TROUBL

I’m officially extracting myself from the Nigger debate, the back and forth quarrelling about the word in black America. I’m past measuring whether or not the scars left from its history are too deep for reconciliation, or whether today’s generation has effectively transformed the word into a term of endearment. It’s all a waste of time.

The word itself is a small symbol of the racism that silently attacks the fabric of America. Nigger is alive and well, but its power derives not from its use in rap songs or bigoted statements. Today the word’s power rests in its non-verbal expression, which is engrained in our everyday lives and institutions.

Nigger is silently screamed each time a cab driver zooms past you for the “less threatening” fare down the block. Nigger is whispered when you buy something and the cashier works extra hard to feel the money’s texture, hold it to the light and search for the stores counterfeit detection pen. Is all that work necessary for a five-dollar bill? Nigger expressions are not exclusive to blackness. Arab, or rather, people perceived to be Arab, understand this experience and phenomenon when security performs that extra search at the airport. When these moments occur, people rarely examine the underlying message expressed. Some don’t recognize it, and others are so used to it; they believe it is normal.

The energy and effort waged in staging mock funerals for the word should be directed toward finding ways to reverse the institutional racism that calls us nigger everyday. Our energy and effort should be used to find answers to critical questions such as, how do we make affirmative action more affective? The more time we spend debating the words historical and current impact, the less time we have to impact America’s lackluster educational system, which not only silently calls us niggers, but is also affectively training us to be Niggers.

If I am to engage in any debate on the word, my propositions will focus on how the media feeds us junk for news because, according to them, we’re too ignorant (hence, we’re Niggers) and apathetic for anything else. My arguments will attack America’s corrupt election process. Remember, it was only eight years ago that the Supreme Court officially declared the U.S. electorate “Niggers,” sweeping the Republicans’ dirt under the rug, following the 2000 presidential election. When I examine the word, I’ll ask people to fight against consumer racism. For instance, lower quality food is more expensive in low-income neighborhoods than in affluent ones. These types of efforts are more promising than the back and forth quarreling. Remember, consumer racism sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, which, in turn ignited the Civil Rights Movement. In the end, it’s not about the word itself. While one side believes change comes from eradicating the word altogether and other believes replacing the “er” with an “a” changes our fortune as a people, both sides of the debate seek the same goal—positive change.