Nigga - Nigger : Is there a difference? Discuss?

[underbear1]

Probably over 95% of my contacts and associates are gay/lesbian, so I live fairly seperate from heterosexuals, so for me it doesn't come up that often what straight people say to me , cuz outside of a few siblings and their immediate families, I'm not around those who would have an issue about what to call me.

[Osborn F Enready]

So you are saying if something doesn't directly affect YOU, who gives a damn?

Help me understand your point, please.

[thatoneguy00]

Come on now, for anyone who hasn't seen it, I want you to go out and rent pool hall junkie's absolutely hilarious, belive me you won't be disappointed. now in that movie its explained by a black man who is talking to a white guy he say " you my nigga" so the white guy says " I am your nigger" and it is then explained that the meaning of the two is that we niggas means we boys! we down! which basically you are part of my posse( inner circle of friends) My posse my niggas, supposedly nigger is totally different , see when a white person calls a black person a nigger, then all of a sudden its takin abck to the days of slavery and cotton pickin. now I know that I may not be the brightest person here and again please don't take offense to anything I have said because there is none intended. I am just a cracker ass white bred honkey I know already and once more it doesn't hurt my feelings because I can laugh it off. But in my opinion you got two choices you can prove to me that you can be fun and my friend-my nigga or you can be cruel and want to hurt me and rob people- nigger , of course that just my cracker ass white bred honkey view on things

[thatoneguy00]

but then again when I say nigger- no that I mean a niggers a nigger no matter what color

[deedee]

UGH!

I hate the N word! I hate it!

I hate anything that has to do with anything derogatory! I don't care if some people think it is a type or term of 'endearment'.....it's ugly....it sounds ugly.

UGH!

[tman_ndsu08]

Nigger is a racial epithet.

Nigga is a general slang word used by blacks and some whites to describe another black person.

They're not even close to the same. It takes more effort to pronounce the "-er", so you can tell when someone is trying to be a racist vs. just trying to use slang.

[deedee]

Quote by: tman_ndsu08 Nigger is a racial epithet. Nigga is a general slang word used by blacks and some whites to describe another black person. They're not even close to the same. It takes more effort to pronounce the "-er", so you can tell when someone is trying to be a racist vs. just trying to use slang.

UGH!

There is waaaaaaaaaay too much negative history for me to even think that any spin off of the N word can be remotely considered good.




I hate it.

I will never forget going to an attorney party......and I was talking to this one african-american attorney who said he didn't like the word "n*gga".

So........there you have it. He's an educated man that knows how some consider it a 'term' of endearment.....but he despises the word.

Any word that has any hint of anything discriminatory........is a BAD IDEA in my opinion.

Sorry if I'm getting emotional......but I got d*amn hate discriminatory descriptions! UGH!

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Scribbler1 The simple answer is they don't mean it the same way. The longer answer is that although you are withing your rights to say something, if it is generally known that if a black guy calls a white guy a honky and a white guy calls a black guy a nigger they are NOT exchanging pleasantries. If you are white you WILL be perceived as deliberately provoking anger. Poles don't like to be called polack either but they say it about themselves with ease. Chinese people aren't fond of "chink" either and you won't make any friends using it toward them. So again, why the defense of words which only have one meaning? Suffice it to say if you call a black person a nigger you know they won't like it, so what do you get out of the act?

Freedom to say whatever word I want. I'm sick of people gasping when someone says a word that usually has a negative connotation, but is instead used in a nonderogatory fashion. You need to understand what I'm trying to do at this point. I'm trying to make the word useless, to make nigger a word that no one will want to say because it means nothing, or has lost full use among the people. I don't like how blacks can say nigger whenever they want but all other races are forever prohibited from the word. It's childish nonsense to protect a word from use then hypocrtically use it in lyrics and in everyday conversation.

