I've always had an interest in black history from the early developments of our culture and heritage to the harsh reality of slavery which saw the rape of the Mother land by the Europeans and Americans, to the more positive aspects such as the abolishment of slavery (1833) and the introduction of Human Rights, which moved us towards the development of our people and therefore the progression of our culture and its future acceptance into the world. This form of progression first of all being with the acceptance of our music, which saw Gospel music which emerged in the early days of slavery, (at that time it was seen as a way of inspiring dejected black people as slavery took full effect) and it became the catalyst behind the birth of Jazz music and many other music genres from that point on, Soul, Funk, R'n'B and Hip Hop are all off-springs of that foundation.

The same thing applies to the way we dress and the food we eat, as we look at the way things stand now, our culture has been accepted on a global scale, but we the people who have lived and continue living this culture have not been accepted totaly. Reason being is that society is willing to dare I say” leech off” of our culture, but still see the originators as outcasts. 

However as positive as it is to see us as black people, including our culture continuing to strive in this insensitive world that we live in, it disheartens me to see black people glorify negative elements of our past by using such words as 'Nigga' to describe their brothers. 

A word that for centuries has been used to degrade black people, is now socially acceptable, both among racists and even more so among our own people. So the question I want to ask is has the word nigga become so acceptable in society over the last century that we as black people have also accepted it? Now is our usage of the N word down to the negative way society has portrayed us? Is it down to the usage of the word from the early 80's to the present date by Hip Hop artists (who are seen as role models to the younger generation) who merely glorify the word, just not truly understanding its meaning? Or merely is it down to the fact that we have just become accustomed to the word?

There are also a lot of other negative things that have unfortunately become glorified in our society. The lyrics of many a song of Hip Hop is full of the glorification of the use of drugs, guns, women etc. Life is portrayed as a very easy piece of cake so far as you are in the right den. And the more “dreadful” you are the more accepted you become in the society. You become a “Nigga”

Not too sure? 

I personally believe that our social acceptance of the word nigga is down to all those points I stated, though people may have other reasons for using the word, for example some people say the word as a form of empowerment in order to remind themselves and others of both the ordeals black people went through and the true meaning of the word. The majority of black people have incorporated the word into their lingo, without truly understanding or caring what it stands for 

The word was created as a combination of the Spanish (European) word "negro," which means "black," and the Greek word "necro," which means "dead." Those who designed the word intended to plant in the minds of whites, blacks, and the entire world the image of black people as inferior, contemptuous, and mentally dead. This was done to support the psychological enslavement that was necessary to keep black people physically enslaved ” - (Some Facts about the word Nigga - Brother George Baba Eng, October 2nd 2003)

Now with that said it is apparent that as we continue to accept the social and stereotypical classifications that society gives us all we merely do is contribute to ourselves being both boxed in and belittled by society. Now some may believe that what I'm talking about is just a small part of the problem that we a black people face, however the reason why some may feel like that is because they have became accustomed to using the word nigga, as it has became the norm to them and that is something that we as black people have to avoid, and I truly can't stress how important that is. If we as black people continue to glorify and use this work, why then do we become angry when other races use it to describe us. What is wrong is wrong for both Black and White.

What WE need to understand is that the word nigga was designed to belittle black people and classify us as inferior. And once we accept the word nigga and these racial stereotypes that the media and society have presented and enforced into the minds of the general public and our people, all we do is add to the problem as our acceptance purely highlights us becoming slaves to a system that is systemically designed to control and ultimately humbling us. All it falls down to is a simply rule that I was taught when I was young, 'Think before you talk'.