Thread: The N-Word.

I suppose teens like to shock older people; seems to be a team sport amongst them.

A lot of urban music uses off color language as a shock factor as Michelle said, and the kids will try to emulate these shock jocks. I guess they think it's cool to use gutter talk. Sadly, these "kids" should be getting life lessons at home and not from someone out for their evening walk. Good for you to have made a positive impression on them. I don't think any of them will use that word without remembering how you told them that they were "dissing" each other each time they used it.

Joe

Yeah, I'm quite sure that they are street-smart kids and judging from the time that I came across them after midnight, that they like to hang out late at night and walk the streets.

I don't know if they had any weapons, and I wasn't about to hang around long enough find out, but I just thought that I'd emphicise to them how degrading that word is. I'm black and I don't even use it!!

But I think I got through to them just that little bit, and it was a start for them. They agreed with me that using the N-word is harsh and racist.

They thought that it's just a word. They don't know the real meaning of it. That's the influence of our music and movies today. They don't know the difference between movies and reality. Well movies comes from reality yet the true essence of movie in our life for us to see the differences between them. I agree with Big. "Only to gain respect, Respect others first".

Yeah, I even hear young Afro-American & Spanish boys as young as 8 to 9 years old using that word!

It's a same, and no doubt, it is the area that they reside in, the environment. They see and hear others talk harsh, so they do it also! Shame!!

Just my humble opinion but that word doesn't belong in the English language. I have talked to friends who are African American and asked them why they use it. A lot of responses were mixed but the most unusual answer I got was that they were reclaiming it and using it in a non-negative way to take the sting out of it. Regardless, I hate hearing the word in any context.

I have a friend who uses the word a lot.

He's a very nice person, but he sometimes uses that word excessively.

It's been my understanding that some in the African American community have long attempted to "own" the word and turn it into somewhat of a positive or at least neutral term. I've heard people say that the adjusted ----a is different from ----er. A way of overcoming the slave-era origin of the word. Just what I've heard though. I wouldn't know.

I'd have to say it's just a word...as any other word, phrase or image...It contains meaning....

However, the meaning is lost in translation to many individuals. It is what you make of it and it's all based perceptually. I personally, wouldn't use the word in certain scenarios for that reason alone. It is "perceived" as a bad word to a vast majority of the population because of the way it was used prior to our time. I don't necessarily think it should be a word we shouldn't use but I see how it would be very offensive (b/c of the context used prior to current time).

I guess the way I see it is...kids now a days are just using it as any other word being used "out of context". A great example is when someone says ...oh WOW thats soo ILL...which literally "ill" is an adjective meaning - not in full health or poor in quality - however, when put in this context it is being used as a descriptive word that's adding the exact opposite meaning. Referencing "ill" as something that has positive attributes...


Its all about perception and with the term being thrown around as it is today younger generations use it in their own context...sometimes forgetting the value of the word to others....