NAACP to bury "N" word

[Roy.]

By COREY WILLIAMS, Associated Press WriterMon Apr 30, 1:10 AM ET

The NAACP held a symbolic funeral in Detroit 63 years ago for Jim Crow.

The civil rights organization will do the same this summer for the "N" word, the Rev. Wendell Anthony said Sunday.

Anthony, president of the civil rights organization's Detroit branch, said members and supporters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will conduct services and a "eulogy" for the racial slur. The mock funeral will be held during the NAACP national convention July 7-12 in Detroit, he said.

"We are committed to ending hate — word and talk," Anthony said. "It doesn't do anyone any good, whether it's a journalist on TV or a rapper on the radio."

The announcement comes after a renewed discussion nationally about racial insensitivity, brought on by Don Imus' derogatory comments about black members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

Imus didn't use the "N" word in those comments, but was fired in early April by CBS Radio and NBC after major companies including General Motors pulled their advertising spots.

"Now that corporate America has caught up, maybe something will happen," Anthony said. "We have to stop investing in stuff that is killing us."

Jim Crow was the systematic, mostly Southern practice of discrimination against and segregation of blacks from the end of post-Civil War reconstruction into the mid-20th century.

speaking as an african american, i see this as a load of bullshit.

the word,which is used even amongst white people now,is a symbol of friendship and brotherhood...in a less cheesy sounding way.

the "n" word is not racism. racism is when you are with your family and you get weird looks because your wife and daughter aren't the same color as you. which i get from white,black and other races as well. this "n" word burying bullshit is another way for them to try to give the impression that they are actually trying to help the problem. they are just another organization trying to get their dollars. i for one am sick of them being my "representative".

[PerpetualBurn]

All these problems stem from the fact that people are too stupid to understand how context affects the meaning of a word.

[peeted]

It is pretty silly. Still though in many contexts the word signifies a power relationship and a recognition of difference or similarity. People make way to much of a fuss about it though and take it completley out of context which is just ridiculous.

[corb]

Won't change anything.

[SippyCup]

I have tons of black buds who call me the N word all the time. They are very cool & I have never felt offended .

[Dannyboy15]

speaking as an african american, i see this as a load of bullpoop.

the word,which is used even amongst white people now,is a symbol of friendship and brotherhood...in a less cheesy sounding way.

the "n" word is not racism. racism is when you are with your family and you get weird looks because your wife and daughter aren't the same color as you. which i get from white,black and other races as well. this "n" word burying bullpoop is another way for them to try to give the impression that they are actually trying to help the problem. they are just another organization trying to get their dollars. i for one am sick of them being my "representative".

Nigga please!

[HazMatBlue]

i've never seen the word used as a term of brotherhood or friendship, only in a degrading way and only among african americans.

[PerpetualBurn]

i've never seen the word used as a term of brotherhood or friendship, only in a degrading way and only among african americans.

So you've lived in a hole since NWA came out...how's that been for you?

[HazMatBlue]

of the many times i hear the term used throughout the day it never seems close to up building to me, and never seems to be used by an educated crowd. If the term really meant nothing, then white people actually could use it without repercussion as it is not that way i still hold it is a derogatory slur.

[Kurrpt]

I can't remember the last time I said "nigga" in derogatory fashion against a black person.


Normally, I call white people niggas :cnofused:

[PerpetualBurn]

Well I think accusing that many black people of being uneducated when the word is prevalent amongst a certain cultural part of society is a bit of an unjustified sweeping statement.

[ringworm]

Meanwhile on BET :)


"I got my 22's on my candy Escalade…
Gonna spend my whole paycheck tryin to get laid…"

[Danger Bird]

Funny that the National Association for the Advancement of COLORED PEOPLE is coming out against the racial slur. Why not change it to the NAAAAP?

[Eliminator]

The "N" word will be buried alive, I presume?

[metalicajaymz]

here's a fun fact:

the arrangement of letters that spell the world 'niggger' is not racist. Words by themselves cannot be implicitly 'racist', it all comes down to what you mean by them. Calling someone a 'nigga' in a friendly manner is not racist if you didn't mean it to be. Calling someone a 'nigga' out of spite, or to offend, is racist.

