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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 1909
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 02:55 am: | 
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Don't worry, A voluntary collective banning of the so called "n" word will never happen because of the subconscious self hatred and historical ignorance that is seemingly deeply and irreversibly etched in the psyche of most black Americans minds. Unfortunately, the obsessive love affair and addiction to the word will never be eradicated. But nevertheless, I thought the article was interesting for the councilman's noble effort.
In Bid to Ban Racial Slur, Blacks Are on Both Sides
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Days after Michael Richards's racist tirade at a Los Angeles comedy club, Leroy G. Comrie Jr., a New York City councilman, seethed as he listened to some black teenagers on a Queens street spewing out the same word Mr. Richards had been using.
"They were saying 'nigga' or 'niggas' every other word," said Mr. Comrie, who is black. "I could tell they didn't get it. They don't realize how their self-image is debilitated when they use this awful word in public."
So Mr. Comrie sponsored a resolution for a moratorium on the use of the n-word in New York City, prompting a spate of similar proposals in half a dozen local governments across four states in recent weeks. The New York City Council is scheduled to discuss Mr. Comrie's proposal tomorrow and vote on it on Wednesday; the City Council in Paterson, N.J., and the Westchester County Legislature both unanimously approved such bans recently.
(Mr. Richards, who played Kramer on "Seinfeld," has been invited to the New York City hearings; a Richards spokesman said that he would respectfully decline to attend.)
The measures, which describe the forbidden word as an "ignorant and derogatory" insult toward blacks, try to sidestep First Amendment questions by calling for "symbolic" bans only, meaning they do not have the force of law. Because they are largely aimed at blacks who use the word among themselves, the proposals have revived a debate over whether minority groups can co-opt epithets and make them empowering.
"There is a swelling population of black youth that use this word as if it is a term of endearment," said Andrea C. McElroy, a black councilwoman who sponsored a ban on the racial epithet in Irvington, N.J., that was passed this month. "And I think it is basically incumbent upon us to remind them of the story of what that word meant to so many of our ancestors. This is something we probably should have done years ago."
In the last year, there have also been other approaches taken to try to stem the casual use of the word.
Web sites like abolishthenword.Com, founded by Brooklyn natives Jill and Kovon Flowers, and theunitedvoices.org are devoted to eliminating it, and some high schools in New York and New Jersey have created programs to teach the origins of the word and make students pledge not to say it.
Most of these efforts explain that the word was coined by slave traders 400 years ago to degrade blacks. The programs also tell of its deep associations with violence, segregation laws and injustice.
But not every effort has been embraced. In Brazoria, Tex., an ordinance that proposed fining anyone who uttered the word $500 was withdrawn after hundreds of residents — black and white — poured into a town hall meeting last month to oppose it.
John Ridley, a black author and filmmaker who has written extensively about the word, said efforts to abolish it are insulting because, he said, they suggest black Americans would allow themselves to be cowed "by six letters and two syllables." Unlike the politicians trying to squelch the word, Mr. Ridley added, those who embrace it are showing backbone by declaring "we're controlling it, we're owning it."
"I honestly think that with everything that's going on in America, that the idea of trying to ban a word to solve a problem is just ridiculous," he said. "And for people of color — with us possibly on the cusp of having a black man become president — for us to be worried about this word is ridiculous."
The rapper Mos Def said in a 1999 interview that blacks were taking "a word that has been historically used by whites to degrade and oppress us, a word that has so many negative connotations, and turning it into something beautiful, something we can call our own."
He was referring to the slang pronunciation, with an "a" instead of an "ER," that is common in rap lyrics.
Another measure of the word's pervasiveness can be seen in a new Web site, niggaspace.Com, that has prompted condemnations from many black leaders, including members of the New York City Council.
The site, modeled after the social networking site myspace.Com , has, according to its founder, more than 200,000 registered members. Judging by the photos attached to their profiles, most appear to be black teenagers.
The site's founder, who would identify himself only as Tyrone, said he drew a distinction between the two differently spelled versions of the n-word: "nigga," he said in an e-mail message, embodies brotherhood and fraternity, not ignorance and hate.
"This comes down to a battle of people who wish to perpetuate an archaic and negative meaning of the word, and people who wish to continue an evolution of a word to give it a more positive connotation," he said. "Myself, and the Web site, represent the latter."
