I have always felt that the "N" word is one of the most despicable, hate-filled words imaginable. It has more power because of those things than any other word I can think of. Because of my views about this, it has never been a question for me to not use the word- EVER. I know the history of America, and the use of the word in this country well enough to know that it is not just a word.
While it's simple for me to say that I don't think anyone should use the word, I don't think that I have any basis to decide from. If using the word in the black community, as a term of endearment, allows members of the community to feel that they are able to take the power of the word back, so be it.
I was a little shocked to read about NWA in this article, not because I don't see it as relevant, but because of the way they've used the "n" word in one of their songs. They "see themselves as both targets of white oppression and agents of their own destruction. In their view, blacks will be called n****** by the larger society no matter what they accomplish in terms of wealth, education, or professional status, so there's little purpose in trying to shake off the word." I wonder how much, if at all, this view has changed for them in the approximately 20 years since writing about feeling that way.
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