Stop Saying It

Stop Saying It

Julius Smith (7)

WIth Black History Month just behind us, I want to address a sensitive topic. Something that might make a few people angry. Well, really it should make everyone angry. I’m going to discuss the “N Word”. Yup, you read that correctly, the “N Word”. 

The word that brings fire to the veins and rage to the eyes. The word that so many people hear in songs and then repeat and use in their daily language. Yes, you read that correctly too and you hear it all too often in the mouth of simple minded pre-teens and teens in the halls. The word that if you said it to a teacher, you would end up in the office. The word that if you said it to your momma, you would likely have soap in your mouth. The word, that just by hinting at the first letter, has gotten you to read this far. 

The History of the “N Word”

If it’s such a bad word, why is it even out there? Let’s face it, there are all sorts of words for things that shouldn’t even have words for them. Yet, was it always bad? Where did it come from? I actually did not know, so I looked it up.

According to The New York Times, the origin of the “N Word” comes from the language Tabo and over the years it really changed its meaning and became a slur and a racist word. The Spaniards used the word Negro to refer to Africans. That was it. Just a person from Africa. When segregation was at its highest, the word word Negro turned into the infamous “N Word” and used in a very derogatory way.

“Back in my time and where I came from [South Carolina] it was used to put people down,” stated Coach Bailey. It was a nasty and cruel word that made people feel belittled and less than what they are. It’s another reason he hates the word so much.

In the 1980s, people of color chose to change the meaning of this word and began to use it as a term of endearment. “We [people of color] took that word and turned it into a term of endearment,” Coach Bailey enlightened me. This was the beginning of dropping the r and ending with a. 

Thoughts

Coach Bailey continued to add, “I hate that word!” It brings back feelings and memories that aren’t positive or proud times. “But the more it’s used and used in terms of endearment, the more the word loses its power. It’s used so frequently, and by a generation [the young folk] that the taboo “N word” doesn’t affect and wasn’t meant for, the word really doesn’t have much power anymore.”

It does still bother Coach Bailey to hear it because, “It was a term meant for us [colored people] and too many people are using it,” but he continues to say that might be why it has lost some of its power though.

I think that it’s interesting to see that it seems to impact people differently. For the most part, the older generation take it as a very negative term, while the younger generations seem to use it as a brotherly love word. Does that make it any better?

Changes

“You know who’s going to change the world? It’s all our mixed babies, because they can blend in with all,” Coach Bailey stated. 

Words overtime become nonexistent. For example, morrow. Have you ever heard someone use the word morrow? According to ef.com, morrow basically means ‘the day after today’ and you can say ‘on the morrow’.  Now it’s still a word, but we all use tomorrow for the day after today. 

Maybe after some more time, the “N word” becomes obsolete. We can take our part and stop using it. It doesn’t belong in a safe environment such as school.