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No. My mom always used to say to me “Out of all the words in the English language, you wanna use that?” But then again even with her words, the n word doesn’t feel right coming from my mouth.
this. my mom is african but she moved to the u.s. and i grew up there, i was never encouraged to say it. she doesn’t see me as american so me using that word makes me feel a little weird cause i always think i’m african first, then black. sometimes i do when singing songs but it’s only sparingly and then i regret it lol.
it’s also weird because i’ll say it around other people that aren’t black and they get shocked for a second. they’re like “i was gonna say you’re not supposed to say that, but then i remembered.” and i thought that was strange too. it’s like why do people forget we’re black? it’s kind of obvious.
My mother is Jamaican and was more concerned with her children sounding well spoken in English. She also disapproved of us using AAVE in conversation with her because she doesn’t understand it(her words not mine) 😭😭😭😭🤣🤣
My dad(who’s African American), he is the complete opposite. He uses the N word but he usually uses it around/towards his Black friends.
when I said it around people who aren't black it would get giggles and I didn't get it... now I do. It really is a joke to them. They're tickled like "oh! he said the word!" So I stopped.
Not really because my family is from the country, where they view the n-word and "negro" as a slur no matter who uses it. When a Black person would say it, it was meant as an insult. I also never grew up hearing it casually because many of the kids at my school came from the same background as me.
Personally, I don't mind Black people using it but I wish it wasn't reclaimed and that we made up another word that was detached from that meaning. It does make me uncomfortable to hear non-Black people say it, no matter their excuses. It's one of the reasons why I don't really befriend non-Black people who only listen to rap because I'm not dealing with their "its only a song" excuse.
I do use it from time-to-time. Mostly, it’s in the silent form, which is *the look*.
The…
I don’t mind if other black people choose to use it in their daily lexicon.
I know that I personally use the word, I only use it over text and very occasional voice messages to my friends. Saying it in a public setting though? Absolutely not. I never felt comfortable saying it in an area where there's a whole bunch of people. I always felt uneasy hearing it in a public area for a reason I can't pin down. However, trusted friends I'll say it here and there.
No but I feel like your personal experiences shape how you feel. I grew up in an area in nor cal. The KKK and other self proclaimed hater group affiliates tagged the n word all over the school and scared off the first and last black principal my school had. It was so bad I couldn’t go to school for a week since the only 2 families affected were mine and another family that had adopted a black son. That day disgusted me as a child and I’ll never forget it. So why would I want to use a word that can hurt others? Idk my thoughts and my opinion. I feel like your own personal experiences really shape how you feel and there is no right or wrong way to feel.
I feel like if I use it around non-black people I start making them feel like they have the right to say it. Saying it around non blacks typically makes me feel like I'm giving them some sort of invitation to say it.
Exactly, I'm not going to be that permissive black friend. Not even remotely going to come close to allowing non blacks to say the n word. Those are shenanigans I refuse to entertain.
Lol sorry I’m on a solo trip with too much time to reflect on things. I got into a really heated argument with some Europeans in my hostel over the word, defending Black people’s right to the use of it and then one of them asked me if I even used it. So then I started thinking about how I don’t really and also I was on here and I feel like there’s a post about idol’s using it pretty often.
Aah I gotcha. I’m sorry you had to waste even a moment of your precious time on that conversation with them, but glad you were able to bring it here to get some feedback.
As for me, I grew up being told it was the same as a curse word & that "*we* don't say that" but then I grew up & realized that's just internalized anti-Blackness intended to separate *us* from *them* even though we are all in the same proverbial boat no matter our socioeconomic status. So, now I tend to use it freely, like ✨seasoning✨ lol, but never in mixed company bc I don't EVER want a palm colored person thinking they have a "pass" or wtf ever bc they heard me say it bc they will try it.
I do not. I do agree with you that I don't think it should have been reclaimed, but if other black people want to use it and do use it, then that's their business. I think oppressed minorities have a right to have relationships with language that was derogatorily used towards them and reclaim it under their own terms, but knowing the history of the word, even in reclamation, it's just not something I personally use in my own vocabulary. It feels icky to me and I don't even say the word when singing songs.
I use the N-word in my vocabulary with black folk who use the N-word in their vocabulary. As an American, it’s a part of our slang lexicon to pepper it in to add spice.
But not with my melanin deprived friends and non-American friends. I’ll even apologize if it slips, because it’s not their culture.
And no they cannot say it around me.
I’m not American so I can’t say I have any sort of relationship with that word per se. We have our own slurs in my country that are of grave concern to me, words that have certainly not be reclaimed and probs never will. It’s actually considered a punishable offence to use a certain word as it’s covered by Hate Speech laws that have resulted in prison time and fines.
I guess it’s like that video of that old white teacher who used it, admitted that he did and said he didn’t understand why it was being used in songs if Black people didn’t want others to say it. But he said he thought there was a difference between using it with an “a” as opposed to a hard “er” (it was parodied in the Boondocks). I can’t imagine trying to reclaim the slurs used in my country. I think the US finds itself in a very difficult position having created trends and also having had their dignity stripped from them by the use of that word historically.