Quote by: Scribbler1 NOW you have put in context. You didn't do that before. You have separated the use of it towards a friend or anyone else. What if your friend says he doesn't like it? Yes, it's a word, but this particular word has a special connotation and it's not acceptable to some people. It might mean nothing to you but if it means something bad to whoever you aim it at you wouldn't kill yourself to have a little respect. I said I like Lenny Bruce's take on it. He understood the power of that word and his was an attempt to diminish it's power. All you are doing is insisting on your right to say it just because blacks call each other the same thing. They don't take it the same way. You don't really need to know anything else.

It's not acceptable to some people? Is that your defense?

If I felt uncomfortable when someone told me what race someone is, must everyone respect me for my decision to never know anyone's race? And is it then ok for me to get totally upset about the use of race description in any form, be it TV comedy, lyrics, or literature?

Why should I respect someone else? What the hell did they do to earn my respect? That's the problem with Americans, we through respect around like it's nothing. All we need to do is be born to be loved and praised like a sad illusion by everyone.

I want to diminish it's power as well. But you won't do that by avoiding the usage of the word, or else blacks will continue to use it. The only way to diminish the power of the word is actually tell people how dumb it is to be offended by words in the first place.

[thatoneguy00]

I am with soc on this one, he definately has a point. If your going to get upset at a word, then you should probably stay inside because life is much harder. To me the worst words that anyone could ever say to me would be You're fired or I found you guilty. But I know how to avoid those situations. But come I once heard a comedian by the name of carlos mencia,briliant man, he put it like this " it used to be stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, but now everyone is sensitive attention getters that it now rains as stick and stones may break my bones but words will devastate my interchild forever" That is a very bright statement because come on they are just words. I bet you don't mind if someone says your beautiful, your a good friend, you have TENURE, those are just words too. But we only like the good ones. why is everyone so sensitive. isn't hard anough to go to work and pay your bills and take care of your family now you have to go around throwing a fit about words, here is an idea lets sue the dictionary and the alphabet Damn you for ever existing. Its pathetic!

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: underbear1 I'm ok with another gay/lesbian calling me fag or faggot, so I imagine many African Americans feel the same way towards the term nigga/nigger. I also think reclaiming a word used against someone, can be empowering, and takes the stigma out of the word.

I find myself wondering why you don't see it as being "bigger" to reclaim the term in the same sense that we reclaimed the word Yankee?


Personally, I don't think I have ever been offended by a label placed upon me by others. Yankee, whitey, honkey, white bread, hippie, anarchist, clueless, and stupid ( thinking of the ladies) and any of the myraid of other names people have attempted to use towards those ends only end up making me laugh. Either I really am thicker skinned than most, or perhaps I am superior, and see through their litttle ploys to attempt to keep me off balance by name calling, and playing the sympathy card.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready I say: While I agree with every word, is it "necessary" to have LAWS? Should it be a school policy? Individual or city wide? State wide? Nation wide? Should any race that says any form of it be punished? How strict of a punishment? By who?

I don't automatically support outlawing something, especially when speech is concerned. If you outlaw any part of the right to free speech you never get it back, period. My point throughout all this has been there wouldn't be any mention of laws is people were a little more responsible and civilized. Like the cliche "yelling fire in a theater". Do you think they just dreamed that up or were a bunch of idiotic assholes CREATING the need for a law (BTW, is there an actual law on this?) by actually yelling FIRE in theaters? There wouldn't even BE a discussion on this if some redneck fools didn't want to defend their god-given right to insult people. This is precisely why there are all these heavy-handed and improperly used "hate speech" laws on the books already.

And any white people analysing the subtle nuances between nigger and niggA is a bad joke. The first is a grievous insult and the other isn't used by white people anyway.

I say: Whore is another word entirely. It spans all races, all ethnicities, all genders equally. Nigga and Nigger are used toward one racial group, several ethnicities, based on skin color.

And if you say it to a prostitute she will probably laugh. I doubt the same can be said with racial slurs.

My point is, as I think is also Soccer's point, that (blacks, African Americans, Colored Americans, whichever is PC this week) are using the word at all ages, in a "brotherly, or friendly" fashion. They accept it from one another, but they are enraged when a "white" person says it. Is it the same reaction if an Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Indian, Arab, Spanish, Puerto Rican says it?

