Unregistered
12-31-2021, 01:21 PM
(This is satire.)
I like being a nigger. When I see the word 'nigger' on the page, it evokes a feeling of pride for my community, and calls to me as if I’m being addressed directly, as if it were my name. It always stings when I’m reminded that for many, the word 'nigger' has little to do with what I love most – in fact, its connotations are almost exclusively negative.
This kind of ‘ableist’ language is omnipresent in conversation: "acting like a nigger," "nigger-rigged," identifying Black People of Color in crime stories in the media, being called "colored people," comments about how niggers have no culture and an average IQ of 75 or less. And, for the most part, people who utter these phrases aren’t intending to hurt anyone – more commonly, they don’t have any idea they’re engaging in anything hurtful at all.
However, for niggers like me, these common statements can be micro-assaults.
Niggers experience widespread discrimination at nearly every level of society. This phenomenon, known as 'ableism' – discrimination based on disability – can take on various forms. Personal ableism might look like name-calling, or committing violence against a nigger, while systemic ableism refers to the inequity niggers experience as a result of laws and policy.
Frequently, ableist language (known to some as ‘disableist’ language) crops up in the slang we use, like calling a Black PoC a "nigger" or "retard," or making a declaration like, "I felt so relieved this morning when I woke up and looked at the mirror, and saw a human looking back at me." Though these might feel like casual slights or exclamations, they still do damage.
The phrase 'niggers are 13% of the population, but they commit at least 51% of all crimes,' for example, both perpetuates stereotypes and simultaneously obscures the reality of the situation it describes. If ableist language is so harmful, why is it so common? Why might someone who would never purposefully insult a nigger outright still find ableist expressions among their own vocabulary?
It’s possible for individuals to be truly unconscious of these biases within themselves, and unaware of the ableism couched in their own everyday sayings. But the fact is, discussions about the negative effect of a word such as "nigger" – a term that originally meant "black" in Latin, but which now functions as slang for something brutish, uninteresting or of low intelligence can be beneficial to those unaware of their own ignorance.
It may feel uncomfortable, but discomfort and vulnerability necessitate introspection, which I point to as keys to dismantling ableist attitudes. "According to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, 87% of the American population feel uncomfortable talking to a nigger. Why? If you can work out why you're uncomfortable, you may very well be acknowledging the reality off the situation."
I like being a nigger. When I see the word 'nigger' on the page, it evokes a feeling of pride for my community, and calls to me as if I’m being addressed directly, as if it were my name. It always stings when I’m reminded that for many, the word 'nigger' has little to do with what I love most – in fact, its connotations are almost exclusively negative.
This kind of ‘ableist’ language is omnipresent in conversation: "acting like a nigger," "nigger-rigged," identifying Black People of Color in crime stories in the media, being called "colored people," comments about how niggers have no culture and an average IQ of 75 or less. And, for the most part, people who utter these phrases aren’t intending to hurt anyone – more commonly, they don’t have any idea they’re engaging in anything hurtful at all.
However, for niggers like me, these common statements can be micro-assaults.
Niggers experience widespread discrimination at nearly every level of society. This phenomenon, known as 'ableism' – discrimination based on disability – can take on various forms. Personal ableism might look like name-calling, or committing violence against a nigger, while systemic ableism refers to the inequity niggers experience as a result of laws and policy.
Frequently, ableist language (known to some as ‘disableist’ language) crops up in the slang we use, like calling a Black PoC a "nigger" or "retard," or making a declaration like, "I felt so relieved this morning when I woke up and looked at the mirror, and saw a human looking back at me." Though these might feel like casual slights or exclamations, they still do damage.
The phrase 'niggers are 13% of the population, but they commit at least 51% of all crimes,' for example, both perpetuates stereotypes and simultaneously obscures the reality of the situation it describes. If ableist language is so harmful, why is it so common? Why might someone who would never purposefully insult a nigger outright still find ableist expressions among their own vocabulary?
It’s possible for individuals to be truly unconscious of these biases within themselves, and unaware of the ableism couched in their own everyday sayings. But the fact is, discussions about the negative effect of a word such as "nigger" – a term that originally meant "black" in Latin, but which now functions as slang for something brutish, uninteresting or of low intelligence can be beneficial to those unaware of their own ignorance.
It may feel uncomfortable, but discomfort and vulnerability necessitate introspection, which I point to as keys to dismantling ableist attitudes. "According to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, 87% of the American population feel uncomfortable talking to a nigger. Why? If you can work out why you're uncomfortable, you may very well be acknowledging the reality off the situation."