Nigga - Nigger : Is there a difference? Discuss?

[Scribbler1]

I think this thread has pretty much run its course. It has come down to a debate on whether you have a right to be a stereotypical ignorant yahoo. IF you have any class whatsoever this wouldn't be an issue. You would know automatically you HAVE that right to say it but your sense of decency tells you it would be wrong to excercise that right in this particular case. It's as simple as that.

It shouldn't take ONE page to resolve this, much less FOUR!

[godsavethequeen]

To my knowledge (from Dr. Tunde Adeleke of Nigeria), the word "nigger" is a bastardized form of the Dutch word "niger", which simply means "black". It is the connotation behind the word that makes it a racist thing to say.

Similarly, "fuck" isn't a "dirty" word, but an acronym for "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge".

[Clarence]

Quote by: Scribbler1 I think this thread has pretty much run its course. It has come down to a debate on whether you have a right to be a stereotypical ignorant yahoo. IF you have any class whatsoever this wouldn't be an issue. You would know automatically you HAVE that right to say it but your sense of decency tells you it would be wrong to excercise that right in this particular case. It's as simple as that. It shouldn't take ONE page to resolve this, much less FOUR!

Word, my Cracka!!

[Charon]

Quote by: kubedawg It depends on how it's used. The word honkey means I'm a white guy living on a farm milkin cows all day using that southern accent... I don't have these traits, but the word is still present.

Actually, "honkey" refers to the white "Johns" who would blow their car horns to attract black prostitutes in certain areas of the city, circa 1930's.

[swtypie918]

I don't like the word nigger or nigga used in any race, even blacks. The one thing I don't like is that they use that word, promote it in songs, call each other niggas but at the end of the day, when someone else uses that word, it hurts them. If they were to stop using the word... maybe they would get more respect.

[Mia]

Quote by: Scribbler1 I think this thread has pretty much run its course. It has come down to a debate on whether you have a right to be a stereotypical ignorant yahoo. IF you have any class whatsoever this wouldn't be an issue. You would know automatically you HAVE that right to say it but your sense of decency tells you it would be wrong to excercise that right in this particular case. It's as simple as that. It shouldn't take ONE page to resolve this, much less FOUR!

Yeah, even if the teacher was using it in the way the student(s) did, he should know in his role as teacher he simply can't indulge in something like that in the classroom.


I don't think he should lose his job, though. If he was just trying to speak on the same level using the same terminology, it may not have been the right thing to do, but it is diferent than using the term 'nigger' which is automatically considered by most to be derogatory and out-of-bounds.

[Mia]

Quote by: jmrdrgz What happened was a white teacher told a black student "sit down nigga". The student got offended. The white teacher said that the black student used the "nigga" word first. The black student said he never said it. The white teacher said he used it back the same way the black student did. The black student got all upset and wants him to loose his job because he called him a nigga.

Thank you!

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: jmrdrgz What happened was a white teacher told a black student "sit down nigga". The student got offended. The white teacher said that the black student used the "nigga" word first. The black student said he never said it. The white teacher said he used it back the same way the black student did. The black student got all upset and wants him to loose his job because he called him a nigga.

Yeah what a moron that kid is. I hope he gets made fun of for acting so selfish. You know right after the kid when to his friends and said, "my niggas, get a load of this shit, my teacher told me to 'sit down nigga,' can you believe that niggas?"

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Personally I think the word niggah is like saying "son" or "boy", all you are doing is trying to put the other person down so that you are dominating them, even if it's in a small way.

[RULE 1]

Well From An African Americans Point Of View, Nigger And Nigga Is In Fact The Same Thing. We Have Reclaimed The Word For Our African American Culture Using The Word "nigga." Meaning Friend, Homeboy, Dawg Etc. But When Other Cultural Backgrounds Use It, It Then Becomes Offensive And We Go Back To The Original Term "nigger" Where We Become Angry. Yes Everyone Has The Right Of Freedom Of Speech, But The Word Nigga Should Not Be Used By Any Other Culture Besides African Americans. When We Hear Nigga/ Nigger From A Person Of A Different Background We Think: Dirty, No Good, Undeducated, Worthless Etc. Things Of That Nature. Back Then, The Term Was Used To Degrade Blacks But Decades Later We Reclaimed The Term And Made It Into A Postive Though Most Of Our Culture Still May Have A Problem With The Use.

[Osborn F Enready]

Rule 1 said: Yes Everyone Has The Right Of Freedom Of Speech, But The Word Nigga Should Not Be Used By Any Other Culture Besides African Americans.

With all due respect, screw you, no race is special, nor has any special rights.

[Kamehameha34]

Os articulated my sentiments, exactly.

Those who use a word colloquially have no grounds to be offended by it if someone else says it. Anyone who says otherwise based on race is a racist.

There's no middle ground. If you extend rights to one race and not another, you're a racist.

