The N-Word

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Courageous Conversation film series showing of "The N-Word." As the title suggests, the film explores that history of the word and the way it is integrated into our contemporary lifestyle. Through such mediums as music, particularly rap, we see the word used quite often. So should such a blatant use of a word that has such horrendous background be used openly in our modern society? Personally, I would think not. It seems that we have made it an ok thing, but anyone who finds such a term palatable, even if only in certain contexts, fails to recognize the pain and agony that carry the weight of the word.
Anyone who understands the word knows that it came from slavery. As the movie explained, variations of the word were used in the earliest times of African slave trading, until the n-word eventually caught on as the word of choice. These slaves were stolen from their homelands in Africa, packed like toys in a toy box into a boat and sailed overseas where they would be sold for a life of grueling labor and no chance of freedom. Then they might be traded over and over again throughout their lives, taken from whatever sort off family they may have made, over and over as their current owners saw fit. The n-word was created as a demeaning way of addressing them. A way in which they could be classified into a lower class than the white. They were lower than just slaves, they were lower than human. How could such a term be used nonchalantly today?

In Alexie's poem "Capital Punishment" he writes :

"when they kill him, kill
and add another definition of the word

to the dictionary. America fills
it's dictionary. We write down kill and everybody

in the audience shouts out exactly how
they spell it and what it means to them

and all of the answers are taken down
by the pollsters and secretaries"

I wonder what Alexi would say about this topic. Certainly he has encountered words that are pointedly offensively towards Indians. Surely he knows just how hurtful these terms can be. He and Lowen would likely both tell you that it comes from a constant degradation of words and their historical meanings, as well as a cultural misunderstanding. If you look at what Lowen has shown us, in all the ways that out history textbooks make us out to be the righteous, God-ordained nation that is rightfully the owners of the land we now inhabit. Little does it mention the atrocities that took place to give us these things. In the same way, if our history textbooks did a better job at revealing the atrocities that came with the slave trade and the way humans were treated, such as given names as the n-word; more of our country would understand the problem with the word. As of now they simply see it as the cool word that is used by famous rapers and such . The history is so vital to our usage of any word, really.
Upon discussion with my brother on this topic, he proposed to me a situation. He asks me, "What if an a black person were to call you a cracker? would that not be as offensive?" And I told him no, I'd probably laugh to myself, really. For the word cracker has nothing to do with a person, it has just shown up as a slang term lately to distinguish a white person. When I think of the word, all it makes me think of a food. Yet then same cannot be said of the n-word, with as rich a history as it comes. That word brings up the thought of oppression and inferiority and carries the weight of every African American who died in bondage as a lesser being. Nobody died from the term cracker.
So as I would hope that people realize the gravity of such a term, it is clear that it will continue on none the less. The most we can do is refrain from it's usage and make sure those we hear use it really know what they're saying.