What's the point of keeping a thing alive if it hurts us so much?

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by lIlIllVash-The-StampedelIlIllI, Dec 31, 2021.

  1. It's about the N word.

    When I was 17, I didn't know what it meant as I am from a South Asian country. But I heard it in so many rap songs.

    It's when I moved out and started using the internet, I found how it's wrong and racist to use it.

    But my question is, why're we allowed to use it on popular media and keep it in a way alive in those songs / movies?

    If we don't let anyone use it, even black people, wouldn't the word die in 50-60 years. At that point of someone used it, it'll be 100% guaranteed they're racist and not just misinformed on the topic and think it's a cool word they heard in movie?
    So, why keep the same thing alive that hurts so many people in the world?
     
    This_Is_Jessie likes this.
  2. Idk it makes no sense to me. Black people are calling each other it now to. They are normalizing the word.

    I swear alot and all kinds of words. But thats the 1 word i absolutely hate and will go off if people say it
     
    This_Is_Jessie likes this.
  3. Because it's about reclaiming power over the word and completely nullifying the original hurtful meaning in place of something more affectionate.

    I'm not American, but I am mixed race and I completely understand why the word is entirely normalised among African Americans. When they use it with one another, it's meant as a term of endearment and they've almost completely abolished the original meaning behind the word, and that's a good thing. The same thing is happening with the LGBT community and the F word, but on a much smaller scale. If you take away your oppressors weapons, they have less and less to hurt you with in the future.
     
  4. Also it is ONLY for Black people (African Americans specifically, I find it strange when mixed or black people where I'm from use it) to use, nobody else. It belongs to them, and they decide what it means.
     
    This_Is_Jessie likes this.
  5. So, the word is supposed to be used only by the members of community to show endearment but not by others coz if others use it, it'll be racist?
    Makes sense to me.
    But the media produced by members of these communities will be consumed by kids of other communities as well. Does it not normalise the word? By the time, you'll be able to explain to kids how they're not supposed to use the word, they'll already be familiar with the word.
    Don't you think it's better to completely let the word die and let no one use it.
     
  6. I'm honestly not reading beyond this because your last sentence literally contradicts your entire original point. You literally said that nobody should use it and then in several years, when nobody uses it, the few who do will be identified as immediate racists.

    Well, they already are? The outcome is the same, the only difference between your point and mine is that mine gives what was used to abuse back to those it oppressed to give them a renewed power over it.

    You clearly seem to only have made this post to create discourse over something that has no impact on you personally because the word isnt used against you and you have no need to use it yourself and not because you want any alternate insight into the subject. Save the drama for twitter please. Happy new year chief.
     
  7. No, but both me and my future generations will live in the same society as people who can use the word. And some of those kids might end up using the word before understanding it's meaning.Not everywhere in the world is America my friend. I still stand at my original point that nobody should be able to use it.
    It affects me, I hear N word in all these songs and movies that come. If I am not supposed to use it and it's racist, I don't want to hear it from anyone either PERIOD nor do I want my kids to hear the word itself.
    And what about the people from those community calling me the N word.
    In my university days, I had friends from same communities and they used to lovingly call me the N word too, while I never said the same back to them, some might just when they're new abroad coz they don't even know the whole background of the word.
    So, maybe just not normalise it.
    If I live in the same society as you, obviously if something affects you, it affects me. It affects everyone.
    It's a bad word with history of wrong intents, so just make it forbidden and a punishable offense to use it for everyone and if not everyone atleast in media that's consumed by everyone.

    Anyways, if your whole argument is let black people use and if you're from other communities ignore it.
    It's just better to not use the word anywhere where other people can hear it.
     
  8. The outcome is different.
    There's a world where one community uses the word and keeps it and makes songs with it and other people first learn it through the media and then slowly use it in memes and then some will learn the oppressors ideology and accept it.
    Other is a world where no one uses the word and only people who do are ones to whome racism was passed down by other racists.
    See, the world in the second scenario will eventually delete the whole problem.

    While as long as the word remains and people keep using it, some will search through the meaning and history and will like the ideology that is against a whole community.
     
  9. I don't know. I picked up a seasonal job at Target. It's overnight, so we were allowed to listen to our music while we stocked shelves. I'm not *that* old (I'm in my 30's), but had a 😳 "that's what the kids are listening to these days" moment. Because it sounded like every other word coming out of peoples bluetooth speakers was the n-word. Now I do know about taking the word back and all, like women did with the b-word. But at work, which you know maintaining at least a minimum level of decency is expected, now none of us can listen to music as we stock shelves at night, cause someone got offended. People have also very recently been cancelled on YouTube and television for using that word, so I don't think it's acceptable.