Just looked at the Wikipedia article on the term; opinions on the matter are even more varied than I originally thought. I wonder what the popular voice will think of the term in the far future; a lot can change over time. Hell, there's terms that are used by kids today which are totally offensive in their creation, never were turned ungrateful or had a positive variant made, and are now forgotten in origin and children use them.
One big one is getting "gypped"; can't stand that one, and I can't believe most of society thinks it is in any way okay.
I feel like there's just no way to explain this to you. Words are a complex, nuanced, ever evolving means of expression. They are not the same word no matter what you personally believe, sorry.So if a white boy goes into a room of friends and says, out loud "Hey Niggas" and they are like wtf, but he says, "no, without the R", it somehow becomes very different?
I understand how it is used, but vocally it is the same. The 'new' word is in fact derived to have the same meaning, which is exactly why it exists in the first place. So to the people who are offended, it is the same.
Or how many people would it take to change another racial slur to having a nice sweet meaning? For as long as large and vocal black community finds either spelling racist all the same, it becomes bigotry to use it and tell them to not be offended because the spelling is different.
I would imagine people who casually say "Nigga" also have no problem saying "Nigger", mostly because they wouldn't even be able to differentiate the two.
"Carlos was my mate until after a couple of years of college, I added him on facebook. I realised he was say it with an -er this whole time!"
I feel like there's just no way to explain this to you. Words are a complex, nuanced, ever evolving means of expression. They are not the same word no matter what you personally believe, sorry.
Are you being dense? Nigga is a colloquial term used as either an expression of endearment or playful (sometimes) derision.
Ex 1.) "Ay, that's my nigga Marvin right there!"
Ex. 2) "Nigga, shut the fuck up. Blac Chyna's ass don't look natural."
Nigger is a completely different word.
Just looked at the Wikipedia article on the term; opinions on the matter are even more varied than I originally thought. I wonder what the popular voice will think of the term in the far future; a lot can change over time. Hell, there's terms that are used by kids today which are totally offensive in their creation, never were turned ungrateful or had a positive variant made, and are now forgotten in origin and children use them.
One big one is getting "gypped"; can't stand that one, and I can't believe most of society thinks it is in any way okay.
"Nigga" is definitely used in a negative way more often than not.
Ex 1.) "that nigga ain't shit"
Ex. 2) "That nigga Malik is always in the studio talkin' bout he gonna blow up soon"
I just have a hard time accepting a word with such ugly roots as being anything other than. I can kind of see where the "difference" is, though.
I agree with what you said here, but think about the people who hear the word and find it offensive. How are they supposed to differentiate two words that sound exactly the same? If the word fucking "evolved", why the new spelling?
It's almost as if you shouldn't make blanket statements like "playful" and "endearing".I feel like there's just no way to explain this to you. Words are a complex, nuanced, ever evolving means of expression. They are not the same word no matter what you personally believe, sorry.
"Nigga" is definitely used in a negative way more often than not.
Ex 1.) "that nigga ain't shit"
Ex. 2) "That nigga Malik is always in the studio talkin' bout he gonna blow up soon"
I just have a hard time accepting a word with such ugly roots as being anything other than. I can kind of see where the "difference" is, though.
Bad example because:
1. That man ain't shit
2. That man Malik... (insert good or bad description here)
Just as a variant of a word that has ugly roots can be used quite non-ugly, so can a non-offensive word be used for hate.
Take Jew.
"I a a Jew, I am a Semite, and I keep kosher."
Nothing wrong with that, right?
"Look at that greedy fuck Jewing us out of our home"
See the difference? Same words, 2 totally different context and feelings.
One big one is getting "gypped"; can't stand that one, and I can't believe most of society thinks it is in any way okay.
Definitely don't wanna throw in on one side or the other here but they very clearly sound different. Especially with whatever chosen inflection the word is given when used.
As in - if someone is fucking angry - and drops "Fuck you, Nigger" it's pretty clearly different from a couple of friends tossin it about while they play Madden or some shit. Come on now..
man is a noun. "nigga"/"nigger" is an adjective.
Think of it like: That asshole ain't shit. That jerk aint shit. That asshole malik....
you're modifying/describing the noun with a negative word.
FINALLY
gonna cut my dis track tonight
Gonna be so nice not having to worry about rhyming so many motherfuckin words. I mean shit i got a day job, B.
Ex 1.) "Ay, that's my nigga Marvin right there!"
Ex. 2) "Nigga, shut the fuck up. Blac Chyna's ass don't look natural."
Wait what?man is a noun. "nigga"/"nigger" is an adjective.
Wait what?
