Sunday, November 24, 2013
Hi guys! So I read the articles that Mrs. Kloser posted on the homework website about the use of the n-word. I found these articles very interesting because Charles Barkley and Adrian Peterson, two very respected African-American athletes, supported the use of this word. I understood where they were coming from because you hear the word used pretty often in today's society, but even though it is commonly used today and is not necessarily considered an insult, I still don't agree that people should be able to use it whenever they want. I don't think the use of the word is necessary; why couldn't they just use a different word instead? If it was once used as an insult to their own race, why would they think it's okay to use it whenever they pleased? I would consider that disrespectful to their heritage and an ignorance about where they came from.
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I agree that the use of the n-word, whether in the locker room or anywhere else, is unnecessary. I think the problem is not so much people taking the insult the way it was originally used in the era of slavery, since it's clear that from both articles that the writers and most of their teammates use the word towards friends, and it is not taken in this light. I think the problem is the fact that it creates a double standard for people using it based on their race. One of the articles quotes Charles Barkley as saying: "white people don't have the right to criticize the way black people speak to each other and that they don't have the right to use the N-word unless their black friends have given them a pass." The real problem is that using the word today creates division between the two races, since it is considered only acceptable for African Americans to use among themselves, but an insult coming from a white person. The thinking is that the word isn't really racist anymore since so much progress has been made toward racial equality in this country and the word is used in a casual way, but there is no way to use a word with a meaning that changes depending on the race of the person using it and the person it is being said to, that still shows equality between the races.
ReplyDeleteI think it must definitely depends on the environment that you are in at the time. For example Peterson says that he refrains from it being in his everyday vocabulary, but it's very common inside an NFL locker room with "60 alpha males", where it might be considered more of a term of respect or simply an acknowledgment of where your race has come from. Does that make sense? Anyway, I do agree that this word does separate races somewhat in our society, as it causes tension and in many cases degradation, which we hear about today.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I think that makes sense. The common phrase "what's said in the ____ stays in the _____" is used by Barkley in terms of the team locker room. In basketball, a sport with diversity regarding race, it's important to be close with your teammates and treat them with respect. By tweeting the n-word, Barnes invited the whole world to be a part of his teams "problem". I found it very interesting that Barkley continuously referred to the United States as "White America," when that is clearly not the case today (We have a black president haha). I liked when Donovan said, "be smart... as black folks, we really need to pull back. We don't need to refer to one another in that term. We can talk like MEN." Here, Donovan is emphasizing that the usage of the n-word was for an uneducated slave; today, that is not an issue in America. Remember, these are grown men playing basketball in the NBA! They should act like grown men! Shaq acknowledges that society has made the n-word negative, but says that there are also positive ways to use it? I agree with Madeline that it is disrespectful to their heritage to be using so frequently. In addition, I do not understand why it would only be wrong if used publicly? (How is rap music different if it publicly expresses the n-word?) In conclusion, I do not think there is a definite line drawn which defines the n-word as acceptable or disrespectful; however, the word is simply unnecessary today.
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