The word, in all its variations, stems from "niger," which is Latin for black. One of the earliest recorded instances of its use in North America was in 1619, when a Jamestown colonist, John Rolfe, noted in his diary the arrival of a Dutch man-of-war with 20 African captives, or "negars," according to Jabari Asim, author of a new book, "The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why" (Houghton Mifflin).
There is some debate among scholars as to whether Mr. Rolfe intended the word as a pejorative or not; Mr. Asim said he believes it was an insult because otherwise Mr. Rolfe would probably have chosen the more neutral "Negro," which had been in use as far back as 1555.
By the early 1800s, the word had become common in racist literature and among slave owners as a slur against black people meaning subhuman and inferior, Mr. Asim said, and a handful of black writers heatedly objected to its use. Two centuries later, in 1988, the rap group N.W.A. used the word four dozen times on a best-selling album, "Straight Outta Compton," essentially igniting a debate over whether the racist connotation is removed when the word is culturally claimed by blacks themselves.
But Mr. Asim said the changed spelling by N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) and others just mimicked uses throughout history. "We wrap ourselves in these comforting falsehoods when we say we've taken the power from the word and spelled it another way," he said. "It's a lie that allows one to lie."
In his book, Mr. Asim pointed out that many segregationists excused their use of the term by saying it was just a Southern pronunciation of the more palatable "Negro. " He argued that a different spelling does not sanitize the term from its ugly history. He said in an interview that only education, not legislation, would break today's teenagers of the habit.
The sponsors of the bans on the epithet say that education is precisely their mission. Clinton I. Young Jr., who is black and who introduced the measure that passed in Westchester, said the legislation he drafted was meant to raise awareness about the painful history of the word.
He and other legislators said their goal was to create more programs like the one in Mr. Young's district at Ossining High School. That program, called Project Earthquake, exposes black students to the origins of the word through lectures and documentaries, challenges them not to use it, and encourages them to dress professionally for class.
One student, Quantell Bazemore, 17, said that he and other classmates who once traded the word freely vowed to stop using it after joining the program last year.
"It's not something that you can stop overnight, but it's something you can work toward," he said. "I have a friend or two who might see me and say 'What's up, my n-word?' And then they stop and correct themselves and they say 'Oh, I mean, 'What's up, my brother?' "
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Lil_ze
Veteran Poster
Username: Lil_ze
Post Number: 808
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 03:53 am: |
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im here in nyc.
these council people are a bunch of clowns!
these council people are only interested in collecting their paychecks, and attempting to implement legislation about "non-issues".
like it or, black people use this word.
its a word that was used to degrade our people, that (for better or worse) we have "taken", and use amongst ourselves.
im not sure that many of the "youth" who use this word understand the history behind it.
but i do, and when im amongst friends, family etc, we use this word.
ive even heard my 83 year old grandfather use this word.
if there is anyone who understand the history of the usage of this word, it would be my grandfather, who lived through a time period that was VERY different than the on we are living in.
my grandfather served in ww2, im not gonna attempt to dictate to him if he can use this word or not.
ive heard italians call each other guineas, jews call each other "yids" etc.
these are non-issues that are being talked about by "non-entities" (these city council clowns).
its just a joke (imo).
these city council people are INSANE for even thinking about such a thing.
well, i guess they have got to look like they are ACTUALLY doing something.
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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 1912
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 05:40 am: |
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"like it or, black people use this word."
Das dat!! True..true...true. Can't argue with that. Yep! They do enjoy the using the word. And I will admit that perhaps I am out of touch with reality for believing it makes no sense for blacks to take immense pride and enjoyment from of calling other black people "niggers". Perhaps it is a good thing for whites, Asians, Latins and all other non-black groups, to see and hear blacks refer to each other with the exact same word that was used to dehumanize their parents, grandparents and their race. It was also the exact same word that was used to describe every single black man before he was beaten, burned, shot, castrated and ultimately lynched from a bridge, tree or lamp post. Hmmmmmm.......
Yeah...yeah....I'm starting to see the light now Lil_ze. I guess I was wrong for assuming it was not ok for Negroes to consistently and gleefully call each other a racist epitaph while fiercely condemning others for doing the same. It's a glaring double standard but I guess it makes sense......yeah...I can see it now.
