It's No Ones Word
One day I was sitting in the playground with two white friends of mine Sean Robb, and Jake Schlegel. We grew up together in St Louis Park, MN and were friends for over 4 years. One day Sean and I got into a confrontation and our fathers got involved and the N word was said to my father Seans dad said according to my dad, "all you ni99ers do is complain over the littlest things." After that day I was told never to speak to Sean or Jake and a couple of months later we ended up here in Toronto. The N word has gained such power that it can break apart a good childhood friendship. Sadly this word is used by so many people even while complimenting each other or by simply exchanging greetings. Many rappers especially black ones have gained momentum in the field of music by using this vile word in many of their music videos. They don't understand the disgusting history of this word which affected many of their own ancestors. The N word comes from the Spanish/Portuguese language which means black. During 1619 when black people were first brought from Africa the ships carrying them were called N word ships or, black ships. Eventually the word was used on the black slaves and still to this day this word is used by black people and other races. The N word has gone to new levels in our present day generation and by simply mentioning it in a song will make it ineligible for a Grammy. Too bad rappers who find the N word to be a smash hit to music lovers. I believe that black people, today's youth, and our world need to stop using this disgusting word and eliminate it from our speech and vocabulary. One thing that truly saddens me is that the N word quoted by many authors and journalists is the, "signature phrase of racial discrimination."
The black race has written books, petitions, and raised many racial cases on the N word. But never have they looked at themselves and truly understand that they say the word more than other races put together. Present day black people use the slang term of the n word, "ni99a," which they use to refer to one another. In the past black people fought for civil rights and to break the barriers of discrimination but they are rebuilding those broken barriers by saying this tiny but powerful word. Rap is art to black people and truly is a beautiful when stringing words into a harmonic rhyme. But when they include the n word in this rap it goes through the mind and stays there for a period of time and is used in their vocabulary. One example comes from Jay Z, " Ni99a Please," this song had the N word mentioned thirteen times and had mentioned various combinations with other enemy " black men." Before we wipe out the n word from our world we have to wipe out the word from the people represented by it.
Youth today are the most easily influenced group out of all the age groups. The N word has creped into the speech of all youth at least once in their life. How could youth be easily influenced by a word when it's banned in mostly all North American homes? Simple the word is carried around by youth there own age and is exchanged as greetings especially by dark skinned ethnic groups. But one problem which must be corrected in order to terminate this word from our from our world is to take it away from the high school environment. Black students use the N word as a social barrier against other races but at the same time other ethnic groups in the youth age category use it too as a social barrier because they are dark skinned too. Then light skinned students use it and when asked why they use the N word they say one simple phrase," everyone does it." In Woburn CI for example Black people use the N word, then Sri Lankan's use the word because they find themselves a dark skinned ethnic group. Soon the word is used by all groups because youth are easily influenced. It is everyone's responsibility to stop our youth from using this word in order to step up and stop the world.
Our world has rapidly made development in communication and technology which enables everyone to keep in contact wherever they are. There are good things and bad things about this rapid development. The N word originally came from European languages but not used in the same way as the North Americans did. Americans used the word as a name which was meant to make black slaves look stupid and lower than the white man. Yes the forefathers of America were incorrect in teaching many generations that slavery is correct which leads to the N word being used so much. But back to the point about world communication, because the N word has been spread through the media and internet chat most people have changed their perspective of the N word into a negative way and now people in the UK for example call and dark skinned ethnic group, "ni99er." Everyday we sit and hear the N word uttered in a conversation on the phone, internet, or TV and don't do anything even if they are half way across the world then we are ignoring this issue. Sooner or later this word will have grown to be known in the outskirts of the Sahara desert to the Northern Ice's of Siberia. We must stop the use of the N word on the international level.
The black race, our youth, and the world need to take a stand against the use of the N word by wiping it out of our lives and mouths. This disgusting word must be buried six feet under or it will find its way into the mouths of the next generation and will continue until the end of time. Now I send you on a task which no generation so far has achieved for over 330 years, eliminate this one word, from your vocabulary and when you are done pass on this task to your friend and even your black friend because they have no right to this word no one does.
"The Negro will only be truly free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs with the pen and ink of assertive selfhood his own emancipation proclamation.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
