the n word?

Question

can someone please explain why is the n word racist for white people to say, im just asking i have never said it i just want to know what the backgroud of it is so then i can tell it to someone that says it

Answer 1

There's no linguistic reason that particular word was chosen to be an ethnic slur, any more than other ethnic slurs people use for Jews, Mexicans, Pakistanis or anyone else. How it was chosen doesn't really matter. Once a word reaches that status, most people avoid it, just like the "four-letter" (or longer) words, which also have acceptable alternatives for polite discourse.

Answer 2

There is a long history behind that word, but, at least in the United States, it has been used as a defamatory or demeaning word for someone who is black. Some may think it funny, cute, or clever to use it selectively, but those who have been branded with that label find it to be very hurtful, mean, insensitive, etc.

Answer 3

"Nigerian" became slurred because whites could not pronounce the Spanish word for black. Then it became derogatory, which turned into racist (i e whites thinking they are better than blacks). Now blacks get great mileage by using the slur in their rap music while also being able to throw the word RACIST at whites who use the word in any context (which goes against the idea of equality in speech). "What up, my N-word !!"

Answer 4

It has always been a derogatory term and for the last 50 years or so its use by anyone other than a black person has been considered an offensive racial slur, particularly in a country which had apartheid.