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Writer: Mandy Richards
Disclaimer: The following feature discusses the use of words that, to varying degrees, can be considered vulgar or offensive. Out of necessity, this entails the use of the words in question. It is strongly advised that, should you find such words distressing or inappropriate, you do not read on beyond this point. For the rest of you, some bad language follows...
Why Nigger will never be the new Black!
Sticks and Stones, the sixty minute C4 documentary on the controversial use of the N-word was a revelation not only for its narrator Ashley Walters (aka Asher D of So Solid Crew) but for anyone who has ever attempted to unravel the negative potency of the word nigger. Asher D was confident that his own everyday 'street' use of the word meant most people would find it meaningless in a modern context too. However his cross-cultural and intergenerational survey confirmed that even some of his peers, like DJ Shystie, take an anti N-word stance. She tells him "it's a negative thing…It doesn't matter how much times you try make it sound hip, it's not hip!" Confronted with his own information gap about the origins of the word and its impact historically Asher D comes to understand why the use of the N-word is such an emotive subject.
Who you calling..., Yid, Paki, Paddy, Jock, Chink?
All of the above words are recognised terms of abuse, but often context, delivery and intent are used to subvert their impact by those who are subject to such abuse. Many gays and lesbians for instance have taken the formerly derogatory words 'queer', and 'dyke' as their own and beaten the badness out of them by flaunting the words pointedly and openly. Some words however resist such a flogging. The N-word and the C-word – all still topping the bad language charts as the most offensive expletives and have been more difficult to subvert.
Comedians have been foremost in taking the sting out of the racial slur's tail. Shazia Mirza, a British Muslim stand up artist, uses the word 'Paki' in her act, in an attempt to strip the word of its pejorative power, 'As a child, I saw graffiti in big letters saying 'Paki' go home. It was my mum telling me it was time for dinner.' Richard Pryor's N-word jokes arguably did the same in the 60s, 'Ever noticed how nice white people get when there's a bunch of niggers around?' and more recently Chris Rock too, known for his unapologetic use of the N-word famously shocked and divided audiences with his 'I love black people, but I hate niggers' opening statement to one of his shows.
The flagrant use of the N-word in public by both black and white people is a growing trend led mostly by young Black entertainers, Black comics use the term extensively, and references to 'nigga' and 'niggaz' permeate many rap songs. For Black Brits however, the N-word was rarely encountered prior to 80s rap mania. The equivalent English abuses – wog, blackie, darkie or coon were the general digest of the day. Interestingly these words, have not been reclaimed by UK youth, while the use of the N-word, however, has disproportionately increased.
As Asher D and fellow rappers unquestioningly reveal, their language, lifestyle and attitude are wholly lifted from African American Hip Hop. Black British popular culture is now inextricably linked to America. And it's not all about the music. The use of the word 'nigger' became a trademark of Quentin Tarantino films too. When the character played by Tarantino finds a murdered black man in his garage in Pulp Fiction, he asks the character played by Samuel Jackson if there was a sign outside reading 'Dead Nigger Storage'.
There is none of this crossover 'cool' and familial playfulness however in the gripping scene from John Singleton's film Boyz N the Hood. A black policeman full of internalised racial hatred harasses Cuba Gooding Jr's character with a violently charged pseudo slave master assault. He concludes that had he shot and killed his intended target there'd 'Be one less nigger out here we have to worry about.' Pre or post slavery, pre or post rap & hip hop, with comic effect or without the N-word is still fully loaded. Some argue that any black person using the term nigger in reference to themselves or others is also internalizing this form of self-hatred.
Richard Pyror and Chris Rock eventually chose not to use the N-word so prolifically as a staple part of their acts. And both have stated it's not a word white people can attempt to use under any circumstance. Tarantino on the other hand defended his position in the mid-nineties saying 'the word 'nigger' is probably the most volatile word in the English language. He says 'Should any word have that much power? I think it should be de-powered.' Spike Lee questioning Tarrantino's motivation at the time asked 'What does he want to be made – an honorary black man?'
The world of entertainment has continually attempted to subvert loaded language. Alf Garnett's 'coon' calling in the UK 60s hit TV series Till Death do us Part was an attempt to ridicule the racist sub-culture the character typified. It however tread a thin line between subversion and endorsement. Artistically the N-word does carry social poignancy but when the lines between art and reality become blurred the confused Ron Atkinson's of this world find themselves floundering.
Mind Your Language
If given the context, the words nigger or Paki for example are said with intent to discriminate or promote racial hatred they are potentially prosecutable. In Ron Atkinson's case he was very publicly dismissed from his £200,000 a year ITV job. Any language that offends in terms of gender, race, religion or disability is potentially prosecutable.
Earlier this year the Government faced very vocal complaints from lobbying performing artists, most notably Rowan Atkinson regarding new legislation currently being passed through Parliament. Lobbyists feared The Race and Religious Hatred Bill would infringe their rights to freedom of speech. The bill currently calls for threatening, abusive or insulting words or actions with the intent or likely effect that hatred would be stirred up to be outlawed. Should the bill become law the use following terms: 'bloody Germans'; 'bloody Muslims'; 'bloody asylum seekers'; bloody foreigners, in the context of incitement to racial hatred could possibly be likely to result in prosecution, The context and audience of what is said are as critically important as the words themselves.
Regardless of whether license to use such terms is given informally amongst friends and family, or seemingly endorsed by society via permissive videos and film, popular art does not dictate the law. The N-word particularly was born out of venomous hate and though race relations are significantly improved since slavery the weight of suffering that word carries with it may never be diffused by time.
Links
www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/S/
sticksandstones/index.html
Channel 4's Sticks and Stones teaching resources
www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/
story/0,11710,1541488,00.html
Guardian article on British comedy with reference to jokes using the N-word
www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section6/
chapter_a.html#_Toc44745557
The law relating to Racially and Religiously Aggravated Crime
www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/
jimcrow/caricature/
Museum of Racist Memorabilia including the origins of racist language
www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features
/story/0,,1279223,00.html
Guardian article on Richard Pryor
www.shaziamirza.org/press/pr_
eveningstandard_aug01.html
Article on British Muslim stand-up comic Shazia Mirza