[Danger Bird]

The "N" word will be buried alive, I presume?

rep'd

[Eliminator]

The "N" word will be reincarnated as a white man who will not stop making racist remarks

.-.

[Danger Bird]

http://www.nndb.com/people/434/000022368/billoreilly-port.jpg?

[TheDarkHorse]

I hate these discussions, especially as a person of color.

to set things straight once again: -ger ending was the word commonly used intended for hatred.
-ga is the slang version used amongst one another. It doesnt necessarily carry racial connotations (though i would say it does nowadays) and its not intended for hate.

Either way, I dislike both words. Use of the first just screams hate, while use of the second screams ignorance.

Just my opinion.

[metalicajaymz]

use of the first screams 'hate' only when the speaker wants it to. Words are not racist, meanings are.

[Reaganista]

use of the first screams 'hate' only when the speaker wants it to. Words are not racist, meanings are.

that's nonsense the listeners determine what the speaker means that's why we have language

[Roy.]

If the term really meant nothing, then white people actually could use it without repercussion as it is not that way i still hold it is a derogatory slur.

that is the thing though,it already is used in that sense. that is my point. white people can use it in a joking matter or in fun now in a lot of places and no one looks twice.

this is usually in a place where white and black people know each other and live together. you still can't just walk into compton and say "wassup nigga?" you'll still get shot...a lot.

it all depends on the situation and the people really.

I hate these discussions, especially as a person of color.

to set things straight once again: -ger ending was the word commonly used intended for hatred.
-ga is the slang version used amongst one another. It doesnt necessarily carry racial connotations (though i would say it does nowadays) and its not intended for hate.

Either way, I dislike both words. Use of the first just screams hate, while use of the second screams ignorance.

Just my opinion.

words aren't ignorant,people are.

to be honest this type of discussion is only uncomfortable because we don't talk about it. communication brings about resolutions. the more people stay silent the more tensions and generalizations will continue.

i once had a white girl i was working with ask why black people can say "that word" to each other but we can't. i told her just ****ing say it. say it like 15 times in a row. no one here is going to care. she still couldn't. even my wife who i have known for almost four years has only said it in anger at other black people once. there is just so much stigma that really i think we should be way past after all this time. burying a word symbolically just closes a door for change. it's really why i want to make this thread. it needs to be discussed.

[Smokey D]

use of the first screams 'hate' only when the speaker wants it to. Words are not racist, meanings are.

A word without meaning is noise without signal.

Because language is what it is, words have necessarily ascribed various meanings and connotations over centuries of use. The speaker would have to be extremely explicit in his intention if he used ****** and hoped it wouldn't offend anyone.

****** here being different from nigga, which I'm not always sure is a valid distinction.

[Tillius]

******=A racist slang

Nigga=Friendship


I've got many black friends that I jokingly say nigga to all the time, and they're cool with it. However, if me or anybody else came up to them and called them ******, it would be a completely different story.

[Smokey D]

I'm not sure it is as valid a distinction as people often say it is, but it's not one that's going to disappear.

[pedro durruti]

It always depends on the context. ****** is definitely a sensitive word compared to nigga. Although nigga has the potential to offend, it is, in general use, harmless.

[Smokey D]

I'm not sure being offended by something is the same as being harmed by it.

For example, it's often argued by feminists that women accept their subordinate position in society and have even come to desire it through thousands of years of social conditioning. This is, according to feminism, a harmful but not necessarily obviously offensive arrangement.

A similar thing could be proposed with racism and how it is being institutionalised into all aspects of our language. It's also possible that nigga has or will gain racist connotations for reasons distinct those of niger. However, an alternative idea is that the word is about reclaiming power, identity and all that jazz. I'm not really sure where I sit on this yet.

[pedro durruti]

Hmm, that could be true. But looking at it on its superficial level, it has evolved into a word with a meaning very similar to 'man' or 'dude,' although is used more often in black culture.

[Tillius]

It has.

A long time ago, if a white person said the word nigga, it was, to some extent, offensive, no matter how much those of the African-American race said it.

But now days it's just different. It's completely acceptable for anybody to say nigga. Granted if a white person says it, they might get looked at funny because some would see them as being wiggers, but that's about as much care that comes from it towards a white person.