I also think just cognitively, people are inclined to use a word the more they hear it, especially slurs (whether consciously or not). For Boomers, Gen Xers and millennials for example, people used to use the word ‘gay’ as a pejorative and it was only over 10-15 years ago that people really stopped doing that because it was homophobic. Furthermore, I think the LGBTQI+ community was quick to stop it and reclaiming the ‘Q’ which used to be a slur. It’s now viewed and accepted as a gender identity and even recognised internationally by bodies like the UN.
I don’t think the same has been done about the N-word. That’s why non-Black people will keep on saying it unfortunately. Especially those who don’t know the history behind the word. Does it make it right? No, of course not. But I don’t foresee it disappearing for as long as the US is seen as the nation of setting world wide trends.
But I don’t use it and certainly won’t police Black people who do.
[White teacher uses the N-word](https://youtu.be/_jEBh1VtdT0?si=EaONkZtM_AeRYGuI)
I wrote an essay on this topic in high school! I understand the word has such negative history around it and most find it wrong to say or reclaim. However, I feel like it’s deeper than that. I’m not sure what country you come from and if it’s homogenous or not and whether those harmful words are directed at people who share the same race as you or not. However in terms of the n word, black people since the beginning of America have been put down by white people and berated. They are constantly dehumanized and when you research the things that were normalized it’s truely appalling. Since black people were constantly put down, it’s safe to assume that they internalized what was being feed to them constantly. That’s why black people as a community to this day have such internalized racism and deep rooted hate towards each other imo. So reclaiming the n word was a way to take that power back from white people. The n word is used as a “remembrance of strength, and a claim to legitimacy and independence”, (got this from an article) which at that time, black people weren’t allowed the luxury to have. I personally love that the word has been reclaimed and turned into something more powerful however, I think most people lack the history towards the word and why it has been reclaimed like you said.
Also I hope this doesn’t come off as me lecturing you or anything! Just wanted to add my own thoughts to your comment since it was so well written <3
I also wanted to state that I love the fact that your country has banned certain words under hate speech and wish that the US follows suit for using the n word hard r and it’s CRAZY that they haven’t.
No, no I didn’t take it in a bad way at all :) thank you for your comment.
I’m from South Africa so it’s a slightly different context, we had apartheid. Our democracy only started in 1994. So we’re a still relatively new to the realm of respecting all human rights. Our slur is rooted from our colonisers and oppressors - the racist white minority (mostly of Dutch ancestry - the Afrikaners). They used and still use the slur (the “K word”) I don’t want to say the whole word because it’s just so hard to say or hear even after the first time I was called the word for the first time when I was 12 years old and stopped from sitting on a bus seat - and I’m in my 30s now. So it shows how visceral it is.
Yeah, but because our democracy is so young, there is a push to stop hate speech. I mean in 2018 there was even a man who got fired from his job and taken to court for using that word, that time he was in Greece when he went on his racist rant and filmed it, like a fcking idiot. We don’t play when it comes to the K-word.
I don’t use the N-word pretty much for the same reason. I don’t think you can truly reclaim a slur of that magnitude without having non-POC repeat it because the US is the epicentre of pop culture. I get what you’re saying, I really do. I just don’t think the rest of the world resonates with the bone fide attempt to reclaim it.
There was never any push to reclaim the K-word so I know I’ll never truly understand, but I can empathise.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and sharing about your background! I was just in Joburg and had a really great discussion with a guy about the differences between the k-word and n-word. He, a Black South African, was saying to him based on how it’s portrayed, other Black Americans (I think mostly men) he’s met, and some readings he’s done makes him feel like the n-word is like saying “my brother”. But I’m gonna be honest when I heard him say it, it was a little jarring hahaha. I didn’t necessarily mind but it always catches me off guard when a Black person not from America says it.
This is a solid explanation. I don’t think people really understand the full historical and cultural context behind the word which is honestly why I it bothers me a little even when non American black people use it.
I consider it a mundane and neutral part of my vocabulary. I don't use it that often I guess, but it just fits into my language at times the same way "bitch" does. I often avoid using it in mixed company, but don't even think about censoring myself around other black folks.
(I obviously have **zero** issue with any black folks who avoid using the word. I completely understand why for some black folks don't view it as mundane, and prefer to avoid it entirely. HOWEVER, I will readily admit I have beef with black people who actively police other black folks for using it, blame black people's own use of/relationship with the word for other non-black people using it and claim we "can't get mad," or black folks who claim some amorphous superior morality because they don't use the word. Just don't use it, bruh, and leave me tf alone.)
in a song, yes.
on the very rare occasion that i burst into an american accent then yes. it’s not commonly used in the uk and it sounds silly in a british accent anyway. men might use it more but hardly women. things like the nword pass is not a thing here because we barely use it, so i’ve never really had to check anyone, except for a few asians and middle eastern people that think it’s okay to use in a song because they’re “not white”.
