When Words Unravel
WHEN WORDS UNRAVEL
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A COMPLICATED HISTORY OF THE N-WORD
“ H andle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bonds� -Pearl Strachan Hurd
Nigger. Negro. Nigga. This book is a cultural and historical analysis of this word. The N-word.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ETYMOLOGY & SEMANTICS
THE AGE OF JIM CROW
WORDS AS WEAPONS
NEGRO: THE NEW NIGGER
THE REAL NIGGA
BIRTH OF THE N-WORD
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64
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BLACK PEOPLE VS. NIGGAS
THE LATINX EFFECT
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TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
THE NOT-SO CREATIVE LICENSE
SOURCES & CREDITS
When Words Unravel
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John Rolfe listed Africans as “negars” in his journal on the first shipment of Africans to Virginia. 1
ETYMOLOGY & SEMANTICS
When Words Unravel
THE ORIGIN No one is entirely sure why the word nigger first appeared as a slur for people of African descent. However, the lineage of this word can be traced back to the Latin word for black: niger.2 What historians do know is that the word started to appear as an insult in the 17th century. And by the 1800’s nigger had become a significant part of the English language. But at what point did nigger move from a word
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Etymology & Semantics
that described a person with a specific skin tone to a weapon meant to dehumanize a group of people?
ETYMOLOGY
When Words Unravel 14
Etymology & Semantics
DEFINITIONS In order to accurately discuss the
Historically speaking, the Black
history of how nigger came to
community has redefined this
be used as a weapon, we must
word to be used as a term of
look at how this word is defined.
endearment by changing the
While the dictionary does give
spelling. But, is there a difference
the denotative interpretation
in the definition of nigger and
of this word, it does not tell
nigga? In a denotative sense the
the whole story. The definition
answer is no, but connotation is
changes depending on so many
everything when it comes to this
factors, like the time period it is
word. As a result, defining this
used in, the person who is using
word is complicated, but necessary.
it and in what context are they using it in.
“ CONNOTATION IS EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO THIS WORD”
When Words Unravel
1885
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Mark Twain uses nigger 215 times in his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 1
THE AGE OF JIM CROW
Photo Credit: Rare Historical Photos
When Words Unravel
THE ISSUE IS HISTORY If you have ever asked yourself what the big deal is about the word nigger, this part is for you. The word is not the issue, it is the history. One of most evident points of history that give context to this word is the Jim Crow era. This time period is most obviously marked by the restriction of civil rights and liberties for African-Americans. Given this fact, you can imagine how often nigger flowed out the mouths of White Americans in an effort to dehumanize Black-Americans. This time period is heavily illustrated in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this book, African-Americans were referred to as a particular persons’ nigger, in this case “Misto Bradish’s nigger.”
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The Age of Jim Crow
The Jim Crow era uses this word to define Black people as property of White people, specifically slave owners. So the big deal is how it was used. However, the historical importance of this word doesn’t end in this time period and that is what makes the word so complicated.
Photo Credit: Gutenberg.com
20 Photo Credit: Malena Lloyd
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When Words Unravel
LINDSEY, BORN 1996 HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WAY THE N‑WORD IS USED TODAY AND SHOULD THERE BE ANY LIMITATIONS ON HOW IT IS USED? I believe that the use of the N‑word today
Because of this, I believe the use of the
has only slightly shifted from how it was
N‑word should continue to exist strictly
used in the beginning; as an intentionally
within Black communities, as a friendly
derogatory term against Black people
term. I don’t believe there is currently a
specifically, not all people of color (POC).
way for this word to be used in a context
While it has been appropriated by Black
differently than this without being linked
people in an effort to reclaim the term and
to its violent and hateful history.
soften its meaning, it is still used negatively by Caucasians and non-Black POC even in 2018; even when most of privileged society believes that the use of the word in that context is only “in the past”.
When Words Unravel
1947
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African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson is attacked with racial slurs, such as nigger, by the Philadelphia Phillies during a game.1
WORDS AS WEAPONS
When Words Unravel
STICKS & STONES By this time in American history it was understood that nigger was more than just a word. It was a weapon. Jackie Robinson’s experience as the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball is a prime example of this word being weaponized. Robinson wasn’t continuously called nigger during baseball games simply because
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Words as Weapons
of his race. It was used to create a climate of fear and exclusion, not only for Robinson but any Black American that dared to participate in the American dream.
