Coping with the (N) Word

Send us Fan MailAlthough I do not believe that people ever go out of their way to effectively plan the exact words they will speak over the course of each day, I do believe that some words, especially culturally sensitive words implemented by a specific race, are simply spoken as part of everyday language for so many people of different races. For instance, we live in a world today in which the use of the "N" word or "Nigga" has truly become commonplace. I have repeatedly heard the word used in daily conversations thousands of times by just as many people of other races as I have heard it used by my very own race; African American or Black.  To further elaborate, I made a stop at a particular store prior to heading back to my brother-in-law's home during my family visit to Northern California a couple of weeks ago. Approximately 10 young gentlemen, 5 of which were African American or Black, were having a jovial conversation while explicitly using the word Nigga repeatedly. As I walked closer toward them on my way into the store, the conversation shifted away from the hard core street talk and into a more normal conversation as though the group was worried that I or someone else might say something. However, I went on into the store, retrieved what I needed to get and made my way out of the store. Funny thing though; just as I made my way out of the store, again the conversation appeared to be one of caution. I have no doubt in my mind that as soon as I returned to my vehicle that the conversation returned back to street talk and the boys carried on with the use of the "N" word. I truly believe that those boys used caution anytime an adult African American or Black person came around primarily because half of the group was from different races and they wanted to avoid any possibility of a confrontation.So listen, dropping the "er" from the word Nigger and replacing it with an "a" to create the word Nigga has powerfully reduced violent confrontations between Blacks and other races over the years. Don't get me wrong, someone outside of the race using the word Nigga can still result in violence but I have learned over the years that the word Nigga was created as a term of endearment to Black Culture that has now become a word shared amongst other cultures that are intertwined into Black culture. In other words, many Blacks today spend most of their time with other races so the use of the word Nigga has become a word that has excepted use by other cultures outside of the Black culture.For me, I have primarily used the word Nigga around people of my race for years but have done so in an almost non-existent fashion, but that is just me. I do not get too alarmed when I hear it from people of my race but it does bother me at times when I hear it from people outside my race that use the word religiously. However, I have learned to cope with hearing the word Nigga when it is used by other races that are hanging out with my people of my race. That is just the way things have become. I would love to know your thoughts, feelings, etc., regarding the word. Just to let you know, I never will ever condone the use of the word Nigg(er) because that is when you will absolutely cross the line with me but for the word Nigga, I am not as alarmed when the word is jointly used in conversations among people of my race and other races. How about you?Support the showThanks for watching and listening to the following social media platforms every Tuesday at 12pm PST:YouTube Channel: @GregMact5vApple Podcasts (including Overcast, Castro, Cast Box, Goodpods, True Fans)SpotifyPodcast IndexiHeartRadioPodcast AddictPodchaserDeezerPlayer FMFacebookLinkedInX