“Maybe it’s a habit / I gotta use it” – Eric B & Rakim on “I Ain’t No Joke“
When an intoxicated D-Money stumbled into the crowded meeting, he almost tripped over his jeans that were saggin’ below his knees. As he sat in the back of the dimly lit room listening to the testimony of people who were all suffering from the same addiction, he could feel the tears begin to swell in the corners of his blunt red eyes. Finally , when he could no longer contain himself, he stood up and yelled. “Whatz Up! My name is D-Money and I’m a N***a…,” as the audience at N- Word Anonymous clapped in approval…
Perhaps, the most controversial word in the English language is the notorious “N-Word. “ Over the years, there have been hundreds of debates over should we use the word, who should use the word and under what circumstances should the word be used. But after 20 years of endless discussions, in 2015 , if you step on any city bus you will hear somebody shout out with glee, “Yo! my N***a!!!”
It is a historical fact that the N-word was not originally a black thing. When the Portuguese explorers stepped off those ships in the 15th century onto the shores of Africa, they didn’t say “look at all of those wonderful kings and queens.” Nope, they said look at all those “”negroes…”
When the slave master wanted his cotton picked in Mississippi in 1815, he didn’t say, “Excuse me kind sir, could you kindly fetch me a bale of cotton ?” He shouted, “N***er , bring me that barrel of cotton !” And when Bull Connor, was turning fire hoses on little black children who were in the streets protesting in 1960 Alabama, he didn’t say “ Could you all please get out of the road and let these nice white people pass ?” No, he yelled “ Hey, you little nigra’s get out the street !”
Even today, when Tyrone shoots Lil Ricky for looking at him the wrong way. He doesn’t say “Peace, my Nubian Brother, can I help you?’ Nope, “He asks “ What you lookin’ at n***a” before he pulls the trigger.
So, we see that although the spelling might have changed, the meaning has remained the same; a mentally inferior, social miscreant only worthy of mistreatment and death.
How anyone can still claim that the word is only a term of endearment “ is beyond me.
Of course, we have all heard the hypocritical Hip Hop excuses about how we have taken control of the meaning and how Tupac Shakur said that it really means “Never Ignorant Gettin’ Goals Accomplished.” Never mind that Pac’s statement was made 400 years after the fact…
It must be also noted that the excuse that if we said it long enough, the word would lose it’s sting was not created by some rapper. This idea was advanced by white comedian, Lenny Bruce, as early as 1963 which was 25 years before NWA recorded “Straight Outta Compton.”
Now, in all fairness, we can’t totally blame the young folks as N-word usage crosses generational lines. There are senior citizens who can drop the N Bomb better than the rapper YG. Nor can it be chalked up as a money thing. A rich dude in a 2015 Benzo is just as likely to yell N***a at somebody who cuts him off in traffic as the brotha driving the broken down 1994 Hyundai.
Of course over the last decade , the NAACP and other groups have tried to bury the N word, hang the N Word and burn it at the stake, but it still keeps coming back like Jason from those ol’ Friday the 13th flicks.
Why is that?
Maybe it’s because none of these crusaders have had the guts to put the word in the context of white supremacy. And like author Neely Fuller said “unless you understand white supremacy, everything else will just confuse you. “ The problem is that too many of us have focused on the monsters instead of the Frankenstein’s that created them. This is especially critical in a time that n***as are being mass produced at an alarming rate.
But my greatest concern is not really the word itself, but the fact that we have used the word so much that many of our young folk are literally dying to live up to the street code of n***a-ism. So, the word that was uttered by Portuguese slave traders and the KKK has become a self fulfilling prophecy. And the “mothers and fathers of civilization” have been reduced to the stuff that they make reality shows out of. The addiction to the word and the lifestyle is killing us.
So, what do we do?
I am suggesting that this Black History month we start “the 28 day N#### Can Dare .” If you know someone who lets the N-word flow outta his mouth like water, double dog dare him not to use the word during February. And just to make the bet more interesting , make him drop a buck in a special can every time he uses the word. And after the month is over, donate the money to a program that is helping young black boys and girls. (Now, I know some of ya’ll are gonna need a bucket instead of a can.)
Now, I am under no delusion that come March 1st, all the brotha’s in the hood will pull their pants up and the sista’s will stop posting half naked twerk videos on Youtube. But if we can change our vocabulary for one month, maybe we can change our behavior for a lifetime.
Min. Paul Scott represents the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista