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Words as Weapons
When Words Unravel
When Words Unravel
1967
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Muhammad Ali says “No Vietcong ever called me nigger� in protest of being drafted to the Vietnam War.1
NEGRO: THE NEW NIGGER
When Words Unravel
“ N IGGER BECOMES NEGRO, AND NEGRO BECOMES COLORED”
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT Dr. Martin Luther King famously said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”2 This quote reveals how the Civil Rights Movement was marked by its commitment to non-violent protest. This meant resisting any form of hate, including words like nigger. The reason is clear, but this resistance also extended to the term negro. This is because negro was only viewed as a polite way of calling someone a nigger. In a time where segregation and discrimination ran rampant, civil rights leaders saw negro as a reflection of their status as second-class
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Negro: The New Nigger
citizens. This time period is known for its respectability politics concerning this word. Nigger becomes negro, and negro becomes colored. In the end, Black people knew that all these terms had one thing in common: the refusal to address Black-Americans as equal.
Photo Credit: trtworld.com
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Negro: The New Nigger
When Words Unravel
ANTHONY, BORN 1971 HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE N‑WORD AND HOW DOES THIS DEFINITION IMPACT YOUR DECISION TO USE OR NOT USE THE WORD? The N‑word is an extremely derogatory term used to insult a Black person. My definition is why I don’t use the word. I get that the Black community has modified the word to nigga instead of nigger to refer to someone they may like. But, I don’t agree with this. The word was created by slave owners and I think it should end with slavery. I don’t see anything positive in the use of it.
When Words Unravel
1988
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Hip-Hop group N.W.A. release their first studio album Straight Outta Compton.1
THE REAL NIGGA
When Words Unravel
EXPRESS YOURSELF Hip-Hop introduced a different perspective to the world. This generation was the children of the Civil Rights Era and this was reflected and their attitudes toward the word nigger. After all of the protesting and marching Black people were still facing injustice, from police brutality to the war on drugs. The Hip-Hop generation decided that it was time to start embracing the struggle and taking back the power of this word. However, it wasn’t the dehumanizing definition of nigger that was being embraced. Hip-Hop introduces nigga as term for Black people that didn’t necessarily carry any negative weight. It was almost interchangeably used with words like ‘brother’ or ‘friend’ or ‘homie’. In addition, with the introduction of nigga also came the “real nigga”, which serves as
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The Real Nigga
a term for a man that is perceived as trustworthy or sincere. To put it briefly, the Hip-Hop generation reclaimed the word nigger and turned it into a word that could not hurt them in response to feeling like they would be called nigger anyway.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER NAMED ICE CUBE FROM THE GANG
CALLED NIGGAS WITH ATTITUDES –ICE CUBE, N.W.A
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NIGGA NIGGA
When Words Unravel
THE NUMBERS In 2015, The world’s largest lyrics catalog, Musixmatch did an analysis on the amount of profanity used in Hip-Hop.
NIGGA NIGGA NIGGA What they found was that
Hip-Hop lyrics are the most
profane out of all music genres. The most common profanities include nigga and niggas.
When Words Unravel
GGA 1995
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The O.J. Simpson murder trial uses tapes of police officer Mark Fuhrman saying nigger to prove racial discrimination.
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BIRTH OF THE N-WORD
Photo Credit: Globe Photos
When Words Unravel
THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY Like with all other things controversial, censorship is often society’s way of resolving controversy. The word Nigger is no exception to this rule. Censorship is an important part of the history of this word because it illustrates how powerful the word is. The term ‘N-word’ comes from the effort to censor this word. This term became mainstream during the murder trial of football star O.J. Simpson. Race played a large role in the trial for many reasons. However, the moment that most people remember is the testimony of Mark Fuhram. Fuhram testified that he never used the word nigger, which was a lie.2 But because of the notoriety attached to this case the public was forced to talk about Fuhrman’s use of nigger. And that is where the censorship begins. At this point in history it was common knowledge that this word was reserved for the Black community. Instead of nigger, which is the actual word Fuhram uses to disparage Black people, N-word is used when referring to the word. The problem with this is that censorship allows for the desensitization of nigger. As a result, now everyone can
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Birth of the N-word
use nigger without really having to say it.
