Dilnoz Jabborzoda
Professor Wilson Ding
English 2100
December 15, 2023
Understanding a power of racism words
Racism used to be a very global and huge problem for people of color. In North, America racism dictated that different races should have their own distinct communities, schools, health care, hospitals, and churches. Many black Americans took to driving, in part to avoid segregation on public transportation. As the writer, George Schuyler said in 1930, “all Negroes who can do so purchase an automobile as soon as possible in order to be free of discomfort, discrimination, segregation, and insult”. [1]. Black Americans employed as athletes, entertainers, and salesmen also traveled frequently for work purposes using automobiles that they owned personally”. Prejudice, inequality, and bigotry are slowly disappearing now. Overt actions of racism are less frequent now than they were in the past. Comparing 1962 and 2022 years, a lot of things are changing, such as equal opportunities for both white and black, however, there are a lot of things that needs some improvements and works in society against racism. As a biologist, Susan Gooden says about racial equity, [a]s experience shows, racism remains an insidious problem in our society, with deep social, political, and institutional roots. Diversity programs certainly cannot ameliorate the pervasive plight of racism in our society, but they can help make the workplace a less hostile, more accommodating, and healthier setting for all its members. But institutions need to be more forthright in addressing race. (n.p).
Our world has always been faced with issues of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics in modern life. The detention of discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that are different for their religion, skin, color, and gender. It also can be confused by other terms such as prejudice and stereotype. In today’s world people are struggling with this issue. The image of this held in peoples mind regarding certain racial or cultural groups without consideration of whether the images held are true or false. For example, inequality between white and Black Americans persists in almost every aspect of society. There has been progress in recent decades, but wide gaps still rooted in the legacy of slavery, segregation, and discrimination over Black people in society.
The words Negro, nigger, and nigga have always been a sensitive topic in US. The topic that needs to be addressed considering the more common use of its vernacular. One word is used to describe a color, while the others are used to define a people. It’s very clear to many the negative connotation these words carry, but where did these words come from? The history of the word nigger is often traced to the Latin word nigger, meaning Black. From the earliest usage it was “the term that carries with it all the obloquy and contempt and rejection which whites have inflicted on blacks. Racism is in the structure of everyday worlds that inform the extent to which racism constitutes modern society. The racism of modern generation is not only is a function of its distant origins but also refers to manifestations embedded in practices, artifacts, discourse, and institutional realities.
I have found one of the interesting essays written by Gloria “Mommy, What Does Nigger Mean?”, she emphasis the effects that determine how a person thinks and behaviors based on a stereotype about African Americans. The way words and action can influence the way racial identity is formed, like a word “nigger” is used towards the African American race. When children of a certain ethnic group grow up, they often hear phrases or words that are used often by that specific group, and they develop a definition of that word or phrase. Ultimately, the word is usually never used to hurt someone’s feelings or to put them down but instead used to greet one another or used to describe someone. They are perceived as ignorant or having ignorance.
Gloria believes that the word” nigger” has many different outcome or connotations and begins to question that it had meant when she had been on the receiving end of world. Language can be how words are used, what their meaning is and the purpose behind that selection of words. Reality is everyday life and experiences. When she was at high school she got called ‘nigger’ when she was handing papers back, and she states, “he snatched his test from me and spit out that word” (Naylor 512). At that moment she got confused by the word because she had never heard about it. They went home and ask her mom about the meaning. Even though “nigger” is a word that is still used today, it is not as offensive as it was back then. When black people use this word among themselves, it’s not really a problem, but if a white person calls a black person ‘nigger’ it brings some hostility. Furthermore, the author’s goal is to tell the reader that “The dynamics were the exact opposite: the people in my grandmother’s living room took a word those whites used to signify worthlessness or degradation and rendered it impotent” (Naylor 2). This signifies how the African American people during her time chose not to be offended by the word ‘nigger,’ but turned around and made something positive out of it. Her essay also relates to me because I understand that different words have different meanings. “I didn’t hear it, until it was said by a small pair of lips that had already learned it could be a way to humiliate me” (Naylor, 512). My own experience is the best example that proves it. When I participated in one of my college events it was a conflict between two boys of different races, Hispanic and black. During their conflict the Hispanic boy bluntly called the black boy a nigger, and that was when the rest of the black students became verbally involved. I remember screaming out “who do you think you are calling him that?” If the white, Hispanic, or any other race calls us a nigger, black people become hostile. I have put more thought into that incident, I ask myself who do we think we are calling them like that. So, I think sometimes they could not understand that they are not using them correctly and choose not to be offended someone.
There are some studies that examine the impact of race-related issues on students’ emotions. The dialogue on race and racism elicits many emotions, especially unpleasant emotions. In public settings, people of color who attend gatherings where negative stereotypes regarding people of color are discussed, may feel annoyed, angry, powerless, and pained. For instance, people say nigger, they think of a black person,” Daley said. “But when you say nigga, it’s like you’re my friend. Like, ‘What’s up my nigga,’ or something like that”. When black people use the word nigga in a casual conversation, they’re not offending themselves. Outside use of the N-word wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the cultural factors that have begun to suggest its acceptability today. But I feel like if we were on the field and a white person said nigga, we would take offense to it.
To sum, the rhetorical situation with understanding racism words and effects on society is significantly influences how perceptions of racism are shaped. By considering deferent authors point of view, I can navigate the complexities of discussing racism word in a way that fosters understanding, empathy, and positive social change.
Bibliography
Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, December 5). The negro motorist green book. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book
Ipl.org. “Gloria Naylors Mommy, What Does Nigger Mean?” Essays, Research Papers, Term Papers, February 19, 2021. https://www.ipl.org/essay/Gloria-Naylors-Mommy-What-Does-Nigger-Mean-PJ5CJM8DUYV.
Rice, Andrew, Margaret Hartmann, Chas Danner and Benjamin Hart, Kevin T. Dugan, Ed Kilgore, Nia Prater, Shawn McCreesh, et al. “The Black Conversation around Larry Wilmore’s ‘nigga’ Remark Was Really about Something Much Bigger.” Intelligencer, May 7, 2016. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/05/understanding-the-wilmore-nigga-conversation.html.