N-Word Mea Culpas Are Wearing Thin

I for one would not have thought that the dog would use such a horrible word, I thought he was a good guy little did I know he had those racial thoughts. The cat is out of the bad and now we all know what he is thinking I am so very disapointed we as black people have had enough torture and pain and being treated like we dont matter or have a say, we are all human beings we all bleed red, we feel pain its a damn shame that this still goes on in our country and those you know who you are should be ashamed of them selves. For one thing we didnt ask to be born black just like white people didnt ask either only true difference is the color of our skin and the meek shall inherit the earth. God have mercy on there souls for they no not what they do.

Being born and raised in the south, my great parents and grandparents did pick cotton at one point in time. I learned early on the meaning of the word and that the n-word was to be used under no circumstances. I don't use it, my parents don't use it, and if I hear any my friends using it I correct them immediately. Why would I call someone something or allow them to call me something that I would not call myself? And I also don't use any terms that disparage any group of people - white, hispanic, asian, you name it. I may not be able to change the whole world but I can change my little slice of it.

The only comments I take issue to in these posts are that "all" black folks use the n-word. Being born and raised in the south, where my great grandparents and grandparents did pick cotton, I learned early that that particular word was one you did not use under any circumstances. I don't say it, my parents don't say it and if I hear my friends say it correct them immediately. Why would I want anyone calling my anything I wouldn't call myself? And by the way . . . I don't use terms that disparage any group of people - white, hispanic, asian, you name it. I can't change the whole world but I can work on my little slice.

The n word is nefarious. It's a good word, but *** don't understand it.

The N word. Will we never hear the last of this racist word. There is no excuse for anyone to use it. Blacks that use the N word try to justify it, others use it because they ARE racist. It is a no win situation foranyone to use this racially hatful tern.

I think this argument is old news. Unless the african-american community is willing to censor its own then what right do they have to censor anyone else. What about BET and the Black Businessmens Association. Is this not racist? I have lived in the South and have heard first hand African-Americans calling each other the "n" word.

i ran the red light b/c i saw someone else do it, great fallical argument. I do wrong b/c you do it too. Wto generalizing "black America" if you use it we can use it, this is ridiculous! like slavery neve happened, you do owe something white america established themselves in power and you reap the benefits, what if the Indians hadn't showed the Europeans how to survive, what if they weren't destroyed from small pox, NO white personn would be living in America, tooo lazy to til the land you reap the benefits, blacks had their own cities but poor whites were jealous and destroyed them. you are reaping the benefits, I;m tired of hearing stop grippin GIVE ME BACK MY LANGUAGE, LAND, DIAMONDS, GOLD start over without stelaing my wealth, albinos!

newsflash - I don't know where you live, but I have seen (with my very own eyes) Mexicans picking in cotton in North Carolina. Do your research, instead of assuming things based on your idealistic view of the world.

Wow. Very insightful, and I believe very wise words from Mr. Alston, this column's author. I am a 42 yr old black woman, happily dating a white man, so of course this hits home, and is painful. But I agree that our energies should be spent on fighting back racism institutionally. I believe in bottom line RESULTS, helping to make POSITIVE CHANGE, not in being angry or retaliatory towards whomever doesn't like me or my race, which doesn't change them; it only hurts me. I like what a famous gospel singer said just recently at a concert I attended, and I'll paraphrase..."people will hate you for some reason or another, if you're too smart or too dumb, black or white, rich or poor, up or down, so stop worrying about them and trying to please (or change) them. It doesn't work. Live to PLEASE GOD and HE'LL make it all right!" I have basically believed in and lived that philosophy all my life, and have found it to be true.

IN TODAY's SOCIETY..black people; you are not and have not previously been enslaved personally. Mexicans (myself included); do not and have not picked cotton in america. and white people; you are not being over ran by minorities, according to demographics the white percentage will always be higher.

IF a white person choooses to use the N word, please dont gripe and moan about it because it is not going to get them to stop accodring to the first amendment.. and When they create organizations like the NAACP because they think you are racist for using the N word ..please dont moan and gripe about how you live in a "black america"

They are racial terms for every group, black, white, hispanic, asian, etc.. and ALL GROUPS HAVE SUFFERED in the past. The thing is now we live in modern day America. You nor I, nor any American who is living in today's society does not suffer the way any of our ancestors did in the past. So i think it is time that all races accept that we honestly do all have the same opppotunities to succeed and make life what we want it to be. Of course some people have it easier than others, BUT ONLY as far as financially, not of opportunity, nor education. I think it is important for me to mention my race now so i am not believed to have a bias opinion; i am mexican-american ( 3/4 mexican, 1/4 white). I have gone to "ghetto" schools and i have gone to " preppy" schools. And although the enviorenment changes, the will to learn between students did not. There were in both schools, people that blew off school..skipped school...and didnt give a *** about it... there were the ones that really wanted to learn and both white/black students getting straight A's and going to college. ANYONE's LIVES AS THEY GET OLDER HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH america being unfair. ITS SOCIETY, those who work hard, succeed. Those who mooch off others, and focus on unimportant things not pertaining to their future..have a much harder life, whether they are black, white, mexican, puerto rican, or asian. All races live in trailer parks and in ghettos now a days.

