain, an some different example, often uses the term in most of his works with Southern characters, unobjectionable and black alike. However, he did not use the term whe n discoursing in his own voice in his autobiographical work, bearing on the Mississippi.In UK, the term nigger was usually used to refer to individuals of individuals with Pakistani or Indian ancestors. They also uses it to denote the dark climb foreigners generally. In 1926 Modern English Usage H. W. Fowler scrutinized that when the term was used to other people who is not a full blooded negro, they take the term as ome engaging of an affront to their person.In 1800s, as the term nigger started to gain the derogatory implication it now have today, the term colored attained science as a better alternative to the term nigger and other related terms. Southern vernacular in most areas in US modifies the phonation of the term negro to nigra which is used in particular by Lyndon B. Johnson, a well-known advocate of civil rights. In North American English, the exploitation from negro to nigger symbolized a previously prevalent sound turn, in fact in the first editions of Noahs Webs ters dictionary he proposed the newfangled spellings of neger for Negro.Black happened to be the favored term in English in the late 1960s, and this prevails up to now. In US this has been replaced to some degree by African American, in any case in politically acceptable practice this bears a resemblance to the term Afro-American that was in trend in the archean years of 1970. Nonetheless, black remains to be in prevalent use as a racial description in US and is seldom considered as insulting.Nowadays, the term is often spelled as nigga or niggah, in simulation of the way in which some articulate it, there are also other variations of the term, intended to duck the term it egotism, this includes nookah, nukka, nagger and probably the most popular of them all jigger.However, Nigger, according to Professor Randall Kennedy is debatably the most significant racial affront in United States tale, although, all together, it is a term that is reminiscent of the paradoxes and problems, ca tastrophes and splendors of the American experience. In fact, his work Nigger The Strange Career of a difficult Word is at the middle of debates because of its controversial issues. It tackles questions among an assorted audiences of students and scholars of all cultural and national milieus in its search to discover how and why the term should or should not be used in todays time (Kennedy, 2002).A large number of black Americans claim that the term nigger invokes within them trustworthy hatred, resentment, aggression, repression, as well as a real solemn and ill-fated part of the US history. The word represents the perpetual sequences of individuals afflicted with abhorrence and bondage save because of the color of their skin. Amongst black people, nigger is the most derogatory term in the English lingo. Even when contrasted to other racial insults such as kike, cracker, albumen trash and the like, nigger is illustrated as the most horrible affront in the English lingo. The t erm nigger implies that black people are second kinfolk citizens, ignorant, and not as human as the whites are.Although many blacks and whites concur that the term should not be repressed from the English language, it definitely should not be used again by every people due to its historical greatness. For an instance, black militants suppose whites ought not to use the term nigger. Conversely, the term nigger has been domestic by black youths predominantly in the pat culture. These contemporary adolescents maintain that it is merely a word and that people give words meaning and not the other way around. If such is indeed the case, the term nigger could be changed once in a era. In other words, youth in the hip-hop culture are maintaining that situation is the determinant of the meaning of the term nigger.Kennedy states the same line of fenceing regarding the use of the term nigger. He maintains that everyone, irrespective of the color of ones skin, may use the word nigger, pro vided that the framework or the way it was used is apparent and proper (Kennedy, 2002).On the other hand, the historical importance of the term nigger is greatly rooted in American History. For an instance, Kennedys book illustrates historical examples of nigger in its derogatory milieu. Examples of these were when Michael Jordan was suspended from his school because a white girl called him a nigger and Tiger Woods was tied up in kindergarten by his older schoolmates who called him nigger (Kennedy 2002) and it is specifically due to this history that a large number of African Americans are supports the vetoing of the term from the English language.Even though the historical importance of the term nigger frequently sets off deep-seated antagonism in the African Americans, it has also gradually developed into an expression of endearment in todays African American society. Accordingly, a o.k. line exists amongst the past and the present descriptions of the term that heralds the prosp ect of misunderstanding and the likelihood of further injury.Should the term nigger then be used as a way to express of endearment? Kennedy asserts that the term nigger should be used by everyone on the condition that no one be injured. According to Kennedy nobody is wrong with the use of the term nigger no matter what color your skin is. According to him, what should be of importance is the milieu in which the term is being used. Kennedy maintains that the context could influence how nigger is used, and to regard the word otherwise would change the term nigger into some kind of an obsession. On the other hand, Kennedys quarrel that everyone could use the term nigger is easily challenged because although the term is some kind of an obsession, it is still an obsession with no reason whatsoever.The term nigger causes a obsession for people because of its historical connotation. In other words, if the history of the term stigmatizes it, then how could the ordinary use of the term, even by those individuals who ring around its historical significance, produce a new meaning? Kennedys insinuation of individuals using the word only with good intents illustrates his setting aside of the background of its past. Kennedy also asserts that background determines the meaning of the term nigger, nigger, according to him could signify numerous things, all depending upon, amid other things, intonation, the site of interaction, as