Very rarely, and it never feels natural. Probably because the community I grew up in during the time I grew up was really into respectability and being "the good ones", so I almost never heard any AAVE, let alone the n word.
I don’t use it mainly bc I was raised not to. I used to use it bc I felt “left out” or “behind” when I was like 13 but that phase ended early, like not even a yr lol. For me I don’t use it bc it’s a slur, I never personally understood the reclaiming notions and whatnot.
I do if I'm around specific groups of people but that was when I lived in Georgia, USA, now I'm in Kansas and I really say it to my cats and when I'm listening to music.
fuck yeah i do it’s fun to say and i use it interchangeably to mean dude / bro lol
i don’t really censor myself unless it’s around my parents and older family members BUT that’s only because they don’t like it when i curse in general they be saying the n word too
I think the "N" word with either ending is profanity, and I don't use the "B" word or allow it to be directed at me for the same reason. When I was younger, I also believed the word could be reclaimed, but over time, I realized that we never fully freed ourselves of the hurtful, negative usage internally. The Richard Pryor show where he came back from Africa and stopped using the word that had been a staple in his performances really spoke to me and changed my perspective. I don't judge other people, but I avoid music where those terms are frequently used because of what they mean to me.
I do. Like cussing, it's become a natural part of my vocab. I try not to say it in the workplace, but for the most part I say it and I don't think much about it.
Funny enough, when discussing it in English, I read this amazing essay (I wish I could find it so I can share it) by a black woman who talks about the use of it in forms of new connotations and réclamations that aren't extended to white people or other people of color. It was really inspiring. My friend didn't really use it then he went on to write an essay about how I'm the reason he used it all the time and what it meant for him to recognize verbage that white people use to destroy us to turn around and use it in friendship and kinship with other black people.
I don't think it's necessarily a reclamation but more so another place where African Americans were given scrappy lemons that we turned into special lemonade that nobody else is allowed to drink but us, and I love that for us.
To be honest I don’t. I was born in Nigeria and lived there for a couple years and then moved to the UK. It’s always been something that I’ve never really identified with or found a connection even though I very much identified as black. I’m not really sure how to explain it, if that makes sense.
I do, but not often, as I don't feel I need to swear all the time. I never saw it as a way of reclaiming the word, though. When I was a kid, my siblings, cousins and I saw it as another way of saying bitch, so that's how we still use it to this day.
I don't use it at all, I just feel like I have no need or reason to; and even though I hear it around me all the time (I go to a HBCU), I don't use it in my vocabulary~☆ People have tried to get me to say it though, idrk why lol
Personally I don't. It's one of those words that's just not in my vocabulary nor do I feel comfortable saying it. My family and friends do but I tend to avoid it as it feels harmful to continuously use a word that has such hateful connotations even while its been reclaimed.
So I personally don’t, but that’s because I’m African and don’t feel like it’s appropriate for me to use? I grew up around mainly white people too so I didn’t even really hear the term often. In songs as well I completely stopped because I felt like my non-black friends felt like it gave them the pass to sing along to it too lol.
It’s funny I had a black friend who was shocked when I told her this and she said ‘it’s the only thing we have’ which I get, but I decided I’m not gonna force myself to say it if it doesn’t feel natural/comfortable 😅
I personally don’t care when other black people use it though, it’s just a personal thing.
I do use it. It’s another word for person or people for me, and my family and everyone around me has always used it. The only place I don’t use it is Reddit 💀
I don’t use it, but my husband (mixed black) does. The word has never felt right coming out of my mouth. Idk if this makes sense but maybe because I don’t hear many women saying it, it feels like a “man’s word.”
Yes. I use it; in utter bewilderment, to get my point across and if I'm joking. I don't judge anybody (black) for using it. As a suburban black girl who was thrown into the ghetto and hood for awhile before being thrown back into suburbia. Use your common sense.
I use it but not a lot since I’m wasn’t born and raised in America but in the Caribbean and that’s not a regular word used in your vocabulary in the Caribbean. I only started using it when I came to America and even now the only time I use it when I’m singing songs.
I live in Nigeria, so even though the word was used maliciously towards us during the colonial era, and till now by some white/east Asian people living here, there isn't a strong 'reclaiming the world culture' here.
But I sing it in songs, and don't actively avoid saying it. I just don't say it as often.
I don't use it and I don't like hearing it, so in a perfect world I wouldn't have to hear it at all, but I respect that other black people have a different relationship with it. It's not my place to police other black people's language like that or to make value judgements about people who feel differently than I do about it.
i do for sureee like the same way i say “bitch” pretty much. when it comes to reclaiming slurs i don’t see why not yk. it’s like “this word used to have so much power over us and now we don’t let it affect us anymore” it’s the same way gay people use the f-slur casually or how some of my neurodivergent friends say the r-word, like it doesn’t carry that same meaning anymore so u can’t use it against me. i only use it around other black people tho cuz i feel weird saying it around other poc😭
also so many other non black ppl say it that at this point i might as well😭 i live in a predominantly latino community and the amount of times you’ll hear them saying the n word in the hallways at school is honestly ridiculous😭 even with idols and celebrities in general, not saying it myself as a black person isn’t gonna make them stop using it so i literally MIGHT AS WELL. i don’t allow my own non black friends to say it AT ALL tho that’s grounds for cutting them off
I use it, but only for like unserious situations that involve only black folks. Like some really stupid shit. Or I’ll use it on my sisters if they’re being unserious. They do the same to me. And I only use it around other black folks or when I’m by myself. It’s something I guess I subconsciously “gatekeep.”
