Originally Posted by
The African American Registry
Another interesting and confusing experience in American speech is the use of nigger by African Americans. Poetry by Blacks is instructive, one can often find the word nigger used in Black writings. Major and minor poets alike have used it with startling results: Imamu Amiri Baraka, contemporary poet, uses nigger in one of his angriest poems, "I Don't Love You." and what was the world to the words of slick nigger fathers too depressed to explain why they could not appear to be men. One wonders how are readers supposed to understand "nigger fathers"? Baraka's use of this imagery, regardless of his purpose, reinforces the stereotype of the worthless, pleasure-seeking Coon caricature. Ted Joans's use of nigger in "The Nice Colored Man" is an example of explainable expression. Joan's said he was asked to give a reading in London because he was a "nice colored man." Infuriated by the labels "nice" and "colored", Joan's wrote a quintessential rebellious poem. While the poem should be read in its entirety, a few lines will do: Smart Black Nigger Smart Black Nigger Smart Black Nigger Smart Black Nigger Knife Carrying Nigger Gun Toting Nigger Military Nigger Clock Watching Nigger Poisoning Nigger Disgusting Nigger Black Ass Nigger. This piece uses adjective upon adjective attached to the word nigger.
The reality is that many of these uses can be heard in present-day African-American society. Herein lies part of the difficulty: the word nigger endures because it is used over and over again, even by the people it insults. Writer Devorah Major, said, "It's hard for me to say what someone can or can't say, because I work with language all the time, and I don't want to be limited." Poet and professor Opal Palmer Adisa claims that the use of nigger or nigga is "the same as young people's obsession with swearing. A lot of their use of such language is an internalization of negativity about themselves." Rappers, themselves poets, rap about niggers before mostly white audiences, some of whom see themselves as wiggers (white niggers) and refer to one another as "my niggah." Snoop Doggy Dogg’s single, "You Thought," raps, "Wanna grab a skinny nigga like Snoop Dogg/Cause you like it tall/and work it baby doll." Tupac Shakur’s "Crooked Ass Nigga." lyrics included, "Now I could be a crooked nigga too/When I'm rollin' with my crew." Also rap lyrics that degrade women and glamorize violence reinforce the historical Brute Caricature. .
Erdman Palmore researched lexicons and said: the number of offensive words used correlates positively with the amount of out-group prejudice; and these express and support negative stereotypes about the most visible racial and cultural differences. When used by Blacks, nigger refers to among other things: all Blacks ("A nigger can't even get a break."); Black men ("Sisters want niggers to work all day long."); Blacks who behave in a stereotypical, and sometimes legendary, manners ("He's a lazy, good-for-nothing nigger."); things ("This piece-of-**** car is such a nigger."); enemy's ("I'm sick and tired of those niggers bothering me!"); and friends ("Me and my niggers are tight."). This final habit, as a kind word, is particularly challenging. "Zup Niggah," has become an almost universal greeting among young urban Blacks. When asked, Blacks who use nigger or its variants argue that: it has to be understood in its situation; repeated use of the word by Blacks will make it less offensive. It’s not really the same word because whites are saying nigger (and niggers) but Blacks are saying niggah (and niggaz). Also it is just a word and Blacks should not be prisoners of the past or the ugly words that originated in the past.
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