One thing that stood out to me while reading the Diane Nash
article, “Inside the Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides” was her discussion of the
benefit to the movement that happened when black people accepted, owned, and took
pride in the terms “Negro,” “Nigger,” and the like. Nash describes that taking
these terms as their own had two major effects: 1. It created a sense of unity
and purposefulness, bearing a new awareness of black people as an individuals
and 2. Created a new awareness by white people of viewing black people as a
people to be considered and respected.
Initially, I was perplexed about how owing such a derogatory
term could be beneficial to the movement, or black people individually. I feel
as though the term is directly related to the perception of the Jim Crow Negro
and only acts to perpetuates it, rather than move away from it. Additionally,
how can a term switch from being derogatory to a word that unifies people
around pride?
A similar situation happened in the LGBT Civil Rights movement.
The term “queer,” upon its primary usage during this time, was a derogatory
term towards homosexuals used primarily by those who were fiercely against
their movement. However, similar to black people, the LGBT movement turned the
phrase on its head and coined it as their own and used it as a word of pride.
There even is a famous saying “I’m here, and I’m queer and proud” that came out
of this movement.
While historical proof shows that when a minority group or
group that is being attacked adopts a previously negative term used by its aggressors,
it works to their advantage primarily by creating a unifying term of pride. But
why? How this change happens and why is still curious to me, and any discussion
on the topic would be interesting and enlightening.
When reading this article and blog post, I also had the same initial reaction. But then I thought more in-depth about this issue and can see a different side of taking a term and changing it into something positive. When either African Americans or LGBT’s take a derogatory term such as Negro or Queer that is meant to put them down and change it into a movement or motto, these people are showing everyone that they will not be put down. The way I see it is, the groups are taking these terms and using it to show the world that being these things are beautiful and ok. By identifying with the terms they are proving that they will not be brought down by what they are, they are embracing the “Negro” or “Queer” within and showing pride. Words can unify a group of people and some words can break them down but these people will not let these words break them. They use others people’s perception to their advantage to come together. If the groups take these terms as a bad thing they will only be helping the hateful people do what they set out to do when using the horrid words, so why not just embrace them to lift them up.
ReplyDeleteI also find the ways in which blacks have taken the term "nigger" and "negro" and in a sense, radicalized them. I think of the movie Rush Hour and a scene in which the black LPD agent walks into a bar and tells his Korean counterpart to "follow his lead". Chris Tucker proceeds to say "whassup my nigga"? While this is perceived by the other blacks in the bar as socially acceptable, when Jackie Chan tries to use the same sentence, same vernacular, he is torn to shreds. I often wonder why it is socially acceptable for blacks to refer to themselves in such a seemingly degrading way.
ReplyDeleteAn NPR blog that I read proposed that it is all about the context in which the word is used. The post emphasized that ANYONE CAN say the words, but in some situations it is not perceived as well. Gene Demby states, "We don't need rules around this stuff — not that we could we enforce them if we had them — but we do need a better understanding of our contexts. We need a stronger sense of why some things are received differently in different situations. We need to be more thoughtful, more deliberate and more fluid about the many spaces that we navigate." Because I don't particularly agree with this philosophy, with this theory, I continued my search for more.
Another article suggested that the word is used as a term of endearment, and can even mean "friend". While I believe this to be true, I also believe that a double standard does exist, that ways can be found to EXPLAIN why blacks can use the word with one another. Yet is that justifiable? Morally, I think that word is problematic in whatever context it is used, or by anyone who uses it. However, I think that when blacks use it with each other, it genuinely is a term of endearment, of camaraderie. I think of words like "bitch" or "asshole" which are morally "wrong" words, however in specific contexts, they do not end of hurting anyones feelings. Think of two best friends: sometimes they may say "you bitch" in the most joking and endearing way possible. I guess in this light, it is about context, so maybe the first article had a valid point after all.