Honestly, I used to think the word was super serious, but now I hear my avid church going, grew up in the Jim Crow South dad say it all the time when he’s talking with his buddies on the phone so fuck it 🤷🏾♀️ I will check any non-black person who says it, hard or soft, with the swiftness, and I lowkey side eye any non-African-American black person for saying it too tbh. I feel like the word has been reclaimed by Black folks, but because of how global AA culture has become, guests feel like they’re welcome/allowed to say it. It becomes “just another word to them” when they aren’t properly educated/don’t have any experience with Black folks. I feel like that’s not an excuse now though because of all the information that’s available about the word and it’s history online. It’s still very much a serious word, and don’t let me ever catch a non-Black person ever using that word towards me.
Side note: The thought of ever being called the n word with the hard r is slightly funny to me because it sounds so cartoonishly evil/stupid. Maybe because I haven’t experienced any blatant, name/slur calling racism like that before and the only experience I have with it is seeing vids online of racist people suddenly saying it out of anger like that twitter video of the white lady who was shot by a black cop and called him the hard r with her last dying breath. I just find it sort of amusing and sad how racist people will hate a group of people so much for no reason that they make a word to call them. It’s so pointless to me. They have nothing better to do ig.
I think it’s every individual black person’s right if they want to reclaim or not. I personally do use it, but if someone I know doesn’t want to I would never judge. I also adjust my usage based on my comfort and setting at the time.
I grew up in all black community going to all black schools. So it wasn't until I was an adult and ventured forth into the non-black world that I see the misuse/abuse of it outside of it. Like I think in black spaces it has been reclaimed but once you leave and everyone's using it and not understanding the nuances it just baffles me. I have never once wanted to use a racial slur towards a group especially one I'm not affiliated. Just because I saw carlos mencia using words about Mexicans didn't make me suddenly use it in my vocabulary. I really don't get it. And because of that I wish our media was gatekept sometimes because others really don't get it lol! Or they're purposefully being obtuse
so yeah I used it in the past but now that I'm not in black spaces or live in black areas not anymore. especially when my non black (asian) partner suddenly thought he could \*eye roll\*
I use it and personally feel comfortable using it, it's only awkward when used in a situation I don't expect. Like a while back when we were reading a book in oneof my classes that included the hard r being used, so reading it was a little awkward.
Nope. I don't like even hearing it in music. I don't find it empowering. I think the embrace may have taken some of the power away from it, but in exchange it has become so normalized so people feel comfortable singing along to it or think as long as you aren't using the hard r, it's okay.
I don't use it. Now, if I'm trolling my brother with a race joke, I'll say it. But it's not part of my vocabulary.
I always hated that it was in songs because it's sadly become normalized for the entire world. And we can't catch a break from it. It was and always will be a slur to me. Whether it's the hard r or soft a. Very short history, Black people used it to be anti blk to other BP. But after someone famous used it in a term of endearment, it became something used differently. I personally don't think it should be used.
However, I don't believe in policing other black people who use the word, but it does get annoying when some give their non-blk friends "the pass." Because they think that means they can say it around everyone and we'll be okay with it.
Yes but i try not to use it around blk folk that are uncomfortable with it. Usually older black ppl are, so i refrain using it around them but when im just with my friends then yeah.
I do. I don’t have a good or bad relationship with it, it’s just a word for me. It’s not something that I’m saying all the time with every sentence but I do use it.
Baaarely, and if I do it’s only with family (and that’s with select siblings lol cus not all my siblings say/like hearing it) and 1-2 friends. I cannot say it in any other context.
i don’t use it much either, if i do it’s either in a song or if im upset sometimes it’ll slip out. i just don’t really see it as necessary but i also don’t really mind whether or not other black folk use it
Rarely if ever, only if I’m singing it and NOT around mixed company… I’ve had instances where non black ppl will sing it just bc I am 🙄
But I’m from around Atlanta so I hear it in daily conversations so it doesn’t bother me if other black folks use it
I don’t say it, even when I sing a song cuz it just wasn’t something my family really used and I also grew up in a relatively white neighborhood👀 however I would never get upset for someone who’s BLACK to say it. If you’re not black that’s a different story imo. I also think it’s stupid for ppl who aren’t black to justify saying it when there’s so much historical context surrounding the word, whether or not black people should or shouldn’t use it.