well as the connection between the speaker and the one to which the term is being addressed.Kennedy, among other thinkers, maintain that African Americans use the term themselves, the fact that the term nigger has been and remains to be used by the African Americans themselves makes up a logical fallacy on the part of the African Americans because for them to believe that they could use the term undamagingly without question whatsoever eyepatch others could not use it is nothing short of illogical (Kennedy, 2002). In fact, Vernon Davis on his w ork, The maven and sensibilities of Using the N Word stated that only when African Americans commix and insist that their society stops the use of the term in any milieu could they have the moral power to contend that the term not be used in any place or by anyone at all (Davis, 1999).This standpoint on the contention implies that the blacks, and not the whites, stopped thinking intimately their own history. There could be contentions claiming that rappers such as Jay-Z and comedian Alex Thomas, that the blacks took possession of the term and thus they are did not really stopped from thinking about their own culture, rather they are merely rewriting some part of it. In juxtaposition with the hip-hop culture, Kennedy asserts that the blacks are regaining the term and redefining it in so as to disrobe the term nigger of its initial meaning (Kennedy, 2002).For example, a performance on Black Entertainment Television, a cable system meant for black Americans, illustrated the term nig ger as a term of endearment, Davis also stated that in the African American society, the term nigga (not the term nigger) elicits a sensation of pride. The term, here, calls to mind a sense of community and oneness among Black Americans (Davis, 1999).A large number of teenagers I have talked with believe that the term does not mean anything or could not hurt a person when it is being used by a friend. However, when it is used by white people the word utterly changes its definition or meaning. Alex Thomas could be noted saying that he does not want the whites calling him a nigger. This philosophy is in a way self-defeating. If only black people are making use of the term nigger and they are doing so in so as to achieve a conversion of power, the endeavor is useless because the hurt which accompanies the term has not yet been stopped.The whites, for an instance, still could not utter the term nigger without inducing some kind of an antagonistic response. If blacks have effectively t ransformed or domesticated or repossessed the term, than everyone then anyone would be open to use the term without concerning ones self with matters of race, class, or perspective. And while this may actually be the final objective of redefining the term nigger, it is evidently not the case at todays time.It is mainly due to this that Kennedy proposes that everyone should be allowed to use the term, in so as to avoid people from being held back from the use of particular terms, which would be a kind of suppression (Kennedy, 2002). However, historical importance looks like it weigh heavily on the mind of a large number of black people. For example, Shani Saxon (music editor program of VIBE magazine) could be noted saying that white people makes use of the term in an insulting manner and she also stated that this is primarily the reason why they should not be permitted to use the said term, since it is insulting and it brings about unpleasant memories (Saxon, 2002).However, it is for certain that words do evolve, however history could neer change the way words could. In todays time, I found through my research and close examination that nigger is not an acknowledged word. Jay-Z among other artists makes use of the term in their music in order amuse their audiences, however, their use of the term does not necessarily mean that the term no protracted holds any kind of power to hurt.Take into consideration Jay-Zs song Jigga my Nigga or Eves What yall Niggas want?, the said songs may appear harmless since they make use of the term in a milieu of amity and friendship, however, it could be maintained that while milieu could alter the meaning of the term, contexts or milieu itself could never modify history. Kennedy states that the term on speech or literature, while Kennedy may have a point on his assertion, one could not just pay no heed to history.The term nigger is very much stigmatized that redefining it entails that slavery and oppression never occurred, in sp ite of the fact and many other things which point that it did. Try to examine an account given by Jim Crow Museum of antiblack Memorabilia, The word Nigger carries with it much of the hatred and repulsion directed toward Africans and African Americans. Historically, nigger defined, limited, and mocked African Americans. It was a term of exclusion, verbal justification for discrimination. Whether used as a noun, verb, or adjective, it reinforced the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless parasite (Pilgrim, 2002).Truth is the present use of the term nigger could never be wiped away, changed, eliminated, or effectively redefines its authentic and appalling description. In truth, if the persistent use of the term nigger could eliminate it of its cowcatcher meaning then by now it would be alright for a white person to call black people a nigger. However, a white person could never do that because of the deep-rooted history associated with the term.It is then very important th at people come to an understanding that using the term in numerous instances does not alter or take the sting out of its original meaning, because, as already mentioned earlier, although words may change, its history could never be altered. In addition, this new use of the term does give nigger another connotation probably the notion that language is the same could disprove the argument that history overrides the modern usage of the term. Even though there are several farsighted standpoints which surround the controversy of the usage of the term, there actually is no right or wrong answer for using the term nigger.Works CitedDavis, Vernon. The Sense and Sensibilities of Using the N Word. Journal of NationalAssociation of Black Journalist. Fall 1999 (1999).Kennedy, Randall. Nigger The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. New YorkPantheon Books, 2002.Pearson, Kim. Nigger. (2003).Pilgrim, David. Jim crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Fall 2002 (2002).Saxon, Shani. VIBE Magazine 2002.