To All You 'N-Words' That Has A Problem With An 'N-Word' Like Me Using The 'N-Word' Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Let me start off by saying I live in the hood; therefore, I hear the 'n-word' all day long. Not only do I hear it all day, but when I'm surrounded by n-words, I use the n-word all day. It's a word people... that yes, can only be appropriately used by black people. Every time I hear people debate over the proper/improper use of the n-word, I find it funny in a disturbing 'you silly Negroes!' type of way. With all that we as African-Americans need to tackle in our communities, the n-word is always at the forefront of the debate among the most affluent members of the community (read: bougie n-words, that abandoned the hood a long time ago). I see crack, crack heads, and guns where I live; but somehow fools always want to talk about the use of the n-word is what's bringing our community down.

Let's think about this for a minute.

If your vocabulary consists of mainly the n-word, and other language deemed inappropriate in a workplace environment (except where I work, because the n-words around here ain't got no god-damned sense), then maybe you might want to get some of those SAT/ACT study guide flashcards and play catch up. But this isn't the most prevalent issue in our community, and I'm tired of people presenting it as such. Is it a word that represents centuries of hate and oppression? Sure it is, especially if it flies out the mouth of a white person. But if a white person calls you an n-word to your face (cause you should already know they're saying it behind your back), I blame you for not instilling the necessary amount of fear by presenting yourself as the realest n-word ever born. Word to Tupac.

Really, the whole debate over the n-word has created even more division amongst black people. Because of this irrelevant discussion, I'm not even sure which of my African-American friends can I even use the n-word around. I hate letting the n-word slip, then having an ultra-uncomfortable discussion with an n-word, about how the n-word makes them uncomfortable. Some days I wish it were legal to hand out 'get-a-grip' pokes to the throat to people that need to get a grip. Is this n-word really going to chastise me about using the n-word in his presence? It's n-words like that, that make me want to call them the n-word (and not in a good way, but the way George Bush uses it when he discusses Barak Obama with John McCain).

This whole debate came about from, guess who?... white people! Yes, liberal white people were tired of finding out the 'Stone Cold Steve Austin' way, that no matter how many black friends they had; no matter how many black causes they supported; using the n-word around black people granted them free admission to the nearest piece of concrete. White people wanted to be able to use the n-word, and since they couldn't, they got the house negroes to chastise the field negroes about using it. Classic white dude move (see: Willie Lynch). And now there's more division among black people because of it.

This message brought to you by an N-word w/an Attitude.