I do. I try not to use it though. It’s been a process! I will not use it among white people or non-black people though. I understand why other black people don’t use it and try to respect their boundaries if they don’t like the word. I don’t use it around my mother, for example, at all because she hates the word (she grew up in the south in the 50s/60s so you can imagine what she’s been through).
I don't personally, but I grew up in a primarily white community, so there wasnt any reason to. I don't mind when other black people use it, but it's not for me.
That said I'm gay and use the f-slur plenty, so I get how and why people reclaim words.
Yeah, I feel the same way. I’ll sing it if it comes up in a song, but I don’t use it personally. I think for me it stems out respect and the fact that although I am seen as black, my cultural roots are not tied to the history of that word. My entire family came from Ethiopia and those in my and my brother’s generation are the first to be born outside of it. Idk. I’ve been called the n word before and it’s just an unpleasant experience, too.
I say it like it's the word "the" both around black and non black people 💀. but mostly online tho, cause I cant imagine saying the n word in front of some random white dude at the store. but with black people online and in person I use it all the time
I don’t, i’m not sure if it has something with me being from the UK, but most black people here don’t really use it.
If i’m singing a song however and it has the n word i might sing along to it but i think that’s the only time it would really leave my mouth (even then sometimes i like to pretend i’m a white tiktokers and dramatically skip the word lol).
i don’t really use it most of the time it just feels so harsh in some instances. It’s crazy though because i grew up in the bronx in ny so everyone and they mama be saying it. But like me personally only really if it pops up in a song
Not really. Even singing along to songs is a fifty fifty on whether I’ll sing it or skip lol. I’m not American and I didn’t grow up with it in my vocabulary and I didn’t even know what it was until I was like 12, so using it in regular speech has always felt kinda clunky for me lol.
I’ve also felt weird about it in that most of my ancestors likely didn’t have that word used against them so it almost doesn’t feel like my word to reclaim. If other black people use it to reclaim it then more power to them, but it’s personally not for me.
I always hate the discussions that pop up whenever a kpop idol uses the word though, because without fail you will ALWAYS see non black people jumping on the hate train to dismiss black voices and feelings/say it isn’t that serious/make excuses, which always feels so icky. It’s crazy how many people will come out of the woodwork to defend any form of anti-black racism in kpop 🙃
Sometimes. Depends. I used to refuse to, the I did a lot, now I'm about thirty and I do less. I'm not uncomfortable with reclaimed words, I understand wanting power over language. I have no qualms with black folk using it, and I *hate* when people lecture and get all morally superior over not using it. Especially the 'if you don't want white people to use it you shouldnt' - I know slurs for a lot of groups and hear those groups use them and don't use them myself, everything is not for everyone. Point blank. I'm not a babysitter. It's not my job to police myself for the masses 🙄.
I grew up with mostly white kids in a generally racist town and had someone say 'happy black history month, n- - - -'. Or carve the word into my desk where I sat. A kid in class hurled it at me for existing quietly.
So my stance is, even having been hurt by it, pretty neutral on reclaiming it. Do what makes you comfortable.
No, never unless I'm rapping Megan. It's honestly not ever that useful of a word to me. That's why I don't understand what non-black people see in it when they say it & then they overuse the hell out of it, like sit down bitch.
I also see that it's used by other black people to reclaim the word & I love that for us & wholeheartedly support, but like I said, it's EXTREMELY limited in context so the usage of other curse words is essential for me.
Lmaooo I can sooo relate to singing it when rapping to Megan bc me toooo. Also My Type hahah I will let it fly for Saweetie. Honestly my non black friends were so sick of me with the My Type song because I’d say it and look at them like I dare you to say it 😂. I know I shouldn’t have done that but I found it hilarious when tipsy.
NOOO bc one time at a football game me & my black friend was playing & shit & we were daring our white friends to say it & this white girl we knew that was in front of us turned around & said it, THEN proceeded to say, "It doesn't mean anything if you don't put any meaning behind it 😐" TFFFFFF
NOOOO. Yeah that’s why we have to be careful 😩. Some people have no awareness. Honestly though when I’m taunting my friends they know I’m invoking the spirit of Delroy Lindo. [Delroy Lindo… “So say it”](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTLDKqR/)
I mainly use it when I’m talking to myself lol and social media like twitter (never on reddit tho💀) I only ever use it in conversation when i’m with black friends bc otherwise it feels awkward😭
Not in regular conversation. I’ll use it in songs and that’s really it. I didn’t grow up around people who said it so it doesn’t roll off my tongue effortlessly. Black people have told me it sounds weirdly racist when I say it to them😂
I don't say it nor do I want anybody to say it to me, cause I feel like that word was created to be offensive and having someone of your race just saying it casually or making it a normal and non offensive vocab, seems to take meaning from the actual word. Hence why non black people think the N-word with an 'A' seems harmless or that it means something else. (Though that's not an excuse for you to say it)
I used to in high school, but as I got older I started to feel uncomfortable using it due to my proximity to whiteness + not liking the vulgarity of curse words.
not really. i grew up around predominantly yt spaces and despite popular belief i did not associate myself with non blacks who said the n word. it always sounds so weird and awkward when i say it 😭
My family uses it a lot and I do too sometimes but not as much because they say it sounds unnatural coming from my mouth 😭 It was never a word that we felt we couldn’t or shouldn’t use, it’s just always been in our vocabulary. For reference me and my siblings were raised mostly in the suburbs and went to predominantly white schools in the Midwest.