One CNN report interviewed a black male and he said that he was "tired of the double standard: I'm tired of some black folks saying it's a term of endearment when those same black people we'll talk about killing n.....s. I just think we as black Americans need to be honest with ourselves about the role we are playing in our own demise. We can't keep sending this word around the world and just think it's all ok. It's disgraceful to everything our ancestors fought to change." I think that the issue is extremely complex, and despite the research I have attempted to do, I almost feel more conflicted. Thoughts? Opinions? Insight?
Works Cited
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-40-fall-2011/feature/straight-talk-about-n-word
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/09/06/219737467/who-can-use-the-n-word-thats-the-wrong-question
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1016684
I agree that these terms initially seem only offensive to me. And I also admit that thinking about it more does not make me consider them less offensive. I realize that these words were used at the time for a sense of unity and power against the offenses of the words, but.... Frankly, I don't think it worked. Or at least not yet. Because some people STILL use these terms offensively, it is difficult for me to see how that positive intention in using these words was successful. Many racist ideas did surround the intentions of African Americans: Well, slaves want to be slaves. Well, blacks don't want to be integrated. Well, they want to be what we call them. I of course don't personally believe that people were wanting all of the derogatory connotations and stereotypes to follow when they employed use of these words positively, but there are some ignorant and hateful people in this world (shocking as that may be). I do not think anyone should use these words anymore, because their derogatory meanings have not and may not be able to be separated from the words themselves. These words come with weight, and you cannot avoid that any time you say one.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this sense of embracing and accepting words originally meant to demean someone parallels the nonviolent movement by African Americans during the Civil Rights Period. The purpose of these words as well as violent and demeaning actions has been to undermine, depreciate, attack and belittle a certain group of people. However, from various examples, we have seen that not acting out against these attacks proves prosperous and successful. (I say this with caution because I do not necessarily agree with the idea of people simply accepting this verbally and physically.)
ReplyDeleteOne example that comes to mind is from From the Ground Up which involves a white man spitting into a black man's face. The black man simply asks for a handkerchief, and the white man is so taken back that he not only has to think about what he has actually done, but he actually gives the black man the handkerchief to wipe off the damage that he, himself, has just done. Embracing this evil action proved to be more beneficial to the black man than to the white man.
This concept is similar to the use of derogatory words against African Americans. While they were meant by one group to be demeaning, the acceptance of these words actually turned out to create a sense of unity amongst African Americans and has seemingly benefited them more than it would a person who said these words in a demeaning manner.
In recent weeks, there has been a lot of news surrounding professional athletes and the use of racial slurs. Following the departure of Jonathan Martin from the Miami Dolphins in early November, an investigation was conducted by NFL officials to uncover Martin's motives for leaving the team. Martin, an offensive lineman, claimed that he was the subject of locker room bullying and other forms of hazing. Shortly after Martin's departure, it was revealed that fellow lineman Richie Incognito was at the forefront of the bullying. Incognito ridiculed Martin for being a “half-nigger” and often directed racial slurs at him. The Dolphins have suspended incognito indefinitely.
ReplyDeleteSince this news, the use of the words "nigger" and "negro" by professional athletes has fallen under heavy scrutiny. There are also athletes on both sides of the argument. Many NFL players argue that there is no place for such words, regardless of the context, among the games' professionals who are often looked up to as role models. Others have taken the stance that the use of such words is part of who they are and that they are often used as terms of endearment.
Regardless of where athletes stand, in leagues such as the NFL and NBA in which the majority of players are African American it is clear that the issue cannot be ignored. Are the terms "nigger" and "negro" ones that should be embraced or should they be banned from the court and athletic fields. As governing bodies, the NFL, NBA, and all professional sports have the ability to fine players for using such words, but would they be in the right for doing so? Is suspending or fining players something that should be done in response to the use of such words or is it just a part of the game? For Jonathan Martin, receiving negative racial slurs was very troubling. Martin is a 6'5", 300-pound professional athlete. While he is a seemingly unlikely subject of bullying, the use of racial hate words has had a very profound impact on him and his playing career.