Um....well...at least I'm man enough to admit I was wrong. And ya know something, the more the word keeps reverberating in my head, the more I like the way it sounds. Yeah, it's a good thing bro. Thanks for bringing me around Lil_ze. I needed that. I'm good to go now.
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Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3778
Registered: 03-2004
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 01:33 pm: |
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Kike, Dago, Wop, Chink, Peckerwood, Peckerhead, Spic, Frog, Limey, Jap, Nip, Kraut, Mick, and so on--
Go in any of those households and you will hear them calling themselves that.
Only Negroes are all twisted up with bleeding guts about a collection of sounds. But this may be a way to get rid of the unfit.
If you can't get past this word, you will be denied the Kingdom of Heaven--
But, you are weak. So you have your reward. |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3779
Registered: 03-2004
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 01:34 pm: |
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Once, years ago, a sister told me that she would not deal with black men because they were weak.
I got mad at her.
Hell, I just wasn't ready for the truth. |
Mzuri
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 3678
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 04:06 pm: |
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Chris - You're so •••• ing clueless. She thought that YOU were weak! Not all Black men. She dumped you because you are fat, dumb and unattractive and she was making up excuses.
What did you do after you got mad, cry in your oatmeal?
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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 1913
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 04:15 pm: |
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Wow! Makes perfect sense to me Chris. Thanks for stating the facts and laying down the reality. I'm a reformed man!
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Latina_wi
Regular Poster
Username: Latina_wi
Post Number: 205
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 07:18 pm: |
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^^^LMAAAAAO at that picture.
Chris: I am sorry but black people are probably one of the only races who accept and embrace a term that was so infamous for vilifying them and putting them down on such a large scale. Which is sad as many forget the true meaning of where the term stems from in latin.
The only race I know who comes close to it is chinese but that is only when they refer to themselves as 'yellow people'. Also, Irish people and the paddy thing.
But what is good for the goose may not be good for the gander. Why should we allow 'nigga' to be accepted just because some other races may accept their only racist terms.
It isn't a joke. How can it be okay that blacks don't mind calling eachother 'nigga' but will raise hell when a non-black even tries to say it in a jocular way.
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Lil_ze
Veteran Poster
Username: Lil_ze
Post Number: 811
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 12:44 am: |
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ntfs, who the hell said blacks take "immense pride and enjoyment out of using the word "nigga"?
its YOU (ntfs) that has said that blacks have
immense pride, using this word.
ntfs, ive said before that i cringe when i hear our people using this word in public.
but when we are amongst ourselves we can (and do) use this word.
if this was the word that was used before black people were hung, then do we not have a right to use this word if we want to?
the way some black people use the word "nigga" is the same way that italians (amongst themselves) call each other "guineas".
ive heard italians call each other this word in public.
im not gonna call an italian a "guinea".
but if if italians want to use a word that was used to DE-HUMANIZE italians, then they by ALL MEANS have a right to do so.
was not the word "guinea" used to defame the parents, grandparents, and italian people?
but ive had italians use the word in front of me when talking about other italians.
as i have heard jews call each other "yids" when talking about each other.
why is it different with blacks?
ntfs, if you like the way the word "nigga" sounds in your head than USE IT.
ntfs, if you think the word "nigga" is a good thing, then use it.
im speaking clearly n*gga!
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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 1916
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 02:40 am: |
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"ntfs, if you think the word "nigga" is a good thing, then use it."
Lil_ze, have you ever heard of satire or a parody when attempting to make a point? Think about it..............
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Lil_ze
Veteran Poster
Username: Lil_ze
Post Number: 817
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 03:50 am: |
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ntfs, im well aware that you were attempting to be sarcastic with you comments.
and im well aware of the usage of satire and/or parody when attempting to make a point.
which is what i was doing when i said, "if the word nigga sounds good to you use it".
i was being just as "smug" as you were tyring to be with your comments.
it interesting that you are telling me to think about something, and the "tounge n' cheek" nature of my, "if the word nigga sounds good to you use it", went right over your head.
do you actually think that i inferred from your comments that you thing the word nigga is a good thing?
think about it................ |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 1918
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 05:56 pm: |
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"do you actually think that i inferred from your comments that you thing the word nigga is a good thing?"
Ha! Ha! Ha! Nah....not at all bro. But thanks for the comments.
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