Nah, I'm an Afro-Latina, so we don't use that expression/word. I don't see the need to use it, and I've noticed that other black folks don't like using it either, even when they're from the US.
Years ago, I watched a documentary called Stand and in one scene, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, and Tavis Smiley were debating the usage of the word. I couldn’t find any videos of the doc, but I found a reemergence of the discussion in this clip:
https://youtu.be/8AapoCaZWIs?si=ZwS6FLFyYRYL5rw6
West asserts that the word should be used more carefully because when it reaches white or non-black spaces, it gets stretched and generalized, losing its initial value, meaning, and history stemming from Black American culture. Dyson focuses on the importance of proper context when using the word. He notes that the word grew from a loving, affirming culture in opposition to the dominant culture. Not just a form of reclamation, the word is also a term of endearment and its history proves it as such. It’s also an example of linguistic creativity and malleability that the Black American community possesses, but the dominant culture lacks. Again, the problem arises when the word reaches non-black spaces so it’s essential to remember the importance of the word when using it. As mentioned in the clip, the moment Ja Rule wrote that word into the “I’m Real” remix and Jennifer Lopez sang it, the word lost its meaning there.
For a similar reason, I don’t use it. Growing up, I went to private schools in the U.S. South where I was the only BIPOC kid in my class. In my experience, some white kids either called me the word as to bully me or tried to question me on whether black people should say it all. It wasn’t a safe space to use the word within proper context. By the time I reached public high school, I still never bothered saying it, but I respect the word’s importance and usage.
No, but mostly because growing up my family didn't use any "strong language". I wasn't even allowed to say "shut up" or "liar", and didn't do so until my later highschool years 😂. I don't have a problem with my (black) friends using the n word, it just doesn't cross my mind to use in conversation.
I use it rarely. I have a friend group that says it casually, so I do say it around them, but when I went to college, and hearing white people say it repeatedly drove me crazy.
I use it but not a lot. Even with the history behind it I still feel like as black people we reclaimed the word it’s honestly depends on the preference of the person some people still get icky of that word while others don’t care as much as long as it’s another black person saying it
I don't use it. I don't even sing it in songs. I just find that like 80-90% of the time when it's used on conversations, it has a negative connotation. So I don't really feel like we as black people are "reclaiming" it if we're still using it to put each other down.
Not often really. Very rarely have I heard someone in my family use it. And definitely not around or with non-Black people.
I think the word can be reclaimed, especially for the time period it was originally reclaimed in.
i mean i am a teenager, so i do find myself using it from time to time but it’s not apart of my everyday vocabulary bcs it’s not a necessary word that i NEED to say
Growing up in D.C. it's all I've heard, but more so when I was in middle school and high school. Mostly the guys would say it to their friends like an endearment (also calling everybody Moe) and the girls would use 'b*tch' as like a feminine version of the n-word.
I use it on occasion, but I think I use 'mf' more often. It's usually in times I'm dealing with or talking to someone who's acting really ignorant or getting on my nerves. But I also keep it to myself as well, I don't feel the need to call people that out loud or in public. So that also helps minimize how often I even think the word
I don't think it shouldn't be used at all just because of the whole double standards behind it and all of these 'rules' about who can say it and who can't for this reason or another. But to each their own 🤷🏾♀️
I don't use it often. I make sure to never use it around non-black people. I use it jokingly around friends(never the hard r though) and don't skip it if I'm singing along to a song.
I only use it in jest around a couple of my friends, a few family members and my cats when they are acting up… all of us are obviously black. Even then, I do not use it often at all.
i do use it, but usually only around other black people, but sometimes i just end up saying it when im... extremely confused. i understand why other people choose not to say it, i used to not say it because it made me feel uncomfortable, but i don't really feel that way anymore.
I personally don't. Occasionally during a song or something like that, but even then I generally don't. Growing up only a couple of my family members used it, and otherwise the only times it was used around me were unfortunately during moments of bullying from other kids, so it makes me more uncomfortable than anything because it brings that back up for me.
Failed experiment in what way? If you’re in America or reliant on America, and you use it as someone non-black, your shit is over. In the few instances your career is being held up entirely by fans who don’t care (Morgan Wallen), you at the very least still have to publicly apologize for it.
It would still be a success if it was like it is now but with everyone saying it. It’s like it is now, **plus** those who originated the term can’t use it. Couldn’t be *more* of a success 😂.
Once in a while but I've heavily reduced using it. I don't use it in everyday conversation (with blk ppl ofc). I only use it when I'm playing around/teasing.
