Quote:
Originally posted by lovelyivy84
Do you really want to debate this?
Blacks using the word nigger is like women calling themselves bitches- an incidence of cultural reclamation of a word- basically using it before it can be thrown at us in an attempt to degrade or demean. That doesn't make it a good word, it just means that it has a different context and meaning when MANY black people say it, a feeling of brotherhood in struggle.
I can not think of one singleincidence of a white person using the word nigger that can be seen in this light. In my opinion, there is no sense in which a white person can use the word nigger and have a feeling of brotherhood with blacks, or culturalreclamation of this term. Why? Because of the historical fact of why and how nigger was said by whites.
I personally am past the whole debate. You can call me a nigger all day and I'm going to do what I have to do. When all's said and done a word has no power to demean me, but it certainly has the ability to make you look like an asshole when you say it.
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Personally, I would never use the word no matter who's company i'm in because I considered it as offensive and demeaning as the nortorious 7 dirty words. I don't want to debate ownership, but just recognize it exists and because it does, this reinforces discrimination and racism on another level.
Historical facts and stuggle is important, trust me I've been dealing with cultural problems like that for a long time, but it's still no excuse to discriminate a word by person. I'm not trying to bring anyone down, but I can understand the culture reclamation of the word, but it just doesn't make sense that it should matter. Older generations seem to have a struggle or reclamation "right" to the word, I don't see why the young generations today need to use it, it's just an offensive word in my book.
RUgreek