It’s the same with what we might call “Cross-Racial Nigga.” Because “nigga” is not “n—ger,” a white guy saying nigga is not using a slur—he’s using a term of affection, often for another white guy. Cross-Racial Nigga is a byproduct of the “browning” or “tanning” of American culture over the past 20 years, such that many Latino, Asian and white Americans, and others, have adopted the cultural trappings of blackness—in music, speech patterns, body language, humor, etc.—to such an extent that it starts to feel natural to use the corresponding term of affection.
Sure, some of them in quiet moments say they feel as if in some ways they “are” black. And just as sure, they aren’t—there is no denying the grisly meaning of things like what happened to Trayvon Martin. Yet even the racial realities of what happened to Trayvon don’t lead us to pretend that words don’t change meaning, or even that somehow when it comes to one word with an ugly racial history, we can somehow block that from happening.
To wit, a person, white or black, can be perfectly aware of this country’s hideous racial history and happily refer to his friends as nigga. Because “nigga” is not “n—ger.”
This garbage is a pass for those that already think columbusing blackness is the right thing to do. Black music, black culture, black aesthetics, black features, black everything has leaked into everything there is no separating that reality. However I'm not okay with the fact that when black people do it, it is often touted as "ghetto" "urban" and unrefined but as soon as you slap it on a white person or put it on a run way then it becomes cutting edge and acceptable AND PROFITABLE. Since white folks recognized that taking from black folks and exploiting any and all of their essence would turn a quick profit that's what has been going on. Black people will die poor in the gutter rocking the same styles and aesthetics and doing the same music but if a white person does the exact same thing it's legit and its profitable and they get richer and go down in the history books as inventors of said thing while black people go unrecognized and uncompensated and die destitute and hungry.
Yes language does change but the word NIGGA is not for anyone outside of the black spectrum can we stop others from using it, no we can not, is it wrong yes it is. You can't be a Nigga unless you willing to actually get treated like one. You can't be a nigga unless you comfortable living in the hood and having sup par everything. You can't say nigga until you want to come and make a wage that barely supports your family and loved ones. You can't say nigga until you can explain to me why black bodies are used for target practice by police all around this country without repercussions for their actions. You can't say nigga until you can give funding back to all the urban schools that have been closed or underfunded while you stay in your private school funded by very rich alumni. You can't say nigga until we can have an honest dialogue about the way black people have been treated by this country and when is it going to change? You can co-opt and rape our culture like you been doing you can say whatever you want but it's still wrong.
If you're one of the nu blacks that co-sign your white friends calling you their nigga we don't have anything to discuss because you're already fucked up in your head you're already gone on the lie of post racial America. You believe that those that call the president a Nigger is a low percentage. You don't believe there is a war on the poor, you don't believe that has anything to do with you and you live in a very blinded way and I'm not fucking with you.
Instead of bending over for white people and letting the white power structure continue to terrorize and malign people of color there needs to be a shift. I need the shift to come so that black people's humanity is recognized and celebrated and our art is compensated and credited to us directly not just used for profit and gain by white folks. I need history books especially textbooks to have some honesty in what really happened to African's when they were chained and shackled and brought to this country against their will and I need the history books to document the way this country treats the very people that built it from the ground up. We aren't in a post racial anything and letting white people use the word nigga doesn't change shit for the way black people are perceived and treated. It doesn't put anyone on equal footing. It doesn't rewrite policy. It doesn't give anyone dignity at the end of the day so why does a white person want to say nigga so bad? What is so sexy and hot about the word nigga that a white person just needs to utter it through their lip-less mouths? What does the word nigga do for a white person? Stop and really ask yourself why does a white person need the right to utter the word nigga when they are in charge of the power structure that oppresses? They already got everything so why in the world do they need the word nigga too?