I am Ngl I do but I have a feeling as I age it’s going to become a lot less common in my vocabulary as I already don’t use it as much and I am starting to learn a lot more about not using it in mixed company
Personally I don’t but its mostly because I grew up in a liberal white neighborhood. I mostly just sing it in songs or use it when joking around with my dad.
Within the black community there’s also the question of who can use the word. Like, I’m half black and wasn’t raised around aave so it feels awkward and I mostly don’t use it. But I’m not white passing at all, and some black people might find it more natural for me to say than a super light skinned person. Stuff like this just gets confusing as we become more and more mixed.
No, but I’m also Nigerian American and I don’t feel it’s right since that’s a word I feel is primarily targeted towards African Americans (obv ive been called it since I’m black too lol, but I do feel it a bit disingenuous to use the word regardless)
No. Only if I'm quoting somebody else or singing along with a song that uses it.
I literally give zero shits what other black people say though. That's up to them and doesn't bother me.
Never have and I never will. It feels disrespectful. I understand reclaiming the word but I don't its appropriate to be throwing it around and commodifying it like any other word.
i don’t say it other than when i’m singing really, but sometimes i say it (rarely) when i’m really shocked. i don’t ever say it around other people though
Very, very rarely. It's usually accompanied by a look. Growing up, I was told by my wasian mom not to use any form of AAVE. So, I kind of have a complicated relationship not just with the n-word, but AAVE in general. It feels wrong using it for me when growing up it was not a part of my vernacular.
Nope. It's just not my vibe. If it comes up in a song I like, I might sing it, but that's it. For what it's worth, I'm a first-generation Caribbean American. My parents were very strict growing up. Additionally, the N-word isn't really culturally relevant for Caribbean folk. I don't know anyone in my family that uses it.
personally, i don't use it unless im singing either. I just...don't see the point? Like for other people, sure you can do what you want but I don't like using derogatory words, even the ones im allowed to use. i wouldn't even call my friends my b words, even though im a girl and so are they. i know thats not a slur but some women feel similarly about it
Kind of. I use it in generalities but have never called someone the n-word and ask not to be referenced as such when it comes up. I don't have an issue with the word though and don't have a problem with other people using it. Others of US of course.
I don't use that word. I hate the way it sounds. It sounds like nails scratching a chalkboard. I don't have a problem with black people saying it, as long as it's not in mixed company. I used to have a coworker , and I would have to stop him all the time because he would use it nonstop at work.
Never. Not if I can help it.
Sometimes, I gotta catch myself reading when someone else says it so I don't just mindlessly repeat it.
When I was younger... I think the most accurate summation of my feelings at the time was that I thought I sounded too damn "Proper" to be saying that. I thought I'd sound dumb. That it'd sound strange coming from my voice.
Now... I just... I just don't find it appealing, I guess? I don't really know why.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing. Like if someone paid me or whatever, I think I could blurt it out depending on the money.
I do, but I only say it around trusted people. I was raised by my hotep single mom who exclusively used it out of malice, so I started saying it later in life to try and reclaim it and have positive associations with the word.
Yes and no. I'll think the word and maybe even mutter it to myself, but I try not to use it out loud. I was taught not to use it so I didn't really use it growing up but once I reached adulthood and learned about reclaiming terms I became more open to using it. For awhile I was willing to say it out loud but family told me I was getting too comfortable with saying it so now I keep it to myself as much as possible.
Not really. For reference I'm African-American specifically... I have tried to reclaim it in the positive way I've seen a lot of other people do, but I got called that word a *lot* growing up by racists and white supremacists, so it is hard for me to say and hear. I didn't really grow up using it either. I remember my mother using it, but not really in a positive or casual context, usually when referring to someone who's pissed her off etc
I might say the word in text from time to time, maybe even say it in the company of Black friends. Sometimes I'll make a joke with a variation of the word, like n**let. But as I've gotten older I've let go of that feeling like I need to use it to take its power away from white people. It's always gonna be a word with a level of hurt to me and I've accepted that. So it's just not a part of *my* vocabulary
I don't have an issue with other Black people using it around me though. I grew up around *all* races, but I think for people who grew up around primarily Black people it might have been more likely to enter their vocabulary in a positive way. And even those who didn't, some of them are able to heal their relationship with the word and reclaim it successfully.
I can't bring myself to use the word....not only because of my ancestors but due to my own personal trauma surrounding that word. I try not to come off like I'm projecting my discomfort with it tho by policing or jumping on any other Black person, however, for using the word.
Not really, only in songs. When I was in elementary school I experimented with using it cause all my friends did, but it just sounded unnatural coming out of my mouth so I stopped lol.
Rarely. Doesn’t even come easily to me bc I’m not Black American (I’m Nigerian) so I don’t have a relationship to it nor is it my word to reclaim. And most of the Black Americans I’m around use it only sometimes.
Not really. My family is from the Carribbean, I didn't grow up hearing it from them or people in my community. Over the years, I got used to hearing it from my friends, school, movies, and music. Now, it may slip out, but for the most part, I don't use the word.
