What's up my niggaz and bitches? I suppose that is a pretty vulgar and derogatory way of opening my column. Then again, that all depends on who I am. If I am a white man in a cowboy hat, these terms would be inappropriate for me to open with. Actually, as a Persian girl it's still probably inappropriate for me to open my column like this, depending on who is reading the column.
There are some people who think the word "nigga" is only OK for black people to use to other black people and some who think it's OK for any minority to use it. Regardless, if I am Clipse with the Neptunes or Redman accompanying Christina Aguilera, it is appropriate for me to open my song with "niggaz and bitches." I suppose it makes sense, right? You've got Redman "reclaiming" the word "nigga" for black Americans and Christina Aguilera reclaiming the word "bitches" for female Americans, therefore it's OK.
Similarly, this same concept would be applicable to the word "redneck." If I began my article giving a shout out to all my UMass Rednecks, given that I am not white or from the working class, my word choice would be insulting. However, when I was at the Tim McGraw concert last week, it was OK for him to ask "Are there any rednecks in here tonight?" as the whole room cheered hysterically. I suppose he is just "reclaiming" the word for the white, Southern working class.
The idea of "reclaiming" a word is pretty common these days. Basically, reclaiming a word is the process of taking a slur and using it in a "good way" to help restore the sense of pride and honor in the word that was taken away.
The first example is that of black Americans, particularly in the media, who use the word "nigga" as a light and friendly word to describe friendship or companionship within the race, to try to take the "heat" off the word, essentially. The term "nigger" in the United States is popularly thought by historians to be the Southern pronunciation of the word "negro," which comes from the Latin word "niger," meaning "black." It was used frequently as a demeaning term by oppressive racists referring to their slaves.
What I wonder is why a word like this needs to be reclaimed. In my opinion, the pride comes from the root of the word, which is "negro:" black. The term "nigger" was used specifically by Southern whites toward slaves and is associated with images of death and hatred. Why is it that every time I turn on the radio, I hear "I'm a nigga, you're a nigga, nigga this, nigga that?" To me, the word "nigger" or even "nigga" should never be used. Aside from this column, I have never used the word, as it is not only touchy, it is vulgar.
The fine print is so small, that it doesn't even make sense. You can use the word if you're talking to your friends, but some of your friends get offended by it, and some of your friends don't mind if other people use the word, even if they're not black, but you can't say it in front of elders, except for some of the elders who don't care. Some people think Asians, Latinos, Middle Easterners, even occasionally white people like Slim Shady are included in this "niggaz" category, but some think it's just for black people. Why worry about all the fine print and risk offending people? Pride comes in the roots, not the word. Why not just avoid the word?
Similarly, working class white Americans use the word "redneck," particularly in the media, to build a sense of pride. The term "redneck" in the United States is historically thought to come from 17th century Virginia as a word used to describe the white working class in the South. The actual "red neck" was used to describe the sun burned necks of these poor white people, who worked long hours outdoors. In the past, a "redneck" listened to country music, was poor, racist, religious, drank cheap beer and had a mullet.
In songs you hear today, particularly country music, a pride is built, yet preaches the same theme: I'm poor, but I love God, I love my country, I love my wife and I love beer. I am a proud blue collared, redneck worker. It's amazing to have a sense of pride in who you are, but why do it with a word that's designed to look down on you? The word was created specifically as an insult. It was never a good word that became bad. It was bad from the start.
Next is the word "bitch". Apparently, there is a movement to try to "reclaim" the word bitch for women everywhere, brought along by a newer second wave of feminism in the 1990's. The term "bitch" began to be a popular slur in the early 20th century to describe aggressive and controlling women. Now the term has blossomed into a word with many definitions, and is in the process of being "reclaimed" by the feminist movement. Why would anyone be OK with using the word "bitch" so frequently? In my opinion, I think the reason that it's being used even more is because even women are using it. Missy Elliot tells us that we "won't find a bitch that's even better" and Meredith Brooks tells us that we're not ashamed to be bitches. We're not bitches and the term was only used to insult us. Why would we accustom ourselves to hearing it all the time, make it a "good word" and begin to be proud of being bitches?
The concept of "reclaiming" a word is around us more frequently than we notice, in much lighter contexts. The word "liberal," for example is generally associated with intoxicated hippies with no knowledge of politics or any desire for anything but protesting. The liberal party is trying desperately to "reclaim" the word for what it originally was: an intellectual political group with views less conservative than traditional political groups.
Similarly, the word "feminist" was originally a word for women who demanded social equality, but now has become a term describing manly women that want men eliminated from the planet, while modern feminists try desperately to "reclaim" the word for what it was originally.
These words are good words with a few negative stereotypes attached to them and people began using them as insults. The point is that originally, these words used to describe something good. Words like "nigger" or "redneck" or "bitch" or "fag" were never words that were originally "good". They are words that were created solely out of hatred and it is not our responsibility to add fine print and use them in a different context. It is not our responsibility to convince black people that they actually are "niggaz," but that it's a good thing; to convince white working class Americans that they are rednecks, but that it's a good thing; to convince women that they are bitches, but that it's a good thing; to convince homosexuals that they are fags, but that it's a good thing.
It is our responsibility to make sure when Tim McGraw asks if there are any rednecks in the house, no one cheers. It's our responsibility to stare blankly if DMX asks "where my niggaz at?" It is our responsibility to make sure our children know these words, the history of where they come from and to make sure they don't ever use them, even if they mean it in a nice way.
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