Nigger the Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

The origin of the word "nigger" comes from the Latin for black, niger. Originally, there was no derogatory intention involved; it was simply a designation of a different color of skin (English, 2003). Unfortunately, it didn't stay "just a word" for long, and it began to be used as a racial slur by people who believed that African-Americans weren't much better than apes. There was a time, not all that long ago, when the word "nigger" was the worst kind of slang. It was demeaning, rude, and offensive, and it was used when people who were not African-American wanted to put down on those that were.

Through time, however, that word has evolved into something like a term of affection shared between African-Americans in many families. African-Americans often call themselves by that word, and they don't mean anything degrading by it. There are still people that use it in a degrading way, of course, but now more than ever it is becoming a much more accepted term, when used in the proper context and said by the right people. Some African-Americans today have no problem with the word 'nigger' but others still see it as an insult and use the word '*****' as a socially acceptable substitute and a friendly salutation (Kennedy, 5).

In Randall Kennedy's essay "The Protean N-Word," he discusses where the word came from, and how it has gotten the connotation that it has now. There were jokes and songs about the word, and many of them were not polite or friendly in any way to the African-American people. Kennedy, however, doesn't seem to mind using the word 'nigger' in his essay, and he seems to be aware that it might offend some people. Regardless of that, however, it is history he is writing about, and being factual and truthful is important, whether it is offensive to some people or not.

Kennedy's article prompted a lot of commentary from both African-Americans and Caucasians, because many people, regardless of race or color, have a word or phrase that they don't much like. Even though Kennedy goes into detail about how the word started out as a neutral comment and then took on derogatory connotations later on, as people began to use it as an insult, many people see it as always having been and always continuing to be an insult, regardless of how it is used and by whom.

Some of what Kennedy attempts to do in his book is break down the barriers that many people have put up around this word. It is, after all, just a collection of letters, and how it is used and by whom probably means a lot more than the word itself. Almost any term for someone can be rude or unacceptable, depending on how it is said, who it is directed at, and what else is happening at the time. This seems to be one of the main points that Kennedy is trying to get across.

It is not the word itself, but how that word is used and viewed that makes the difference between being offensive and being a term of affection or endearment. Today, many African-Americans, and some of other nationalities, use the term to refer to their friends, the same way they use terms such as "sister," "homie," or "girlfriend." The main problem with the use of the word 'nigger' is the derogatory connotation that the word has had ever since the 1800's. That long of a history is sometimes difficult to shake.

Another problem that comes into play is the lack of interest in understanding the word and its origins, and working to return the word to something that isn't painful for so many people to hear. Some across the country are using Kennedy's essay in classrooms, in an effort to educate children about the different uses of the word, and the ways that it has been used, including humor and endearment. One such teacher was forced to apologize to a lot of parents and other teachers recently because she used the essay in her seventh-grade classroom and many parents complained. They thought it was offensive (Teacher's, 2003). It might have been, to them, but the only way that it will ever have the chance to stop being offensive is if people realize that there are other meanings for the word and other ways to look at it besides the obvious one of being a racial slur.

In the essay that Kennedy wrote, he is trying to show to everyone who reads it that the term 'nigger' means much more than what most people automatically think of. To do this, he incorporates many jokes and comments, and he doesn't seem to take any offensive to the word at all. Rather than get upset about it, he chooses to examine it, and perhaps help to determine why it has been found so very offensive for so long. He also asks many questions about the word, such as whether it's acceptable for African-Americans to use the word around each other, and whether it should be acceptable for Caucasians and other races to use the word as well. Should it be regulated? Should there be a difference in meaning when used by a different race, or is it all the same no matter who says it? (Kennedy, 3-4).