There are two main points;
1) IT IS JUST HOW ITS GOING TO BE. you cant change a person if they dont want to change...
if they are going to say the " N WORD" they are going to say it, so dont moan and grip about it as if you, personally were enslaved. and if you want to use the " N WORD" and be racist, by all means do it, but dont moan and grip about how we are a "black america" when they create organizations like the NAACP because they think you are not going to be fair because they think you are racist.

2) Like i said, we all suffered... blacks; you are not a slave and were not. mexicans (myself); i did not pick cotton nor did my parents, whites; You are not being over ran and becoming the minority of the country lets face it white will always win in the percentages of demographics. You still have the same damn job opportunities as you did before. You get what you work for in this country. And honestly i dont remember meeting a white nor black CEO who got to where he was, by bitching and moaning for what "he is sick and tired of " he just did the hard work.

FLASH!

Just hit the newswires:

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (with the support of Marion Barry and in the memory of Adam Clayton Powell) are going to have legislation introduced to have the letter N removed from the alphabet. Sharpton told a group of journalists stading at a neighborhood hot-dog vendor that he expects to have the full support of progressive members of congress and will be calling Tawana Brawley and selected member s of the Duke University lacrosse team to speak at rallies.

First off, "Black America" doesn't use the N-word. Ignorant people, no matter what race they are use it. And I'm not sure what you think you owe us. The only thing we want is the same respect all HUMANS deserve. I don' t know what school you went to or the quality of your education system in the city you grew up in. But besides the 40 acres and a mule that was promised to the slaves when they were freed, which they never got; we are not taught to expect are want anything from any races. Instead we are taught that with hard work and a good education we can achieve our own goals. We don't want or need reparations. And just for your information there are more white people on welfare than there are minorities. There is something called the freedom of information which all people have the right to. Maybe you should use it sometimes. While I know that there are those in the black community that are everything you have called them to be. That is not the mind set of the majority of those in the black community. Now if I was to go around thinking all White people were racist and apart of the KKK, just because of what I saw on TV or what someone told me. That would make me an ignorant person. But since I have 1) Common sense, 2) A good education, which was paid for by my hard work and my tax dollars. I don't think that way. I had the courage to step outside of the box and not prejudge anyone based on stereotypes. And to be honest with you I look forward to the day where the NAACP has been disbanded, because on that day it will mean people actually judge people by the content of there character and not by the color of there skin. And on this weekend when I celebrate with my fellow veterans, I won't be mad at people like you because we fought and many have died for you right to say it.

First off, "Black America" doesn't use the N-word. Ignorant people, no matter what race they are use it. And I'm not sure what you think you owe us. The only thing we want is the same respect all HUMANS deserve. I don' t know what school you went to or the quality of your education system in the city you grew up in. But besides the 40 acres and a mule that was promised to the slaves when they were freed, which they never got; we are not taught to expect are want anything from any races. Instead we are taught that with hard work and a good education we can achieve our own goals. We don't want or need reparations. And just for your information there are more white people on welfare than there are minorities. There is something called the freedom of information which all people have the right to. Maybe you should use it sometimes. While I know that there are those in the black community that are everything you have called them to be. That is not the mind set of the majority of those in the black community. Now if I was to go around thinking all White people were racist and apart of the KKK, just because of what I saw on TV or what someone told me. That would make me an ignorant person. But since I have 1) Common sense, 2) A good education, which was paid for by my hard work and my tax dollars. I don't think that way. I had the courage to step outside of the box and not prejudge anyone based on stereotypes. And to be honest with you I look forward to the day where the NAACP has been disbanded, because on that day it will mean people actually judge people by the content of there character and not by the color of there skin. And on this weekend when I celebrate with my fellow veterans, I won't be mad at people like you because we fought and many have died for you right to say it.

This comment is directed to the idiots who think white people should stand up to BLACK CORPRITE AMERICA, I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY, what black corp. America that???s just another excuse for you people to use to keep the BLACK on WHITE on BROWN problem going just let it go if you cant handle the way things are here in America then you should pack up and take your ass somewhere else because black people did not create this problem and I don???t think anyone in this world owe me anything, until you take something from me then you have a problem, but all black people don???t think like that you people need???s to stop with this *** just stop this has gone on long enough JUST STOP. I am 40yr old black man and I like the DOG I don???t think he is a raciest because when you get mad at someone or something you don???t think before you speak it just comes out that don???t mean you are a raciest the DOG was mad so leave the man alone.

This comment is directed to the idiots who think white people should stand up to BLACK CORPRITE AMERICA, I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY, what black corp. America that???s just another excuse for you people to use to keep the BLACK on WHITE on BROWN problem going just let it go if you cant handle the way things are here in America then you should pack up and take your ass somewhere else because black people did not create this problem and I don???t think anyone in this world owe me anything, until you take something from me then you have a problem, but all black people don???t think like that you people need???s to stop with this *** just stop this has gone on long enough JUST STOP. I am 40yr old black man and I like the DOG I don???t think he is a raciest because when you get mad at someone or something you don???t think before you speak it just comes out that don???t mean you are a raciest the DOG was mad so leave the man alone.

What???s all the crap with the ???N??? word anyway? ???N??? is not a word ??? it???s a letter. The word is ***. Johnnie Cochrane got us to using the ???N??? for the word. The word is a bad word, but it???s no worse than the ???K??? word for Jews, the ???W??? word for Italians. Etc.