Easy answer. Have all of the abovementioned groups use the word and see who gets beaten up. Positively elegant in its simplicity, yes?

[Clarence]

Someone mentioned earlier that they have called a freinds mom a whore. That's funny and relevant. I mean, I've called my friends moms things you wouldn't imagine. Me and my cracka's would sit around after school smoking pot, blowing stuff up and running on eachother's moms. When I did this I made sure not to say anything about someone's mom that was actually true. Except one of my friend's mom had eight kids. Never let that one go. He'd be like "where'd Mom go!? I need some dinner!" and I'd be like "she's out having a baby, make your own". Then he'd be like "well, your mom's a truck driver, that slut" (not true). Then I'd shoot him with an air rifle and then he'd smear liquid nails on my face and hair or something. Then we'd get fried and build custom speaker boxes. I got too desensitized on it and said something about a dude's mom at work and he said "my mom's dead". :eek: I felt like an ass.

[Osborn F Enready]

Scribbler said: I don't automatically support outlawing something, especially when speech is concerned. If you outlaw any part of the right to free speech you never get it back, period. My point throughout all this has been there wouldn't be any mention of laws is people were a little more responsible and civilized. Like the cliche "yelling fire in a theater". Do you think they just dreamed that up or were a bunch of idiotic assholes CREATING the need for a law (BTW, is there an actual law on this?) by actually yelling FIRE in theaters? There wouldn't even BE a discussion on this if some redneck fools didn't want to defend their god-given right to insult people. This is precisely why there are all these heavy-handed and improperly used "hate speech" laws on the books already. And any white people analysing the subtle nuances between nigger and niggA is a bad joke. The first is a grievous insult and the other isn't used by white people anyway.

I say:
Scrib, I wasn't criticizing, I was asking those questions to get your honest views on THOSE questions. I fundamentally agree, but I don't where you think the line should be drawn, as far as the individual establishment, the village, the city, the state, the fed?

Scribbler said: And if you say it to a prostitute she will probably laugh. I doubt the same can be said with racial slurs.

I say:
Exactly, and it is because so many carry torches that should long ago have been extinguished, with EXTREME PREJUDICE, meaning, stop bringing up the word as being as insult, and the word will as Milton said, become like the "slang derogatory comment" Yankee.

Miltons post sums up a lot of my feeling on the words Yankee, Cracker, Whitey, Honkey, or my favorite one, which I can't keep a straight face when being called...."White Devil".... ROFLMAO.

Perhaps we should have insults about skin thickness, instead of skin color? LOL

Scribbler said: Easy answer. Have all of the abovementioned groups use the word and see who gets beaten up. Positively elegant in its simplicity, yes?

I say:
And I will be the "token" white dude, who says nigga in the local black bar, lets start testing... Anyone who is any of the above races ready to step up in the local Toledo area willing to help me conduct a cross sectional race experiment on the use of the word "nigga" by other races?

Scribbler said: The first is a grievous insult and the other isn't used by white people anyway.

I say:
LOL, I know several who use it. I use it occassionally, mockingly of those who use it.... LOL

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: SoccerfreakAB2 Freedom to say whatever word I want. I'm sick of people gasping when someone says a word that usually has a negative connotation, but is instead used in a nonderogatory fashion. You need to understand what I'm trying to do at this point. I'm trying to make the word useless, to make nigger a word that no one will want to say because it means nothing, or has lost full use among the people. I don't like how blacks can say nigger whenever they want but all other races are forever prohibited from the word. It's childish nonsense to protect a word from use then hypocrtically use it in lyrics and in everyday conversation.

I hate to keep bring this up, but will SOMEBODY Google "lenny bruce nigger" and read the first entry?? (I have believed in his bit on this all my life but I want you people to see it too.) He is saying that exact same thing.

It's not acceptable to some people? Is that your defense?

Defense of WHAT? I never advocated laws. Read my response to Osborn.

If I felt uncomfortable when someone told me what race someone is, must everyone respect me for my decision to never know anyone's race?