[RULE 1]

Well Consider Me A Racist Because If I Hear A Person Of A Different Ethnic Background Mainly Whites In Particular Say The Word "nigga/nigger" I Will Get Offended And I May Retaliate. You Don't Know How It Feels To Go Through That As An African American Being Called A Nigger. We As African Americans Do Not And Will Not Accept It From Anyone. The Word Nigga/nigger Is In Fact A Fighting Word. Our Ancestors Suffered Decades Ago And Were Called Niggers To Degrade Us As Human Beings. So For You To Say That No One Should Be Offended Is Ignorant Of You. Yeah You May Not Get Offended By The Word Because You Don't Know The History Of It. But Our Black Society Speaks For Itself. The Word Nigga Was Used To Put Us Down And For Whites To Dominate Us, It Made Them Feel Superior. And No Everyone Doens't Have The Right To Say it, It Is Immoral And Unethical, But You Wouldn't Know That Would You? You Think That If Everyone Else Is Saying It That You Can Say It As Well. How About You Go Into A Black Community And Say That Word And Watch What Happens

[Scribbler1]

When the word is no longer used it will be forgotten. When you flaunt it in the face of others, you DARE them to use it. Some people will easily accept a dare even if they ordinarily wouldn't use the word.

Go ahead and dare people to use it and you WILL hear it. Then you have no one to blame but yourself. And your threat to "retaliate" don't scare anyone. Grow up.

[Kamehameha34]

Quote by: RULE 1 Well Consider Me A Racist Because If I Hear A Person Of A Different Ethnic Background Mainly Whites In Particular Say The Word "nigga/nigger" I Will Get Offended And I May Retaliate. You Don't Know How It Feels To Go Through That As An African American Being Called A Nigger. We As African Americans Do Not And Will Not Accept It From Anyone. The Word Nigga/nigger Is In Fact A Fighting Word. Our Ancestors Suffered Decades Ago And Were Called Niggers To Degrade Us As Human Beings. So For You To Say That No One Should Be Offended Is Ignorant Of You. Yeah You May Not Get Offended By The Word Because You Don't Know The History Of It. But Our Black Society Speaks For Itself. The Word Nigga Was Used To Put Us Down And For Whites To Dominate Us, It Made Them Feel Superior. And No Everyone Doens't Have The Right To Say it, It Is Immoral And Unethical, But You Wouldn't Know That Would You? You Think That If Everyone Else Is Saying It That You Can Say It As Well. How About You Go Into A Black Community And Say That Word And Watch What Happens

It's people like you that give the word power. Congratulations - you're enpowering a word that you really shouldn't be offended by, in the first place; that is, if my evaluation of your age is accurate.

As for who does and who doesn't have the "right to say it", anyone can - my nigga. It's called the first amendment. But no - not only that - you want to discriminate who can use the word, based on race. Why? Because it used to have a racist connotation.

Reverse racism at its most idiotic.

[Jack]

Go ahead and dare people to use it and you WILL hear it. Then you have no one to blame but yourself. And your threat to "retaliate" don't scare anyone. Grow up.

Thank you. You said exactly the right thing in the right way.

It brings to mind those few really worthless threads that keep getting bounced up to the top when someone posts another "this thread is crap", pointless observation.

I can't think of a race or culture for which there exists not a single negative epithet. Some groups embrace them, others never cease to be offended. You, trying to speak for all Blacks, seem to want both. In vane you want to dictate who can say what. That won't work. Not only do we have freedom of speech in the U.S., but it takes years to affect a significant change in the epithets we use. Do you recognize the terms wops, kikes, dagos? You can, despite their age, because negative epithets survive a long time. In a dynamic language like English, you are wasting your time trying to force a direction in its development, just as if you were trying to predict its direction.

Society's reaction to racial slurs is never consistent nor is it absolute. White liberals are perhaps the least likely segment of society to say nigger in any context. But if you try to tell them they can't say it, the results will most likely be the exact opposite of what you claim to want.

[Osborn F Enready]

Rule 1 said: Well Consider Me A Racist

Ok.

[Jack]

Ok.

Word, nigga.

[daddyholland]

Hello everyone, in my opinion words do have power...this whole debate site attests to that. There is nothing good with the "N" word, it is negative and if you listen to those songs closely, the word is usually being used in a negative context. I have been called this word many times and let me tell you, It does hurt. Sometimes the emotional pain is worse than the physical. In our society we all have the "freedom" of speech but no one has the right to put down anther human being.

"I Will Get Offended And I May Retaliate."

Hello Rule 1, I dont know how old you are but let me tell you that from persnal experience its not worth it. I did just that when someone called me that word and spent 2 years in jail. Definately not worth it.

I do not speak for all African Americans or Canadians for that matter but I can say for a fact that neither do Jesse Jackson, sharpton, black comedians or rappers for that matter. It seems that some people think they do but "as one" let me tell you, they dont.
My personal view now, is I dont care who uses the word, Just dont call me one. Its an offensive word to me and I dont care if your skin colour is black, white or green. Dont use the word towards me.
Sorry if I have gone off topic a bit....Darnell:)

[RULE 1]

The Word Nigga Is Not Just Any Other Word From A Dictionary Where If Not Used It Will Be Forgotten. It Is In Our History So Whether We Use It Or Not It Will Never Be Forgotten, We May Forgive But Never Forget. And I Don't Want To Scare You But I Am Warning You That The Same Way I Feel Other People Feel The Same Way. That Is The Point I Am Trying To Make. So Go Ahead And Criticize Me All You Want Because I Can Give Two Fucks About You And The Bitch That Made You. Me Personally I Am In Fact Racist Because I Dislike White People To The Fullest And I Am Not Ashamed To Say It.