Well, the US (and I guess Canada) really doesn't have gypsies/Roma in any great number. AFAIK, we pretty much just have these, who are Irish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers
And they are only maybe 40,000 people in a country of 300 million (plus another 30 in Canada). So there is no connection between the phrase and any particular sort of people. At least in the eyes of most people, because they've never met or even seen one, so don't connect the phrase to a people.
"white people"
Where does that leave everyone else? Ancestry, skin tone?
I hate the nigga/nigger conversation.
Like some people even get mad when you say "nigger" as in when you're saying "I said nigga not nigger".
It's just letters next to each other making up a word it only has meaning if you are specifically saying something.
"This nigga just did that"
"they used to call black people niggers"
Those are both regular sentences.
Now, its bad when you use it in an offensive way, and it's not bad because you're using the word, its bad because of what you are saying.
Sentences can be evil, but words can not.
There's a major difference, though. The vast, vast majority of people who say "gypped" have no idea that gypsy is pejorative. There's also the fact that many groups, especially non-Roma nomads, identify as gypsies.
Yeah, as a kid I thought it was spelled "jipped" anyway.It never occurred to me that gypped was a reference to gypsies. It looks completely obvious to me now.
What is a racial slur anyways?So, in your opinion, nothing is a racial slur if you don't intend it to be?
lol. i s2g y'all niggas got me fucked up.What is a racial slur anyways?
If you don't intend something to be offensive and it is somehow received as such, then that is an issue that can easily be solved by talking about it.
"dude you just said ("racial slur") I find that offensive."
"sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you"
"okay, wait, where we talking about?"
At least that's how it should go.
Wait what?
I actually want to agree with him because it's somehow hilarious and "true" in a stoned way.
What is a racial slur anyways?
If you don't intend something to be offensive and it is somehow received as such, then that is an issue that can easily be solved by talking about it.
"dude you just said ("racial slur") I find that offensive."
"sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you"
"okay, wait, where we talking about?"
At least that's how it should go.
Yeah, the argument is more so rooted in the flexibility of the word and its etymology.
You really live in your own little world, don't you?What is a racial slur anyways?
If you don't intend something to be offensive and it is somehow received as such, then that is an issue that can easily be solved by talking about it.
"dude you just said ("racial slur") I find that offensive."
"sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you"
"okay, wait, where we talking about?"
At least that's how it should go.
Yeah, as a kid I thought it was spelled "jipped" anyway.
But that's just a misunderstanding. Like, why should something escalate to it being an issue with the stranger that was within earshot?O.K.
Why yes, you are perfectly free to do anything. But when you do say something and someone is within earshot of your racial slur and disagrees that intent is somehow enough to justify your seemingly lack of vocabulary (like, why use the slur in the first place), don't be surprised or feel like that person is stupid when they get offended.
That's a change in connotations not grammatical category.I seem them used today more as adjectives than nouns because they are almost exclusively descriptive. I've seen people try to separate and categorize blacks as being "normal" or "niggers" based on whether they seem them as ghetto, ratchet, or whatever demoralizing term they want to use. In that sense, it isn't naming "something," but attempting to describe it. In the past, I would say the word was used as both, but obviously leaned more towards a noun.
But that's just a misunderstanding. Like, why should something escalate to it being an issue with the stranger that was within earshot?
But that's just a misunderstanding. Like, why should something escalate to it being an issue with the stranger that was within earshot?
No I live in a world in which evolved animals have produced language as a way of communicating between each other. In language the point is to communicate your own thoughts to another person.You really live in your own little world, don't you?
What if her name is actually Marvin? I'd flip if it was.
To be honest though, this debate that's being had, right now? Look, I understand the history of the word. I grew up with the knowledge of never saying this word, because it's offensive and just shouldn't use it. But as I grew up, and heard "nigger" used in what is quite frankly almost every single possible contextual sense and permutation imaginable. At that point, shit gets a little blurry. I'm not afraid to admit that, as a white guy, I have no idea what it fucking means any more, if I ever did. I'm not saying I want permission to use it, but when even the culture that this word emanates from can't decide on what it means, it gets to be real confusing as to why anyone else can't use it. Again, not saying I want permission, and I know it's a touchy subject and it's a word with awful roots (which is why I avoid it), but I'm honestly confused. I'm pretty sure there's a reason why this is the only slur, racial or otherwise, that people are confused on.
No I live in a world in which evolved animals have produced language as a way of communicating between each other. In language the point is to communicate your own thoughts to another person.
To get a meaning across.
A specific meaning in relation to whatever situation is going on.
Yes the word was used to demean persons before, but that's not how its usually used now.
Saying what's up to a person is NOT an attack on them.
It is not saying "slavery was cool"
It is not saying "I hate you"
It is saying hi.