While I was growing up, I learned that the “N word” was a derogatory slur used to identify black people. Whether I was home, at school, or in a business setting, I never used the word, but had always wondered why others used it so casually. Recalling my childhood, I remember one my African American friends telling me that “only black people are allowed to use the ‘N word’ because their ancestors suffered under that word.” Another friend has also told me that it was because they do not have as many rights as white people. Whatever the case may be, it is commonly understood that non black people should not use the “N word.”
Although there is no clear origin to the infamous “N word,” we can infer that it is derived from the Latin word, “niger,” meaning, “black.” Many latin-based languages, such as Spanish and French, all have similar words translated to black such as, “negro,” and, “negre,” respectively. Due to the phonetic similarities between the translation to “black”of different languages and the “N word,” it is clear that the word stems from its Latin translation. The word, “negro,” eventually became a noun used to describe a black person in English; moreover, many suspect that the term with the hard r (nigge*) is a result of the white Southerners’ mispronunciation of the English word. If you want to hear more history on the word, click here.
For the following three hundred years, many Caucasian Americans used the derogatory term to denote dark-skinned people, especially during the era of slavery. Being a common word, it carried a negative connotation of being cheap, dumb, and dirty. While the abolition of slavery powered the Civil Rights Movement, the popularity of the word was widely used under the Jim Crow Laws. Because it was seen as an abrasive term, many people began to speak out. For example, esteemed poet Langston Hughes stated in 1940 that the “hard r n word” sums up “the bitter years of insult and struggle in America” for black people. Although many people continue to use this word, it is widely considered inappropriate, and is almost never seen in media or on TV.
However, the usage of the word did not necessarily decline. As most of you know, the”N word” is prominent in many songs by black artists. It became commonly known that only black people can use the word, and any other race heard saying it would be frowned upon. Last summer, a song called “Freaky Friday” was released by Chris Brown and Lil Dicky. In the song, the two artists switch places, and Lil Dicky in Chris Brown’s body sings, “wait… can I really say the N word?” because he was black. Similarly, in Netflix’s hit show, Dear White People, an interaction between a black person and a white person at a party clearly demonstrates this. Reggie, one of the main characters of the show, is an African American college student and is a member of the Black Student Union. After hearing his classmate, Addison, singing along to a song that used the “N word,” Reggie asked him to stop. Addison quickly replied that he was not being racist and it did not have any meaning because he was “just singing along.”
In my own experience, I often witnessed these altercations between black people and non black people. Like in the show, the conversation would repeatedly involve accusations of racism and rationales of ambiguity. However, I noticed that in parties, I hear many people shouting the word in songs, and the black people in the room do not seem to care—people just want to have fun. Although this may slide at SOME parties at Penn State, it may not go the same elsewhere. For example, in a university with a more prevalent black population, people may be more aware of where and how they use the word.
Speaking about this topic is sometimes difficult because if one would dare give his or her input, he or she would often immediately be contradicted from the other argument. In fact, some people believe that the “N word” should not be used at all, regardless of whichever race says it. However, realistically, in my opinion, I do not think that the “N word” will ever die out. For decades, it has been popularized by music and media and has become socially acceptable in certain environments, and that is not to mention how regularly it is used in different communities. Even though some influential artists have attempted to change this status quo such as Travis Scott, who was blasted for letting a white fan sing the “N word” into the mic during his concert two years ago, it is unlikely that this argument will end. While the connotation the word carries has changed, the root will always remain the same, and there will always be people on both sides of the debate.
Sources:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/teachers/huck/section1_2.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/23/kendrick-lamar-white-rap-fans-n-word-off-limits
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44209119