"I never knew how much Pop culture affected my life until I left the country." (Anonymous) So true.
Let me make this clear. I DO NOT LIKE THE "N WORD." Not from black people, from hispanics, (especially) from caucasians, from polka dot people...no one. It makes me cringe when people do it. As Ericka Huggins, an African-American activist, educator, and former leading member of the Black Panther Party, explains, "it comes out of the history of slavery and Jim Crow, [it] was a taunt even in the times of the Civil RIghts movement to put Negros in their place."
Spectators began to mimic this behavior, thinking that it was now acceptable for anyone to use it as long as it was used in a friendly manner. What they do not understand is that there is an implicit disrespect for the origins of that word when used in a "friendly" manner. People who know what slavery and Jim Crow are, are implicitly demonstrating that the disrespectful manner in which it was originally used no longer matters. Basically, they're saying "whatever, that was in the past. Get over it, I'll say what I want." I'm sure the wives, husbands, sons, daughters, and friends of African-Americans who were slaughtered during slavery and the Civil Rights Movement would disagree. If there's any remorse or sincere regret over the past that African-Americans had to ensure (and still endure), then out of respect, the "N word" should never leave anyone's mouths.
For every person that knows the origins of the "N word" but still use it, there is another person who has no idea what it means and uses it because they think it's a normal part of English vocabulary. That is the situation that I deal with now as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Look at the lyrics of the majority of rap and hip-hop songs today. The "N word" is flung around like it's nothing. These songs are, oftentimes, the only expsure that other countries have to the United States and African-American culture. So, they think it's okay to say it. The problem is, now we're making this trend an international one. I'm sure the founder(s) of the KKK would be thrilled to see that the "N word" has went viral, thanks to the very people that the word was meant to taunt.
Admittedly, there are people who use it with no intention to be offensive. However, I'm curious about what their response would be if I adamently told them to never use the word again. I can't speak for everyone, but I imagine some people would tell me that "well, 'you people' use it, so we can too." My response is, don't let a couple people's actions speak for me.
I challenge those who oppose using this blatantly racist term to make their position clear. We cannot spare other people's feelings at the expense of what civil rights activists fought and died so hard for.