A Final Word on The Potent Power of the “N” Word

June 8th, 2012 - By Stephanie Guerilus

Source: dailymail.co.uk

As you know, Gwyneth Paltrow has been catching a lot of heat for tweeting ‘Ni**as in Paris for real’ during Jay Z and Kanye’s Watch The Throne concert in Paris. I’m here to jump up and down on my soapbox and throw the last bit of gasoline on that raging fire. I’m also going to light up a few of her co-signers in the process.

Russell Simmons recently wrote a blog about how we shouldn’t take offense to Gwennie using the “N” word because it’s a badge of honor. He wrote,

“And in the case of “N*ggas in Paris,” it is clear that these two poets are celebrating the fact that they now travel the world and are literally ballin’ in Paris … it started as a badge of honor, something to be proud of, something to poke their chests out at. Because for them, when they were kids, Paris was a million miles away and now it’s a private jet ride. The idea of being in Paris with a movie star, whether she’s black or white, is incredible!

At the risk of sounding uppity, the life story of Josephine Baker never made Paris seem that far away to me. It seemed within my reach because of her. She was a woman of color living in Paris and broke down many a barrier during her lifetime. So as a little girl, the validation of an actress referring to me as a “n*gga for real” didn’t cross my mind. But Russell isn’t the only one who has given Gwen cover for her a** to fall on. Gayle King stated on the CBS Early Morning Show that the song “N****s In Paris” is the reason why she goes to Paris. Oprah’s BFF obviously caught amnesia and forgot about the time she and Lady O weren’t allowed in the store Hermes for literally being n****s in Paris. The-Dream, who was at the concert, even took responsibility for the offensive tweet and then promptly told Twitter to pretty much get over it because it was all about context. If it’s all about the way you say it, where did the “for real” part come from? That’s not in the song’s title.

The biggest offenders in this rush to defend Gwen for getting just a little bit too comfortable are her besties: Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Their silence is just as incendiary as the “N” word. It even speaks louder. They don’t have to denounce her, but friends check each other.

The Bible speaks on the power of the tongue. It holds life and death. Our history has left too many of us dead just because of the color of our skin. From the slave ships of yesteryear to the Trayvon Martin’s of today, we are being killed because our lives are being seen as having less value and that perception is built around the reality that we are just seen as “n****s” to many. Too many.  A single word has damned the black community, but yet a lot of us want to change the meaning behind it. I suppose, but I don’t see Hispanics in a rush to reclaim any of the slur people use against them. GLAAD will fly down like a pack of locusts against those who throw around offensive language to gays and no exceptions or context is accepted. There are repercussions for others when insults of this manner happen in their community, but there’s always one of us leading the charge to absolve those that offend. What’s that about?

The default rationale is that we use the “N” word and so it’s permissible for universal use. In this instance, it’s the name of the song and therefore it’s okay. The word is littered in so many rap songs that you’ve come to expect it after the first beat drops. The use of the “N” word has become so commonplace that people just shrug when they hear it and that’s a Joe Clark Code 10 situation!  It’s time to get out of the house and burn it to the damn ground.

Blacks who are in a position of power have got to use their influence. Their platforms shouldn’t be used to make a mockery as to why there is outrage over the flippant use of the “N” word. Their silence and apathy in lieu of some emotion shouldn’t be either.  A lot of these celebrities shouldn’t act too surprised when they hear crickets at the cash register. If anyone can be that removed from how potent the “N” word still is and always will be, I can keep my hard earned dollars to myself. And that’s for real.

Follow Stephanie Guerilus @qsteph

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  • Trisha_B

    If the N word was to be banned, or stopped being used then another word would have been made to take its place & have the same meaning. So in a sense, we probably can escape the word but we won’t be able to escape the meaning or the racial context of it.
    (I wonder if instead of Gwenyth, it was jennifer Lopez, Selma Hyack, or anybody of another race besides white & black wrote “n-a’s in paris” on twitter would there have been such an uproar? I’ve noticed some blacks are fine w/ every race saying the N word besides white people_

  • sammi_lu

    I am more stunned by “Mr Do the Right Thang” Spike Lee’s silence than the Carters.. I mean he loves a ‘race’ debate like no other..guess you gotta pick and choose your battles.

  • Kim Morris

    I surely do not use the word or condone it being used by anyone. Every time I hear that evil word, I think of all our anscestors who lost their lives and the pain they suffered due to the color of their skin. Stop allowing the precious blood of our people to be continually shed in vain. There is no way of changing that word period to make it acceptable.

  • Mrsadkiah

    Black people kill me when it comes to this word. “I think it shows that we’ve come to a better place by being able to turn such a negative word into a positive thing”. Honestly this is one of the dumbest things that I continue to hear. If this was such an “endearing” term it wouldn’t be so loaded. If it was so “endearing” then all of our friends and family, no matter what race, could use the term in an “endearing” way. This and other words (such as gays calling each other queer and f*g) like it aren’t bringing you any power by using it. All it’s doing is make others (Whites and other Blacks such as myself included) think that you are exactly what you’re calling yourself: A n i g g e r. An ignorant Black individual. I don’t let anyone call me this, I don’t care what race you are.

  • REAL TRUTH

    SEEING THE BLACK FOOLS IN THE PICTURE WITH ONE OF THE BIGGEST SELL-OUTS [DOPE DEALING, BLACK COMMUNITY DESTROYER]CAMEL CONDONING THE USAGE OF THE N WORD THEY TOO MAKE THE LIST OF NO SUPPORT FROM ME, MUSIC, MOVIES CONCERTS, CDS.HOW DARE THEY!! LET THEM GET THEIR SUPPORT FROM THE OTHER SELL-OUTS, NOT A DIME FROM ME AND MINE !!

  • jackieOsassin

    it’s just a word, people. it’s JUST a WORD. if and only IF you allow it to incite fear, hate, confusion, or even defense against the supposed “description” it’s supposed to convey, it becomes more.

    but, in its entirety, it is nothing more.

    • lee

      It’s an offensive word that shows no respect or regard towards the person it is used against. Words have a lot of meaning behind it! No one will call me anything else but the name that my Mother gave me because I respect and love myself. All these rappers and other blacks in power who are pushing this word to sell music, and etc are the biggest UNCLE Toms ever!!! They are not making it any easier for the rest of black people living in America.

    • FromUR2UB

      Would you answer to it, if called by it? If not, then something in you realizes it’s more than just a word. You may not answer to the name “Chucky Cheese” either, but I feel pretty certain that would evoke a different emotion in you if someone addressed you by it. The power of life and death are in words.

  • REAL TRUTH

    ANYBODY THAT USES THE MOST DESPICABLE WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS EITHER IGNORANT OF BLACK HISTORY AND THE STRUGGLES CONFRONTED AND OVERCOME BY BLACK PEOPLE OR THEY ARE LOW-LIFE SELL-OUTS MANIPULATED TO DESTROY ALL THAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY THE BLOOD,SWEAT AND TEARS OF BLACK PEOPLE.NO CDS,NO CONCERTS, NO CLOTHING LINE,THEY REPRESENT. I REFUSE TO BE A PUPPET AGAINST MY OWN PEOPLE !

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/V6O2EBOSDDIC3EESW3JS22OYWA Vic

    Definitions, definitions, definitions.

  • DivaMisses

    I’m so tired of African Americans and people in general using the “N” word because it comes from an negative place. ONLY people who use the “N” word are uneducated,ignorant,and people who don’t know how to expand their vocabulary(and I don’t care who’s offended by my comment). I DON’T use the ,”N” word,never have,and never will. I will NOT condone the “N” being used or said around me.

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