If you never knew anyone's race you would never say anyone was a nigger. Period.

And is it then ok for me to get totally upset about the use of race description in any form, be it TV comedy, lyrics, or literature?

If you can't tell the difference between a deliberate racial slur and a benign description of someone's race you have a problem. You can't redefine a well-known word and expect it to fly with everyone else.

The problem is, IMO most people who sling that shit would go crying to the cops if they got their asses handed to them by their intended target. How about this, if you have the freedom to hurl big-time insults then the recipient is legally allowed to kick your ass all the way to, but not including serious bodily injury? Better?

And since we were specifically talking about ONE word and not anyone's right to be an ill-mannered jerk, the solution is simple. The word is used to insult blacks and has NO other meaning when used by whites. The answer is don't SAY it!

Why should I respect someone else? What the hell did they do to earn my respect? That's the problem with Americans, we through respect around like it's nothing. All we need to do is be born to be loved and praised like a sad illusion by everyone.

It's common human decency. It is simple politeness. It is yours to practice or not to.

I want to diminish it's power as well. But you won't do that by avoiding the usage of the word, or else blacks will continue to use it.

First, it's none of your business what they choose to say to each other. Second, understand that blacks DO use the word to diminish its power. Think about it.

[rez]

I will take the black point of view.


Just let the black people have their own words. I mean, they are dominated in America by white people - what is wrong with allowing them to use words that white people can't?

Saying nigga allows blacks to have a sense of identity and respect in white America.

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Scribbler1 The problem is, IMO most people who sling that shit would go crying to the cops if they got their asses handed to them by their intended target. How about this, if you have the freedom to hurl big-time insults then the recipient is legally allowed to kick your ass all the way to, but not including serious bodily injury? Better?

What's the difference between calling a person a nigger and the same person a f****** retard? Could he kick my ass if I called him a butthead, too?

Quote by: Scribbler1 And since we were specifically talking about ONE word and not anyone's right to be an ill-mannered jerk, the solution is simple. The word is used to insult blacks and has NO other meaning when used by whites. The answer is don't SAY it! It's common human decency. It is simple politeness. It is yours to practice or not to. First, it's none of your business what they choose to say to each other. Second, understand that blacks DO use the word to diminish its power. Think about it.

It is not used to insult blacks!! Or else why would blacks be calling themselves nigger???

Simple politeness according to you? To the majority? Please...overrated.

And it's none of your business what I choose to say to anyone's face, including your own. They are my words and if you think my sound waves hurt people, then I don't know what to say.

Oh yeah, about Lenny Bruce. You were exactly right. Not only is he funny, but he knows what he's talking about:

"Well, I was just trying to make a point, and that is that it's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness. Dig: if President Kennedy would just go on television, and say, "I would like to introduce you to all the niggers in my cabinet," and if he'd just say "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" to every nigger he saw, "boogie boogie boogie boogie boogie," "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" 'til nigger didn't mean anything anymore, then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a nigger at school."

It's the "supression" of the word that gives it power, that is, avoiding it's use. Look closely, he's basically advocating everything I'm trying to say, from the idea of overusing until it means nothing derogatory to the fact that words should have no physical effect on people.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: SoccerfreakAB2 What's the difference between calling a person a nigger and the same person a f****** retard? Could he kick my ass if I called him a butthead, too?

Remember the thread title. We are not talking calling people buttheads. As Osborn said, some words can apply to many people but nigger OR nigga is applied to ONE group and one group only. They don't like it and I can respect that. That's all I really need to know and we will agree to disagree. Stretching the limits of polite behavior to make a point doesn't cut it for me.

It is not used to insult blacks!! Or else why would blacks be calling themselves nigger???

Did you read what I said? If a white person says it TO a black person it IS an insult. As I said, and I ask you to look it up because you certainly won't believe me, it is the blacks way of minimizing the insult. And weren't you one of the people debating the differences between nigger/nigga?

And it's none of your business what I choose to say to anyone's face, including your own. They are my words and if you think my sound waves hurt people, then I don't know what to say.

