What do you mean I can't say '******' because I'm white? Well, apparently saying it instantly makes me a racist bigot. Of course, it doesn't just stop there, city councils of New York and other towns have passed resolutions asking citizens to voluntarily stop using 'the N-word,' people have even gone so far as to write books on the evils of the word.
So what makes this word so inherently offensive? Why is it that the word, in it of itself, is entirely racist, derogatory, and insulting? Well, let us look at Oxford English Dictionary's results for the query '******:'
******, [i]n.[/i] and [i]a.[/i]
A. n. I. Senses referring to people.
1. A dark-skinned person of sub-Saharan African origin or descent; = NEGRO n. 1 a.
a. Used by whites or other non-blacks as a relatively neutral (or occas. positive) term, with no specifically hostile intent.
b. Used by whites or other non-blacks as a hostile term of abuse or contempt.
c. Used by blacks as a neutral or favourable term.
d. Used by blacks as a depreciatory term.
1. A dark-skinned person of sub-Saharan African origin or descent; = NEGRO n. 1 a.
a. Used by whites or other non-blacks as a relatively neutral (or occas. positive) term, with no specifically hostile intent.
b. Used by whites or other non-blacks as a hostile term of abuse or contempt.
c. Used by blacks as a neutral or favourable term.
d. Used by blacks as a depreciatory term.
But that isn't all. ****** also can have the following meanings and connotations:
******, [i]n.[/i] and [i]a.[/i]
2. a. A person who does menial labour; any person considered to be of low social status. derogatory. Cf. (and earliest in) white ****** s.v. WHITE a. 11e.
b. Any person whose behaviour is regarded as reprehensible. derogatory.
3. a. A dark-skinned person of any origin. In early U.S. use usually with reference to American Indians. Usu. offensive.
b. Austral. (offensive). An Aborigine.
c. N.Z. (offensive). A Maori.
4. Now chiefly in African-American usage: a person, a fellow (regardless of skin colour).*
5. In African-American usage: (with possessive adjective) a close (usually black) friend, a comrade, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse.
...
9. U.S. a. A steam-driven capstan used on some riverboats; a steam engine used to drive such a capstan (also more fully ****** engine). Now rare.
*-Recent use has developed from a conscious, politically motivated reclamation of the term among black Americans, and as such does not usually carry negative connotations, although it may be considered offensive when used by whites in imitation of this usage
b. Any person whose behaviour is regarded as reprehensible. derogatory.
3. a. A dark-skinned person of any origin. In early U.S. use usually with reference to American Indians. Usu. offensive.
b. Austral. (offensive). An Aborigine.
c. N.Z. (offensive). A Maori.
4. Now chiefly in African-American usage: a person, a fellow (regardless of skin colour).*
5. In African-American usage: (with possessive adjective) a close (usually black) friend, a comrade, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse.
...
9. U.S. a. A steam-driven capstan used on some riverboats; a steam engine used to drive such a capstan (also more fully ****** engine). Now rare.
*-Recent use has developed from a conscious, politically motivated reclamation of the term among black Americans, and as such does not usually carry negative connotations, although it may be considered offensive when used by whites in imitation of this usage
Quote:
Forms: 15- (now non-standard and regional) niger, 16 nigor, 17 nigre, 19- (Caribbean) nigar. 16 niggor, 16- ******, 18 niggur, 18- *****, niggah, niggar, 19- nigguh, (plural) niggaz.
Hmm... that's odd... 'Used by whites or other non-blacks as a neutral (or occas. positive) term, with no specifically hostile intent?' 'A person who does menial labour?' Well, maybe if we delve into its etymology, we'll find out why it's so inherently racist.
Quote:
[Prob. an alteration of NEGER n., after classical Latin niger; cf. earlier NIGRO n., NIGRITE n. Cf. post-classical Latin niger black person (1582 in a Spanish colonial source). Cf. also Swedish niger (1758 ), prob. a borrowing from English (although this may perh. represent a borrowing of NEGER n.).
So... wait... You're saying that it comes from the Latin niger, meaning 'black?' But what about this?:
www.enquirer.com
“Anybody who really knows his or her history knows there is no way you can put ice cream and chocolate syrup on the word '*****' and make it sound good,” says the Rev. Elmon Prier, 54, of Middletown. “Some of our younger kids are dying a slow death by using the N-word, and they don't even know it.”
So does that mean that if I'm talking about a ****** engine, I'm continuing to poison our society and desecrate my mind and soul? What if I address my black friend as '******' when all of his other friends do so as well?
In the end, you have to conclude that the word ****** really isn't inherently racist after all. Admittedly, some uses of the word are, without a doubt. However, the word itself carries just as many connotations, both negative and positive, as most other words in the English language.
So, after reading this, what's your take on it? Why does society insist that ****** is an abomination to the language? Is this state of pseudo-political correctness a form of racism in itself?