[TheDarkHorse]

words aren't ignorant,people are.

of course. I see the people who use that word to be ignorant of the original meaning, or just plain foolish.

[Roy.]

so than it is ignorance to change a words context to show friendship and unity?

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

tbh lynching would be better

[Dave de Sylvia]

I'm not sure it is as valid a distinction as people often say it is, but it's not one that's going to disappear.
It's a completely made-up distinction that makes it even more confusing than it should be. It's one word, ******, and it's context dependent.

I've got many black friends that I jokingly say nigga to all the time, and they're cool with it.
See, this is the only way the word is going to lose its power. The fact that some black people have reserved it for exclusive use amongst themselves does nothing to remove the stigma, it just takes the word out of the equation.

[drewhet]

i can see how some black people could still be offended by it today, even if the context is "friendly".

for example, if you had a friend that was really fat and you jokely called him names like "fatass" or "big boy" or anything, but it was always friendly because he was just a friend. but just because the context is friendly, the kid would probably still take offense to it, or make him feel like an outsider.

and i'm sure that there are fat people that dont mind being called fat or fatass, but that doesnt mean i should go around calling every fat person names.

[Tillius]

i can see how some black people could still be offended by it today, even if the context is "friendly".

Yeah, the ones who just want something to bitch about.

[Roy.]

actually no it doesn't offend me.

everyone in the guitar forum talks like that all the time and only like two of us are black.

i understand what you saying...what i am saying is the media is showing you one thing and reality is different.

like i said you can't just rolll up in compton and say "wassup nigga"...

...but in lots places where black and white and latino people live together the word is used more freely.

[Africa]

Roy, you should write a letter to Al Sharpton about this.

[Roy.]

yeah i would if i thought it would actually get to him or that he would even read it.

[Surtr]

of the many times i hear the term used throughout the day it never seems close to up building to me, and never seems to be used by an educated crowd. If the term really meant nothing, then white people actually could use it without repercussion as it is not that way i still hold it is a derogatory slur.

This.

It's in no way a "good" term.

I hear people say it ALL the time around me school to African American students, and some of them just go along, but I've seen some break down and cry after a while from it.

It's just stupid to think that it's cool to use this word at all. It's a derogatory term that was used by White people to treat the African American and really all coloured people like ****. And now it's ok to say it? What? That makes no sense. It went from being one of the most offensive and racial things to say to someone, to a sign of brotherhood? No that's just plain and simple bullshit.

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

you still can't just walk into compton and say "wassup nigga?" you'll still get shot...a lot.hey i only get shot sometimes when i do that

[MattyBlade]

...but in lots places where black and white and latino people live together the word is used more freely.

the ghetto? lolol

Anyways, I agree mostly with your main arguments.

[Swill_Merchant]

People gotta learn to be tougher. Like this whole thing with Don Imus, bullshit that he got fired. Why the hell does it have to be a racial thing? Maybe he didn't like the girls. Its just dumb. its just people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson wo like to point fingers.

[sexymuffin]

um i don't care if they "bury" it i'm still going to say it if i feel like it

freedom of speech tbh.

[MyGreatestHeist]

Uh, I have a question for the NAACP. If we "bury" the "n-word" and nobody says it for 10 years. What happens when some racist person looks in a history book and uses it again? Doesn't anybody else see the problem with making a word "unspeakable?"

[Swill_Merchant]

Uh, I have a question for the NAACP. If we "bury" the "n-word" and nobody says it for 10 years. What happens when some racist person looks in a history book and uses it again? Doesn't anybody else see the problem with making a word "unspeakable?"

True this. Anyways, if we bury the "N-Word" we should bury ****, ****, ***, fag, cracker, honky, wetback, beaner, redneck, trailor trash and all stereotypes.

Effects: no more stand-up comedians, comedy central, or south park.

Do we really want this world?

[sexymuffin]

i do because feelings are more important than freedoms

[Swill_Merchant]

i do because feelings are more important than freedoms

:amaze:

I like your sense of humor.

[sexymuffin]

who's joking?

[Smokey D]

But freedom of speech is one of the most important freedoms we have.

