USING THE N-WORD
ARE YOU MY NIGGA? The phrase, “my nigga” in the black community can be seen as a term of endearment, a phrase that expresses love or affection. This phrase is still however controversial. It’s based on the word “nigger” which is a racial epithet, often referring to a derogatory, defamatory, or abusive phrase. However this is based on the word “negro” which was how those of African heritage were identified. Those who wouldn’t (typically) be classified as a negro, are frowned at for using the phrase, “my nigga”, the reason being it’s increasingly hard to tell if it’s being used as a term of endearment or racial epithet. How can one go about navigating using such a risky phrase while still showing cultural appropriation? The an- swer is, “don’t try it”. Even in the black/negro community using the term nigga, is not always seen in an affection- ate manner. Although some might say it’s impossible to share such a phrase outside of the originators culture, there are some best practices to use that will help guide friends from turning into foes. Experts say that commu- nication is 70% body language (actions, behavior, location, who the person is entirely), 20% tone (the manner in “how” something is said) and 10% word choice (the content of what we are communicating). It’s best to be aware of where you are when using the phrase and who you are around. Make sure you know the people around you have some sort of affection for you and know that you have affection for them. Those who choose to use the phrase, whether or not they are classified as black/negro run the chance of “micro- aggressions”, which are defined on Wikipedia as such:
• Micro-assault: an explicit racial derogation; verbal/nonverbal; e.g.: name-calling, avoidant behavior, purposeful discriminatory actions.
• Micro-insult: communications that convey rudeness and insensitivity and demean a person’s racial heritage or identity; subtle snubs; unknown to the perpetrator; hidden insulting message to the recipient of color.
• Micro-invalidation: communications that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person belonging to a particular group For those who encourage the use of all ethnic groups adopting the cultural term consider this: American rap artist, Futuristic, posted on Facebook, “Pre-game festivities wit my niggies” with the attached picture.
Tagline left to right: Mike Stud, Futuristic, and Cal Scrubby. Despite Futuristic’s intentions on using “niggy” as a term of endearment, it generated the following response from white and black followers alike.
Steven: Mike stud is a beast “got them white girls going crazy Amanda bynes” Aaron: I love the word Niggy so much… A Niggy is a white person that acts black, the word “Niggy” is based off of Iggy (reference to an Australian rap artist known for her controversial acts of cultural misappropriation). Nick: *wiggies* Adam: But they white!! Hahaha Brad: Theyre both white my niggie Rafael: lol youz the niggas they’re the whitelets. (All comments are sic, no pun intended)
