sweetpie
B.E. Staff Sergeant
Posts: 2,081
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Post by sweetpie on Mar 23, 2007 20:57:36 GMT -5
Do you or someone you know listen to it? As we know white kids etc. are the biggest purchasers of this music genre. My question is why? What is it about this music that attracts them?
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Post by dolphinfan on Mar 25, 2007 10:16:31 GMT -5
Do any of the people you hang out with, **THAT LISTEN TO RAP**!!!, feel comfortable, calling each other, ***Thats my NI%%ER*** (terminolgy)? BE IT endearing or not( to you)?
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Post by vanillacandie on Mar 30, 2007 22:01:47 GMT -5
Sweetpie: I listen to Rap from time to time when the mood strikes. It is often powerful, reflective music - strong beat, strong words, angst filled descriptions of life - it's the perfect genre for teenagers. If you think about the issues that kids have to navigate these days - so vastly much more to worry about than just 20 years ago when I experienced it - it makes sense. Drugs, guns, violence, sex, disease - it was there before, but not like now! They see and often experience all the "adult" stuff now, have to figure out how everything relates to their world, but with none of the rights and privileges of adulthood. Plus, there's the possible explanation that they want to fit in with their peers or portray themselves as a "bad ass" to impress or even intimidate others.
Dolphinfan: I think it was Denzel Washington in Training Day who had a line where he said "My nigga, my nigga." Well, at the risk of being booted clear off this board, I absolutely love that line and use it from time to time myself - oddly enough with my husband... hmm... that's thought provoking! Anyway, I've never understood why it's ok for black people to use the word freely, but not white people. I once asked a black man (perfect stranger - I was extremely bold in my younger years) why he used the word. He told me that the more it's used the less power it has. I thought that was a pretty good explanation, but when I asked him why we couldn't use it he replied that we just can't.
Ok, let's open this up... Who amongst you uses the N word, and how (affectionately, angrily, etc)? Has anyone been called the N word in seriousness/with malice? If so, by what race, and how did it affect you?
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sweetpie
B.E. Staff Sergeant
Posts: 2,081
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Post by sweetpie on Mar 31, 2007 19:17:06 GMT -5
Here goes!
Heck yeah! and a few times by a carload of white guys. I absolutely don't like it, because for one you know when it is being used negatively, most of the time it IS meant in a negative fashion from a white person, which spawned the "I can do it, you can't," expression from us. When you say it amongst yourselves then you leave it there, but don't bring it out it out from your circle it will not be well received. It's not about "get over it" the scars are too deep and has been way past that for too long which is one of the reasons why most AA's cannot explain why you cannot say it.
Now between black folx we have the ability to change things into something acceptable. We have that right to take something negative and turn it around. We are an emotional, creative people and we've always taken "other" things and made them acceptable to us. Nigga is no different, it passed amongst a lot of us because we know that we are the same, we have a common lineage, we have a common reality which turned into common behavior patterns. I am sure that I don't have all reasons as to why but it is deeper than white people saying that it doesn't make sense. Excuse me for saying this but in my opinion white people care less about the realities of "other" races AA's being high on the list. You completely look at everyone from one set of eyes... yours. Which will continually keep the white/black thang going. The differences between us is cultural but historically we were made out to be much more different. We are NOT that removed from the Jim Crowe. My parents experienced it and to me other than slavery those years were THE most ignorant in U.S. history. You gotta understand the young set do not represent the AA's totally. Throwing the hip hop soundtrack and the slouched pants on everything does not represent all of us by a longshot. All are not amused and the young may be enamoured along with some ignorant 30 and 40 somethings. It is not about being unfair as to the reason why you can't say it and it be acceptable... slavery was unfair, Jim Crowe was unfair, housing discrimination, employment and lord knows the criminal system is unfair. You may think AA's are full of anger and are will to throw the fist up to da' man but consider all of this mess in history inborn/inbred wouldn't you be?
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Post by pelicanguy on Apr 1, 2007 22:17:51 GMT -5
Well, Candie, I guess I am one of the few African Americans who don't like the word being used by anyone, regardless of race and regardless of how it's spelled.
It's a derogatory word and it will always be that way to me and I will check folks quick when they say it around me, much to many AAs' surprise.
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Post by Blaque on Apr 2, 2007 6:56:30 GMT -5
Ok, let's open this up... Who amongst you uses the N word, and how (affectionately, angrily, etc)? Has anyone been called the N word in seriousness/with malice? If so, by what race, and how did it affect you? [/size][/color][/quote] Candie, I don't like it when anyone uses the word. But if I am being completely honest, when I hear a Black person say "my niggah" it doesn't evoke the same feelings in me as when I hear a white person say Ni@@er or Nigga. I heard it described as "having more venom" when a white person says it and I'd have to say that's very accurate. When a white person uses that term I cant even put into words the images and feelings that run through me. I couldn't watch the Michael Richards video a 2nd time because when I watched it originally I saw pictures of my ancestors being tormented and tortured by white people. So when a white person uses that word, as a joke, to be cool, because they are angry or just plain ignorant, it's painful.
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