The 2013 hit single, \u201cMy N***a,\u201d features rapper YG saying the n-word 128 times. The \u201cclean\u201d version of the song, where the n-word is replaced by \u201chitta,\u201d has spent more than fourteen weeks on Billboard\u2019s Hot 100.<\/p>\n
In the song, YG explains how his n-word<\/i>s are an invaluable part of his life. He\u2019s got \u201clove and loyalty\u201d for them and he\u2019s not really enjoying himself (\u201cgoing in\u201d) unless he\u2019s with his them.<\/p>\n
It would appear as though YG is endearingly paying homage to his best friends \u2013 his n-words<\/i> – and how intertwined his life is with theirs.<\/p>\n
If the n-word can be used in such an endearing manner, why is the NFL trying to block its use during football matches?<\/p>\n
In his article \u201cLegislating Language: Will the NFL Ban the N-Word?\u201d, Sports Illustrated column writer Peter King cites Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman and Tennessee cornerback Jason McCourty\u2019s offended reactions to the proposal, which has been in debate by the NFL Competition Committee since February 28.<\/p>\n
Sherman calls the idea \u201catrocious\u201d, and Tennessee cornerback Jason McCourty feels that the word is a common form of address between African-American players and people who are friendly in nature.<\/p>\n
Professor of sociology at the MDC Wolfson Campus, Dr. Alejandro Angee, contends that the question is a difficult one. \u201cWhen young black males call each other [the n-word],\u201d he says, \u201dthey are not necessarily discriminating or acting out their prejudices against one another \u2026 the context and the subtle changes to the pronunciation (removing the ER at the end) become important parts of the use of the word as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry Carson, a linebacker who played 13 seasons for the Giants and is currently 60, felt the wrath of racism through the n-word <\/i>and is therefore unable to see how the subtle changes in pronunciation can justify contemporary amicable use of the term, according to King.<\/p>\n
I am not African-American; I\u2019m Hispanic. I\u2019ve overheard the n-word a sufficient amount of times to know that African-American people who use it don\u2019t do so in a degrading manner. For these individuals, calling someone \u201ctheir [n-word]\u201d is to acknowledge the bond they have with them.<\/p>\n
Therefore, I think that Carson\u2019s own veteran status in the world of American football illuminates the possibly outdated nature of his perspective, especially when contemporary players can enter a locker room and hear songs like YG\u2019s \u201cMy N***a\u201d blaring on the radio.<\/p>\n
The n-word has transitioned from being a derogatory term used by whites to demean African-Americans to one used by youth growing in the post-Civil Rights era. The very ubiquity of the newly amicable term speaks volumes about the gross social changes that have occurred in America. A historically oppressed people have been able to take a once-derogatory term and make it not only benign, but affectionate.<\/p>\n
Regardless, the outcome of this sociocultural debacle won\u2019t be had until the next set of NFL owners\u2019 meetings in Orlando beginning March 23rd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 2013 hit single, \u201cMy N***a,\u201d features rapper YG saying the n-word 128 times. The \u201cclean\u201d version of the song, where the n-word is replaced by \u201chitta,\u201d has spent more than fourteen weeks on Billboard\u2019s Hot 100. In the song, YG explains how his n-words are an invaluable part of his life. He\u2019s got \u201clove […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2773","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-forum"},"yoast_head":"\n