Last November, American author Ta-Nehisi Coates did a book tour for We Were Eight Years in Power. During this event, a white girl questions Coates about what to do when non-African Americans spew out the “n” word. In essence, Coates explains how a stigma exists due to its history, as “words don’t have meaning without context” (Coates). Because the origins of this word sprouted from white slave owners condemning African Americans, not everyone is allowed to use it in everyday life.
This phenomenon is not limited to the “n” word; rather, it extends to our relationship with other people. For example, it is acceptable for Coate’s wife to call him “honey”, but it would not be okay for a stranger to call him the same. In this sense, the word in itself may not be derogatory, but the context in which it is used defines the meaning of the word. For African Americans, amongst each other, the “n” word may be acceptable because of their level of relationship. On the other hand, it would be unacceptable for a white person to call another African American by the “n” word, due to word’s context in the past between whites and African Americans.
Personally, I find it interesting that an white individual, whose native language may be English, is forbidden to use a word within their own language. Throughout this quarter, cultural hybridity has always been looked at in a positive aspect, but the “n” word shows that there are certain aspects of cultural hybridity that does not reflect a favorable turn in history. Although words have their own meanings, their true definitions are established through various forms of context.
Sources:
https://www.alternet.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_image/public/story_images/screen_shot_2013-09-09_at_11.15.05_am.png?itok=u51WDOI6
https://headguruteacher.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/x20142711071202qitokro-s8uda-pagespeed-ic-afnisfpvf0.jpg?w=640
https://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/10/13/636119392031889369953848753_customer-relationship.jpg