Why is "Nigger" such an amazingly visceral word? - or why shaming a word only makes it more powerful and the censors of it more irrelevant

[Caesare]

Personally I prefer "Moon Cricket" for my racial slurring

Spade, Jigg, and moolie are also quality slurs.

 

[pussy 420]

It's absolutely understandable why it's a little offensive when people use that. Especially white people. However, no matter who finds it offensive it won't stop people from saying it. That's just how it is.

 

[PantsFreeZone]

The best thing about the word nigger is that it rhymes with a lot of things. So shitty rappers can use it as a crutch.

Unless you're Gucci Mane, then you only rhyme it with jigger and nigger.

 

[AnOminous]

This one strikes me as pretty easy to understand. You can call someone a spic, a slope, a gook, a retard, a spastic, a limey, a redskin, or almost anything else and it's just an ethnic slur. If you call someone a nigger, though, you're basically saying my grand-daddy owned your grand-daddy, nigger, what do you think of that?

It's a lot more personal an insult to say someone isn't even human and that they're property, and more personal even than that when this was still the case in actual reality when at least in theory, your grand-daddy and their grand-daddy were possibly alive.

 

[Pozzingmyfilthyneghole]

Worse than calling a black man a nigger?
Calling him your neighbor!

 

[ZehnBoat]

Because it triggers niggers.

pretty much this
it's taboo, it's the word you're not supposed to say
it holds power
no one gives much of a fuck about fuck
because you can fucking say fuck all the fucking time.. not so much power.

literally if every person could say nigger freely, everyone would stop saying it because it means nothing then.

there are many dirty words that no one says now and don't care about because they aren't seen as dirty
if you want a dirty word to go away, don't make it dirty. it'll either stay and be used a bit because it's useful, or just be a thing of the past.

 

[Jozef]

If everyone didn't overreact severely every time they hear the word, it would have faded into just another racial slur from the past that most people don't use anymore. There are a LOT of people who only use that word just so they can watch someone flip their shit over it.

 

[AnOminous]

If everyone didn't overreact severely every time they hear the word, it would have faded into just another racial slur from the past that most people don't use anymore. There are a LOT of people who only use that word just so they can watch someone flip their shit over it.

You don't say.

 

[Ruin]

Nigger

 

[Army Burger]

Sayyyyyy Nigger

 

[Esgee]

It evokes visceral emotions and defies the Euphemism Treadmill. It's also useful as a political reference so there's an incentive to keep it charged, visceral, and fresh. Much like the Swastika.

 

[heathercho]

Mudhut, negro, jiggaboo, nigga...
It literally doesn't matter what you call them, even "African" is an insult. Who wants to be African? Nigger is a step up.

 

[AnOminous]

Mudhut, negro, jiggaboo, nigga...
It literally doesn't matter what you call them, even "African" is an insult. Who wants to be African? Nigger is a step up.

Nigger is the one you can't get away with, though. That's why you use other words to insult them.

 

[Thelostcup]

 

[Pozzingmyfilthyneghole]

It evokes visceral emotions and defies the Euphemism Treadmill. It's also useful as a political reference so there's an incentive to keep it charged, visceral, and fresh. Much like the Swastika.

The swastika has been renamed to the windmill of peace. Do try to keep up.

 

[Kled]

why is it visceral? probably because it was THE word used against african americans to dehumanise them during a period of american history that makes post jim crow look like a blink of an eye. slavery, muder, rape, lynchings words words matter. it's all over written and oral history and it is still in use so even white people can see it can be a shameful word. quite probably because of its vile nature it was reclaimed- it's hardly a unique trope. yeah it makes things complicated but if it's so hard for a person to be white and not say that word at the same time i think they have bigger problems.

It's not as unique as you're trying to make it out to be, trust me. If you "reclaim" a word you can't turn around and say that other people can't use it. That's not how language works in the slightest. Policing language is the same as policing free speech and also, you're giving American blacks too much fucking credit and assuming they thought that far ahead to say it gives them a type of Vietnam flashback. Anyone can say a word, who gives a shit if it's a "bad word". The best thing you can do to de-power a word is to not give it the time of day which is an extremely hard concept for people in general. A bully calls you a faggot? Ok? Who gives a shit? Go about your business.

 

[AnOminous]

My actual opinion, and this might surprise you, is that the word "nigger" as a derogatory term used toward anyone should be shot in the back of the head and buried in a deep grave.

I'd actually cite Richard Pryor on that, a black man who eventually abandoned the use of it, even though he had previously often used it in his own comedy.

 

[Mrs Paul]

In some ways I get it -- it's like I can insult my little siblings and pick on them, but when someone ELSE does it, NO FUCKING WAY. I think it's like that with nigger. You're not part of the group.

Still, I don't really feel all that much need to say it, and the way some people whine and carry on, I think their REAL concern is, "I want to be able to use racist slurs without being CALLED a racist." (Whether you're black or white or whatever). You can't have it both ways, jackass.

People, if you want to be an asshole, fine, but don't bitch and moan when I call you on it.

 

[heathercho]

My actual opinion, and this might surprise you, is that the word "nigger" as a derogatory term used toward anyone should be shot in the back of the head and buried in a deep grave.

I'd actually cite Richard Pryor on that, a black man who eventually abandoned the use of it, even though he had previously often used it in his own comedy.

Why though? Nigger relates to a very specific kind of person. It brings up a specific image. The association won't go away, because those people adhere to it almost religiously, you could call them anything else and people would still know what you're talking about.
They, like Chinks and Jews have such a strong link to the derogatory terms that describe them, because they are so that. You could call Niggas Bill Cosby's or Jello-pops, sooner or later you'll hear reeing about whatever, coz everything "negative" is associated with whatever word they get called coz they can't stop acting like a bunch of damn niggers.

 

[Lysol]

I personally am of the same mind as Chris Rock on the matter.

The only reason the word nigger ever hurts is because you are one. If you're not a nigger, you don't care.