You’re girl isn’t stupid enough to fight a battle I know I can’t win, and I’m smart enough to know which ones I’ll unmistakably lose. For instance, trying to get people stop using the n-word is one of those fights I don’t stand a chance against – especially in Hip-hop.
First of all it takes a village or gang or crew, clique, posse or entourage – however one rolls – to raise someone out of self-degradation.
Second, it’s a first amendment right, though there are apparent limits on freedom of speech. But I can say ni**a or ni**er if I choose to.
Some rappers’ albums or songs bust the N-word right in the title. And Lord knows rappers spit with a “ni**a” ready to roll off the tongue at any given bar or measure.
Same for comics. Like rappers, they throw the n-word around like baseball during practice.
It’s deemed all good. But it’s only all good if black people are dropping it. Not that we needed it, but we were reminded of that by Seinfeld star Michael Richards.
But get this: Comedian Damon Wayans just the other day got banned from the Laugh Factory, the same stinkin’ place where Michael Richards went on his famous tirade. Guess what for? Using the n-word! I guess no comedians can use it there from now on. But come on. There are obvious reasons why white people can’t drop the n-word – not even affectionately as black people sometimes do. Hearing a white person say the n-word for any reason rubs black people the wrong way.
Some say black people need stop using the n-word and it needs banning. Okay genius how would one enforce or police prohibiting the n-word. No question mark needed – that was rhetorical.
We learned the word during slavery when we hadn’t learned the King’s English, so we called ourselves what they called us. We later began to use the word affectionately, just like some women use trade the b-word with one another. Even though we use the n-word, non-blacks can’t use that as an excuse, just like men can’t use the b-word on a woman who uses it jokingly on her girls.
We are known for turning bad things into good things, like discarded pig parts. Our ancestors found a way to season them and make them taste good instead of starving to death.
We forcibly, desperately and readily adopted a lot of things during the slave trade, and there are some we need to shake free of. Do we stop eating soul food since we’re no longer slaves? Should black women stop perming their hair since white women are no longer the standard of beauty in our minds. And what about the n-word? Let me know what you all think. And remember, it’s not what people call you, it’s what you answer to. And in Michael Richards’ case, you have to make them pay by hitting them in the pockets and calling them out on it – publicly if you can. Hit me @dshante@stlamerican.com.