[Volumnius Flush]

The 'n' word is derived from the Spanish negro meaning black. It is a historical term used in reference to people of color. The classical definition is 'a sorry person' although if we're referring to the color, in and of itself, this word is not offensive. It is a staple among African-American communities today, just like the term 'brother'.

[Der Übermensch]

When you start calling African Americans N!ggers to their face, then maybe you can prove your point... but right now, you're just supporting me saying you're a rascist.

[Kurrpt]

hey, just cause you ban the word "nigga" doesn't mean all the "niggas" are gonna die, or leave, or stop being "niggas"



damn niggas

[Volumnius Flush]

hey, just cause you ban the word "nigga" doesn't mean all the "niggas" are gonna die, or leave, or stop being "niggas"



damn niggas

This is preposterous! I could never use this language and get away with it.

[Kurrpt]

what's preposterous?



plz explain?

[Volumnius Flush]

what's preposterous?



plz explain?

Your filthy mouth.

[Kurrpt]

honestly, you completely missed the context of that post

[Dave de Sylvia]

I think I did too.

[Der Übermensch]

Unless its a reference to Chris Rock, I also don't get it...

[Volumnius Flush]

It is clearly racist. I admonish you to remove this post.

[Kurrpt]

im not removing sh!t


I'm part black (my mom's about 50% black). I don't feel the term black is synonymous with the term.

Now, if you want to use it in a condescending manner, you could replace the word with something like shiesty, shady, or just a genuine bad person.

Omitting the word from language only solidifies the term as being a racial epithet.

[Volumnius Flush]

im not removing sh!t


I'm part black (my mom's about 50% black). I don't feel the term black is synonymous with the term.

Now, if you want to use it in a condescending manner, you could replace the word with something like shiesty, shady, or just a genuine bad person.

Omitting the word from language only solidifies the term as being a racial epithet.

Or I could say jiggaboo or coon.

[Kurrpt]

and you're right, I suppose you could


but then again, I'm all for de-sensitizing those words

[Roy.]

kurrpt is my boy and he can say anything he wants to.

besides deleting posts and censorship is completely the opposite of what this thread is supposed to be about.

[Kurrpt]

i think the problem is, most people who think its really a fauz-pau automatically assume that

nigga = black person

i think it's that belief there that makes it a racist term

[Dave de Sylvia]

Well you can go around calling people "nigga" and hope that nobody decides to beat you into the ground. It seems to me that it makes a lot more sense not to even go there.

[Kurrpt]

well, just cause someone's black, doesn't mean they know how to fight man :lol:

[ringworm]

i've never met a black man that could fight









but i've ran into about 20 or so that could :)

[Yunjin Kim]

If you ban nigga, you'll have to ban Chink, Jap, Spic, Wetback, Sand niggas, and many other racial slurs.

[SoulSeekerz]

I have friend of all races. When we tease and kid each other using wethenic slurs, it's cool. If I every called them those same names in serious anger, it would be highly innapropriate.

[Lars Rich]

We can't call them black we can't call them afro american we cant call them colored we cant call them african

what the **** do we call them?

[Roy.]

most of us just prefer to be called black.

[Scuba_Steve]

I had some kids in one of my classes make a gigantic fuss about the use of ****** and negro in to kill a mockingbird.

One of them stated that "it made her cry every time she read the word", and honestly I just cant see how people that young, who were not around when the civil rights movement was around, and are canadian (and there is barely any real racism towards blacks up here) can take such offence to the word.

Especially in a piece of literature set in the 19 freaking 30s, the teacher explained to her that back then it was common practice, and even though it isn't acceptable, thats the way it was. And then her and a few other kids threw a shitfit (honestly, yelling at a highschool teacher in an academic leve class? wtf?) and left.

We need further discussion of the word to stop stupid crap like that, because it honestly does no one any good at all when they just "bury" a word. Blacks get no closure, and it wont change any racist's mind on the word

[Dave de Sylvia]

um girls take offence to everything

[lfantwister]

I take offense to that!

[PshSam]

pahaha

i dont see how this will help anyone, maybe when you say "nigga" now, you'll just whisper it, and not yell it at the top of your lungs

it's not what you say, it's the way you say it, many blacks dont care ALL that much about the term. im halfa and i dont care at all if somone says it.