Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The N-Word

X.A.V.I.E.R.

eXtraordinary Applications of Valued Information Enforced Regularly

Hello, I'm Xavier. I'm a 25 year old male from Cleveland, Ohio. You might be wondering what the acronym above means. Basically, if you Apply the Extraordinary Valuable Information that I'm teaching, or just look at everything with an open mind and Enforce it Regularly, you will be able to have a care-free life in addition to getting the things you need to get done completed. It's actually a pretty good concept if you think about it; Get the things out of the way that you NEED to do, so that you have all the time in the world to do the things you WANT to do. As a young person, I'm lucky to realize how the real world works at such an early age. Although a lot of people may have a better edge on life than I have, I carefully planned out the easiest way to go through life and be happy. With that said, let me tell you my train of thinking: In order to do the things I want to do, I must first do the things that need to get done. I also get enjoyment out of everything life has to offer (What's the point of doing something if you don't want to do it, or if you aren't getting anything out of it?). So with that said, even if I don't want to do something, I do it anyway because I want to get to doing the things I want to do! It deals with everything... listening to your parents' advice, going to work, doing homework/schoolwork/studying, etc. Go with the flow. Don't Assume, because you'll make an ass out of "U" and me. If you think you can, you will. If you try, you will succeed. The reasons these phrases have stuck over the years is because they all hold true and people have true life experiences to back it up.

Circa 2006, some friends and I made some discoveries about the N-Word.  You know what I'm talking about, whether I say nigga or nigger; it all sounds bad.  But before you start thinking about the bad that word has done, think about the best way it can be used to keep from offending someone, or even showing endearment to another person.

 It works pretty well for me. Another thing I'd like to attribute my success to is the dreaded "N-word." Yeah, it's deemed "offensive" by some, meaningless by others. But when used the right way, it can be very powerful, and helpful! Let me start off by just getting it clear. I'm black, and I use the word nigger. I use it for a sense of humor, and for self-improvement. I'm not offended by it, but it depends on who says it. Anyone from the outside looks at it as a racist term, just because black people are usually the only ones who use it, and white people who don't know about the word usually get their ass kicked, right? Let me tell you why, if you didn't know: The word "Nigger" has infinite meanings. I'll lay out the most common ones here:

 

Nigger


Before the word was deemed to only talk about black people, the word Nigger was meant to mean ignorant. Although it can mean ignorant, it can also mean stupid, annoying, lazy, scandalous, etc.; anything that can be classified as a "niggerish" tendency.

Example: Friend says to another friend, "You dumb nigger, you skipped your 9:30 am chiropractor's appointment and didn't call them. Now it's 6:30 pm and the office is closed."


See how the word nigger is used? The person who missed the appointment doesn't get offended that his friend called him a nigger, though he looks at himself and thinks about what he did and puts forth the effort not to do it again. (from dictionary.com)nig·ger —Usage note The term nigger is now probably the most offensive word in English. Its degree of offensiveness has increased markedly in recent years, although it has been used in a derogatory manner since at least the Revolutionary War. Definitions 1a, 1b, and 2 represent meanings that are deeply disparaging and are used when the speaker deliberately wishes to cause great offense. Definition 1a, however, is sometimes used among African-Americans in a neutral or familiar way. Definition 3 is not normally considered disparaging—as in “The Irish are the niggers of Europe” from Roddy Doyle's The Commitments—but the other uses are considered contemptuous and hostile. –noun 1.Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a.a black person. b.a member of any dark-skinned people. 2.Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a person of any race or origin regarded as contemptible, inferior, ignorant, etc. 3.a victim of prejudice similar to that suffered by blacks; a person who is economically, politically, or socially disenfranchised. Example: A white person says to a black person: "You dirty nigger!" "Why am I a nigger?" "Because you're black, why don't you go back to Africa?" *Punch in the face* This is obviously used as a racist term and is just like calling anyone a Gook, Spic, Kike, etc. It's NOT tolerated and this is the term that people get their "asses kicked" over, for lack of a better term. I don't agree with this and don't know why anyone should. Yes, it was used in the past and came to be one of the most offensive words in the english language, but if nobody thinks that way, wouldn't it be a de-sensitized word?

 

Nigga


Often used as a term of endearment, to a friend. Can be replaced with other words, such as pal, buddy, friend, etc.

Example: A friend (doesn't matter what race) says to another friend (doesn't matter what race): "Whats up nigga?" "Not much man, just chillin."

 
See how it's used here? This is the way you see on tv shows, in real life, and hear in songs. It's just a word. It rolls off the tongue, just as if you were saying, "What's up buddy?" or "What's up pal?". There's also another use of the word "nigga", just like the first definition of the word "nigger." The only difference is, it's used as a term of hostility. Example: A friend accidentally breaks another friend's cd: "Dumb ass nigga, you broke my shit!" Now wait! Don't go and use that word yet.. unless you can catch on quickly enough now, I'd consult your closest African-American friend and ask him/her how they feel about it.  You will find that a discussion will open up on the floor and your friend may have something to say about the newly "opened" word you asked about!

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