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When Words Unravel
WORDS ON TRIAL Lady Justice is represented as holding a balance while blindfolded because she is supposed to personify the justice system. However, what happens when a Black man standing trial is referred to as a “typical nigger” by jurors? That is exactly what happened to William Henry Hance in 1978.3 This seems to be a clear instance of Lady Justice ripping off the blindfold and making decisions based off race. Unfortunately, this isn’t even close to the only time this word has entered the courts
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The Birth of the N-word
When Words Unravel
When Words Unravel
1996
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Chris Rock does his Black people vs. Niggas segment in his comedy special Bring the Pain.
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BLACK PEOPLE VS. NIGGAS
Photo Credit: Globe Photos
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Photo Credit: Scrapsfromtheloft.com
Black people vs. Niggas
When Words Unravel
BRING THE PAIN One of Chris Rock’s most famous jokes comes from his criticallyacclaimed comedy special, Bring the Pain. “I love Black people... but I hate niggas.”2 This joke represents another shift in how this word is used. The ‘90s marks a time period when Black people started to internalize the history of this word. It is used as a way to describe a certain type of Black person. Black people were considered to be educated, hardworking people while niggas were usually portrayed as lazy, criminal, and illiterate. So what happens after Black people start to dehumanize other Black people with this word. Tolerance and endearment ensues.
When Words Unravel Section Name 52
Photo Credit: Christian Lovehall
ROBERTO, BORN 1989 DO YOU THINK HIP-HOP HAS TRANSCENDED THE HISTORY OF THE N‑WORD AND DO YOU THINK THIS GENRE GIVES WHITE PEOPLE PERMISSION TO USE IT? I feel that hip-hop did not transcend the
Hip-hop has not had the ability to use
history of the N-word. From a Black-
the N-word and not have criticism. It has
American perspective, I would argue that
only had the ability to make non-Black
accepting the N-word usage in hip-hop is
listeners feel comfortable with saying it,
not transcending the word, but somewhat
which continues to ignite more criticism.
coping with history of the word. A word
Aslong as criticism is present the history
cannot trigger negative feelings if it is
will perpetually be awakened, thus hip-hop
used for endearment, which has been the
has not transcended its history. Black-
frequent argument given. When I think
Americans reluctantly accepting the use of
of transcending, I think of something
the N-word in hip-hop music indirectly gives
independent of another factor or outside
permission for all listeners, including non-
of an element. The N-word will always be
Black, to repeat the lyrics. Does this make
dependent on its origins and the original
it okay? No. Non-Black listeners should
context as with any other word used in
practice better discernment, but since
language. For example, people refer to
they cannot, it is up to Black-Americans
their friends as “my dog”. Although used
to remove the word from areas of
differently, no one will forget that a dog is
mixed company.
and still refers to a canine.
When Words Unravel
2001
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Puerto Rican singing artist Jennifer Lopez, known as J.Lo uses the N-word in her song I’m Real featuring rapper Ja Rule.
THE LATINX EFFECT
Photo Credit: Kevin Kane/Wireimage/Getty Images
When Words Unravel
I TELL EM’ NIGGAS
MIND THEIR BUSINESS
BUT THEY DON’T
HEAR ME THOUGH.
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The Latinx Effect
–JENNIFER LOPEZ, J.LO
KEEP IT REAL As the N-word increasingly becomes a part of Hip-Hop culture and popular music, the lines become blurred for what communities can use the word. This became apparent in 2001 when Jennifer Lopez, or J.Lo, used the word in her song I’m Real. “Now people screaming what the deal is with you and so-and-so I tell em’ niggas mind their business but they dont hear me though.” People took issue with this because Lopez does not belong to the Black community. She is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in Bronx, New York. However, in her New York community the N-word is not restricted to only Black people. In defense of Lopez, Ja Rule said that many of his Latinx friends use the word nigga and he does not take offense to it. While in some communities this word is used freely amongst people of color, there is an ongoing debate about whether Spanish-speaking individuals have any rights to this word. Does this change if the person is Afro-Latinx, a person of African and Latin descent? Either way, non-black people, such as Lopez, need to be aware of the implications that come with saying this word and understand that their use of this word can be viewed as problematic.
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The Latinax Effect
When Words Unravel
Photo Credit: Jennifer Silverberg/Guardian/Eyevine
When Words Unravel
2008
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Rapper Nas releases his ninth studio album Nigger to much controversy.
