Why can't we as a nation get rid of the "N" word?

Question

This whole thing where Hollywood liberal Micheal Richards hurled racial slurs at two black men in the audience disgusts me. The "N" word should NOT even be in existance any more.
I think part of the problem is that there seems to be (correct me if I'm wrong) an attitude in the African American community that it is O.K. for blacks to use this word and to call each other this name (because of the oppression they've faced) but when whites use it, it is obviously not O.K.
My question is why can't we just make the use of this word wrong ALL of the time? If we don't we only perpetuate this problem. Example, white boy likes rap, hears the "N" word glorified about 40 times in just one song, then your going to tell him not to say this word??
Another example- the word "groovy". It was very popular and cool in the 60's. Now it is very uncool, and is laughed at in Scooby Doo and Austin Powers flicks.
If we can make this word uncool and not use it in anything it will die. Jackson is right.

nottashygirl- Are you actually suggesting the we should not try to put this word to rest? That we should keep it around and allow people to use it to spread hate just so we can use the word as some kind of badge of shame? I'll tell you this, I don't need or want a Schwatstica on my wall to remind me how bad the Nazis were and I would be very happy if we never heard that word again also.

I'm sorry jonjon, but individuals on the left have been "pigeonholing" conservatives as racists for years. I was simply pointing out the STRONG racist leanings of the left. Look at liberal policies like hiring quotas- A black man can't get a job on his own and needs the white man to give him a job because he can't do it on his own? All because of the color of his skin? If that isn't racist thinking, I don't know what is.

jonjon-

See my other question to read about the racism and sexism that runs rampant throughout liberal philosophy-

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhfYozrI4JH5bWaLw6Xs_VTsy6IX?qid=20061125114315AAGXnRl

Answer 1

Why JUST the "N" word? We "need" (please note the quotes) to have words that hurt. Some people would not be able to speak if they weren't able to deride somebody else in doing so. Small minds produce small ideas. The answers lay in the Bible. IF were were to follow its (God's) word, we would all be treating each other a whole lot better. God bless.

Answer 2

First off, please, with your "Hollywood liberal" nonsense. Guess what - in real life, people aren't so easily pigeonholed as Rush Limbaugh would have you believe.

Which sort of feeds into your larger point here. Why can't we get rid of the "N" word? Because you can't just "get rid" of a word. People have been offended by the "F bomb" forever, with the result that it's now a noun, a verb, an adjective...

Context is everything. It's really amusing to me that white people can't understand why it's OK for a black guy to say "N" but not a white guy. The root of this nonsense is, ironically, "political correctness," which would have you believe that everybody's really the same across the board. The most basic facts directly contradict this. You might even say that black people have EARNED the right to say "N," by deliberately taking a word that was supposed to be an epithet and a slur and making it theirs, thereby taking away its power. It's NOT the same for white people! If a white guy says "N," he's simply turning back the clock.

Answer 3

As long as there are different opinions there will be hurtful words in all of society worldwide. Unfortunately the double standard set by the use of the word ni66er will never allow it to go away. One thing we need to remember that we seem to have forgotten is that the word ni66er has nothing to do with the color of ones skin.
Most times the person using the word ni66ger in a hateful way is actually a ni66er himself. Ignorant.

Answer 4

Well, it was in rapid decline of usage in the 1980's. However, the word was kept popular by black americans in their own slang. When they made it a word of "brotherhood" whites also wanted to join in that brotherhood. Many blacks are not interested in brotherhood with anyother race but their own. This type of segregation and closed-midedness has and is costing the entire race dearly....rewinding time back to old prejudices.

I agree my crackah friend.

Answer 5

When you ban a word you just give it even more power. Yes if you could find a way to make it just silly you would be close. The rappers almost succeeded, but because of their fringe status are not quite able to push it over the top.

Answer 6

You make a good point. But it is just a word. It means nothing unless we want it to mean something. Michael Richards has the right to say it. Just as we all have the right to say it. I'm of Italian decent. If someone called me a Wop or a Ginny it means no more to me than if they called me a jerk or an idiot. Words cannot hurt you. Unless you let them hurt you.

Answer 7

Words don't go extinct! Sorry...but the n word has a place in history...an important one. You can't just get rid of it, if for no other reason than for us to understand the cruelty and culture of the past.

Why can't we not use it responsibly? Because people suck. We are imperfect people, and are riddled with anger, hate, stress, and bad manners. Things happen. People say things they don't mean. Big deal. To err is human. Get over this already.

Answer 8

You can't ban a word because it's offensive. It's a violation of the Bill of Rights. It's just a word, like honky, cracker and white bread. It's a screwed up variation of the French word niger, which means black. People need to loosen their panty strings and laugh. Laughter will solve everything.

Answer 9

One usa under greed~ i think of that is extra precise to our project. desiring Self earnings is the basis of all evil~ Greed for extra on the price of all or any . To stay richly in the international with the poorest of morals. What a destiny, what a destiny.... to make certain interior the top that to be poorer in monies ARE rewarded with real RICHES. The riches obtained by using sturdy DEED and robust VALUES, advantages for all who opt to no longer honor the greed motto~.

Answer 10

It will never disappear,just ask the idiot gangster rappers and others who are uneducated who use it in their daily vernacular.The Black people who use it shouldn't be rushing to call Jesse Jackson when another race uses it against them.That makes no sense to me.Do White people call each other "h" and "c"? Do Latinos call each other "s" and "w"? You know what those letters stand for...