I don't care if you think I'm racist, because I'm not. Nor have I forgotten about slavery, or the Civil Rights era etc. I have a lot of respect for people who have been discriminated against, and even worse, been inflicted with violence, because of something as trivial as race or gender, and made it through "being the better person" even though it SUCKED. But I do have a point to make, and I just have to say it blows my mind that people get so offended by the "Nigger" word (even I feel uncomfortable typing it) but nobody bats an eyelash at the (much easier to type) "Bitch" word? Hmmm.. When did racism become more important than sexism? I'm not really one to say (or think of someone) as either word, because to me both are equally offensive and have plenty of connotations and hurt feelings attached to them. But I can't say I'm particularly "sensitive" to the all of the "anti-prejudice" needs of some of the black rappers who refer to women as "bitches" (white rappers, and a-whole-heck of a lot of other people do it too, I know) but then get PISSED if a white person even thinks the N-word. If you call me and other women a bitch I should be able to call you, and my "homies" when I'm joking around, whatever the heck I want, whether it be the N-word or the "spik, gringo or cracker" word, right? Not so (or just) "black and white" now is it (what a funny use of that cliche)? Or maybe we could all just stop calling each other insults? Surprisingly enough, I happen to like being called Keri.
So, what do you think?
I don't think the word nigger is as demeaning as bitch. Nigger was a common word used for black people a long time ago. Somewhere along the line someone misunderstood it as negative. There are still some older people alive who say it in public and don't know it's wrong. Bitch has always been a negative term, unless it was used toward dogs. In Spanish it's almost always a bad thing to be called an animal, such as a donkey, cow, or dog.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, bitch, when used towards humans, is always meant as demeaning, and nigger is only demeaning because we made it that way.
I appreciate your brutal honesty on a hushed and sensitive topic! As a victim of a recent drive-by-bitch-attack, I can vouch for the fact that the term is just as derogatory and hurtful to women as racial slurs are to minorities.
ReplyDeleteCall others what you would want to be called yourself.
This was not only thought provoking but also very comical for me to read. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI can call my black friends nigger. They call me it as well. Any word of description can be inapropriate depending on context of usage. I wash cars. People could say that in a condesciending way if they wanted. I have a red beard. People can use that to describe me in a condescending way. Propriety is all about meaning we give, which is usual circumstantial, not actual meaning. As Michael payne said, we make things inapropriate.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I seem to recall a certain someone who loves a certain meredith brooks song with great relevance to this topic. I'm hoping this post has inspired that person to change her ways and abhor that song, or it is the same thing as black people letting the n word be acceptable when said between one another, but not when said by other people;)