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TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
When Words Unravel 62
Terms of Endearment
POST-RACIAL AMERICA The 2000’s represent an
It was said that racism no longer
interesting part of American
existed. As a result, people ask
history, especially concerning
what the point of discussing a
race. In 2008, the first Black
word that attached to one of
president, Barack Obama, was
America’s darkest moments.
elected. Also, in 2008, rapper Nas
However, a lot of Black people
tried to release his ninth studio
did not feel that this was reality.
album titled Nigger. He was faced
This is why Nas decided to create
with much backlash because of
an album titled Nigger, where
the title, so much that he had to
the cover art was his back with
rename it Untitled. The reasoning
flagellation scars in the shape of a
was that people wanted to move
N.2 Even in 2008, racism was alive
past this part of American history.
and well and so was this word.
Barack Obama’s election marked what people called a “postracial America”.
Photo Credit: NYmag
When Words Unravel
2012
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Quentin Tarantino uses nigger over 110 times in the film Django Unchained.
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THE NOT-SO CREATIVE LICENSE
When Words Unravel 66
The Not-So Creative License
THE N‑WORD UNCHAINED So far we’ve seen nigger
Unfortunately, yes. However,
represented in history in many
I live in a time period where
ways. From Mark Twain novels to
I can design a book centered
Major League Baseball to Hip-Hop
around the complicated history
albums. Curren day, this word
of this word. I live a time period
still plays a major role in popular
where I can create discourse.
culture. But has history taught
I live in a time period where
us anything? My answer is yes
director Quentin Tarantino had to
and no. As a young Black woman
answer for his usage of this word
living in the 21st century, has
in his film Django Unchained.2
anyone ever called me a nigger?
There is more accountability for how and when this word is used and I would consider that progress. Is there more work to be done to unravel this word and its’ history? Of course. But, that is the beauty of this time period. We can and will continue to do that.
When Words Unravel
Etymology & Semantics 1
Asim, Jabari. The N Word: Who Can Say It,
Black People vs. Niggas 1
The N Word - Divided We Stand. Performed
Who Shouldn’t, and Why. (Boston: Houghton
by Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, Paul Mooney.
Mifflin, 2008), 10.
U.S. and Canada: Urban Works, 2006. DVD
The Age of Jim Crow
Terms of Endearment
1
Randall Kennedy, Nigger: The Strange
1
“Untitled Nas Album.” Wikipedia. November
Career of a Troublesome Word (New York:
14, 2018. Accessed November 26, 2018.
Vintage, 2003), 140.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untitled_Nas_ album.
Words as Weapons 1
Randall Kennedy, Nigger: The Strange
2
“Untitled Nas Album.” Wikipedia. November
14, 2018. Accessed November 26, 2018.
Career of a Troublesome Word (New York:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untitled_Nas_
Vintage, 2003), 18.
album.
Negro: The New Nigger
The Not-So Creative License
1
Randall Kennedy, Nigger: The Strange
1
Sharf, Zack. “Jamie Foxx Looks Back at
Career of a Troublesome Word (New York:
‘Django Unchained’ and Being OK With
Vintage, 2003), 35.
Quentin Tarantino’s Controversial Use of the
2
“Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote.”
N‑word.” IndieWire July 18, 2018. Accessed
BrainyQuote. Accessed November 26, 2018.
November 26, 2018.
https://www.brainyquote.com/.
2
Sharf, Zack. “Jamie Foxx Looks Back at
‘Django Unchained’ and Being OK With Hip-Hop Introduces the Real Nigga 1
Asim, Jabari. The N Word: Who Can Say It,
Who Shouldnt, and Why. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008), 220. Birth of the N‑word 1
Randall Kennedy, Nigger: The Strange
Career of a Troublesome Word (New York: Vintage, 2003), 107. 2
“O. J. Simpson Murder Case.” Wikipedia.
November 20, 2018. Accessed November 26, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._ Simpson_murdercase. 3
Randall Kennedy, Nigger: The Strange
68
Sources
Career of a Troublesome Word (New York: Vintage, 2003), 56.
Quentin Tarantino’s Controversial Use of the N‑word.” IndieWire July 18, 2018. Accessed November 26, 2018.
COLOPHON Designed and written by Taylor Simone University of Louisville Hite Art Institute Professor Leslie Friesen Printed through Blurb Premium Matte 100# Special thanks to Lindsey Baxter, Roberto Thornton, and Anthony Thomas for giving their time by allowing me to interview them for this book.
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When Words Unravel