Oh, yes it IS very much my business if you are in MY face with the insults. I'm sorry you don't see it and I can't believe someone could call you anything they want to your face without you getting mad, and perhaps hitting the guy.
You insult someone and you may pay the price. Show him the Constitution while he beats the snot out of you. It won't feel any better.

Oh yeah, about Lenny Bruce. You were exactly right. Not only is he funny, but he knows what he's talking about: "Well, I was just trying to make a point, and that is that it's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness. Dig: if President Kennedy would just go on television, and say, "I would like to introduce you to all the niggers in my cabinet," and if he'd just say "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" to every nigger he saw, "boogie boogie boogie boogie boogie," "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" 'til nigger didn't mean anything anymore, then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a nigger at school." It's the "supression" of the word that gives it power, that is, avoiding it's use. Look closely, he's basically advocating everything I'm trying to say, from the idea of overusing until it means nothing derogatory to the fact that words should have no physical effect on people.

He was an underrated genius, IMO. But his was wishful thinking because if it worked out the way he stated the word might just become completely irrelevant. But in real life it doesn't work that way. Keep in mind it was Lenny Bruce's WORDS that kept getting him arrested.

[rez]

Quote by: SoccerfreakAB2 What's the difference between calling a person a nigger and the same person a f****** retard? Could he kick my ass if I called him a butthead, too? It is not used to insult blacks!! Or else why would blacks be calling themselves nigger??? Simple politeness according to you? To the majority? Please...overrated. And it's none of your business what I choose to say to anyone's face, including your own. They are my words and if you think my sound waves hurt people, then I don't know what to say. Oh yeah, about Lenny Bruce. You were exactly right. Not only is he funny, but he knows what he's talking about: "Well, I was just trying to make a point, and that is that it's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness. Dig: if President Kennedy would just go on television, and say, "I would like to introduce you to all the niggers in my cabinet," and if he'd just say "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" to every nigger he saw, "boogie boogie boogie boogie boogie," "nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger" 'til nigger didn't mean anything anymore, then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a nigger at school." It's the "supression" of the word that gives it power, that is, avoiding it's use. Look closely, he's basically advocating everything I'm trying to say, from the idea of overusing until it means nothing derogatory to the fact that words should have no physical effect on people.

god damn dude just let the niggers say nigga. Why does the white man always need to butt in?

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: rez god damn dude just let the niggers say nigga. Why does the white man always need to butt in?

God damn dude just let the white guys say nigga. Why does the black man always have to butt in? I bet mine sounded more racist, even though they are equally racist.

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Scribbler1 Remember the thread title. We are not talking calling people buttheads. As Osborn said, some words can apply to many people but nigger OR nigga is applied to ONE group and one group only. They don't like it and I can respect that. That's all I really need to know and we will agree to disagree. Stretching the limits of polite behavior to make a point doesn't cut it for me. Did you read what I said? If a white person says it TO a black person it IS an insult. As I said, and I ask you to look it up because you certainly won't believe me, it is the blacks way of minimizing the insult. And weren't you one of the people debating the differences between nigger/nigga? Oh, yes it IS very much my business if you are in MY face with the insults. I'm sorry you don't see it and I can't believe someone could call you anything they want to your face without you getting mad, and perhaps hitting the guy. You insult someone and you may pay the price. Show him the Constitution while he beats the snot out of you. It won't feel any better. He was an underrated genius, IMO. But his was wishful thinking because if it worked out the way he stated the word might just become completely irrelevant. But in real life it doesn't work that way. Keep in mind it was Lenny Bruce's WORDS that kept getting him arrested.

Let's agree to disagree, but don't go gasping when someone says nigger because you can agree to disagree with them too.

I give perfect reason for someone to get hit when they make fun of someone. I just think it should be ok to say the word, like any word for that matter.

Basically, we both obviously hate racism, but we want to achieve the impotency of nigger by different ways. So I can definitely go with an agree to disagree on this one. There are actually racists out there who are more important to deal with than this.