Many words in everyday language should never be used again. I believe the “N” word is a major one.Nowadays, the “N” word is used freely. Although it may not be used in the same context now, it’s still a word with big history behind it.
Ignorance tends to come with the use of the word nowadays.
Some Blacks use the “N” word daily, but when a White person uses it, they get offended. We all know the history behind the word.
I understand why Blacks take offense to Whites using the word.
Personally, I take offense when anybody of any race or age uses the word. It is degrading no matter who uses it.
People say it’s not used the same way nowadays, but what if a
White person uses it the same way we use it now? If they meant no harm, why get offended?
Whether you end the word with “a” or an “er,” it’s still not acceptable to say.
If a White person ends it with an “a,” they’re using the modern form, not the disrespectful one, right?
Wrong, no matter what you end it with, it is still disrespectful.
We do not own the “N” word. No one patented it and has any power to say who can and can’t use it.
It’s said that when a White person uses the word, it demonstrates disrespect. So what is it when a Black person uses it?
Out of all of the words, why should OUR race use this one word that affects us the most?
I would think that Blacks would be the last race to use it because it has a personal effect.
Other races know what our ancestors went through, but they will never understand the personal pain some may feel.
Some Blacks feel since they are Black, it’s OK to use between themselves the word that was used to disrespect our ancestors.
One may say, “Who gave someone the right to judge who can or can’t say something?”
But just because you were born with colored skin, is it right for you to be able to disrespect your own race?
Some may be reading this and not agreeing. You don’t have to agree.
Just think of our ancestors who were whipped, beaten and sold into slavery while slave masters called them the same disrespectful word we use daily.
Attending an HBCU in the South, the main place of slavery, one would think that we would take heed to the word.
Whether you use it with an “a” or an “er,” it’s still the same word. Ending it with an “-a” doesn’t justify the use of word. If you put a dress on a cat, is it still not a cat?
The “N” word should have been abolished with slavery.
It is true that you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you are coming from.
The “N” word was a word used by slave masters to show their control over our ancestors. We will always be stuck in the past if we don’t stop using this word.
Qiyas Smith is a sophomore mass communication major from New Orleans.