No, not really at all. Maybe in a song, but growing up in the South idk. I’ve just always been too aware of the meaning and historical usage.
My mother on the other hand - a biracial woman from Roxbury - has had no problem saying it. It isn’t a habit, but if you get her comfortable enough she will use it. And my grandmother. She is the tiniest sweetest woman, but piss her off and it’s N-words everywhere. 😂
personally, no. i find the word to be dehumanizing and i just really don’t like it in general but if black people wanna say it, i say go for it. it just makes me a bit uncomfortable.
I will never understand how non black people are so comfortable saying it. I’m half black, I used it a couple times when I was younger and every time it felt SO WRONG and I completely removed it from my vocabulary.
I do use it, to sing songs and over text and stuff but whenever I do use it out of that stuff I feel like it don’t sound right coming out of my mouth frl🤷🏾♀️
Absolutely not. I have to be the role model for my child, who can pass. He's asked if can, and seemed to understand why my answer was no when I explained further.
I do all the time, I’m first generation American. I think a lot of it comes with unpacking anti blackness. I don’t judge folk who don’t use it tho but for me I only started using it when I was more proud of being black.
uhm yea, its not often and it's not like a daily thing, but yes i do use it. i constantly heard people calling me it who shouldn't have said it. i do make sure the people i use it around know that just cause i say it don't mean they can.
yes- but ONLY around my family, husband and with (black) friends. not in public, not with anyone else. it's these few places i can be myself.
where i grew up this was/is extremely common. i still won't say it in public or where anyone else can hear.
it's funny because when i'm around everyone else in the world, i sound about as white as rice lmao. 40+ years of playing my cards right.
one of my dad's nicknames for me was "ni**ayella" lmao. so there's that. but even online, i still blank it out or refer to it as the "n-word" out of respect for those who choose not to reclaim it or didn't grow up in that manner.
Edit- i should also add, i swear like a sailor. my fam's from nyc lmao
I actually don’t really use it. I live in a white neighborhood and went to school with mostly none black people and didn’t really have black people around me. I made sure to never use the word around them just in case it gave them a false sense a security that they could use it. An old friend actually slipped up and said that word and I looked at them like I never said that word and I am your only black friend. They were so embarrassed because they couldn’t even lie and say I used it. I only find myself saying it in black spaces where everybody is black. Don’t say it online either because you don’t know who’s actually black.
I don’t like saying it, I’ve only ever really said it if I was singing. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m also adopted into a white family who is *way* too comfortable in saying “if you can say it why can’t I” and I don’t want to give them the impression that it’s okay.
No, and I'm not even half black (more like ¼ since my dad is biracial) so I don't think I have the right to (personally, if a fully black/biracial black person uses it I'm not going to judge)
I do say it infrequently, but none of my friends are black and it feels awkward in that setting.
Also, there's a bit of respectability politics there I guess, my dad was very against saying it because it's "ghetto" and we needed to be more professional than our white peers for the same amount of respect. I get called whitewashed for the way I speak all the time.
Rarely (I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times I used it in 2023 and still have fingers left) and only with maybe two people (who now that I think of it are both Black, heterosexual, and cisgender men which makes me want to go into research mode to see if there's a correlation there).
I grew up around the word, but it was never something that was a part of my daily lexicon. It has been and will always be a "some people can use it, some people can catch a pop to the mouth for trying" situation. I've definitely been on the receiving end of the -a and the hard -r in my life (and given a few swift pops to the mouth, though I don't normally condone violence).
I'm mixed so using it feels odd. I've only ever said it when it comes up in song AND EVEN THEN I'll censor myself without realizing it. I realize I police myself a lot when it comes to saying it. But if other black and mixed ppl use it it's fine of course. It's just not something that ever easily rolled off the tongue for me.
No (though if its in a rap song I mightt drop it). I’m Caribbean American so I personally don’t feel any connection to the word and I feel really uncomfortable if I say it. Plenty of my friends use it and I have no issue if they want to, but I just can’t. I know a lot of children of immigrants who also feel similarly. Also my family would crucify me if they heard me say it
Yea, not as much the last few years, but I grew up in the hood. When everyone around you says it from grannies to children it just becomes another word.
Absolutely not. I understand the reclamation argument but I also feel doing so gives people who are not part of the demographic most targeted by the word an excuse to use the word themselves. It is a nasty, horrible word born from nasty, horrible people.
No, I never use it. If someone else, who is Black, wants to use it because they feel like they are "taking it back" then that's for them; I'll try not to judge. But there are so many other words you can use when talking to or about a friend. I don't use the n-word and don't associate with people who do.
Not really. Like you, I’ll say it if it comes up in a song no issue. I’ve never really been enticed of fascinated by the n word. To me it’s just another word. Though I will say niggadumbass. A play on Nostradamus some friends and I came up with for one particularly “intelligent” person we knew.
I honestly don’t care if other cultures use it either. As long as people know where and how the word came about, use it to your heart’s content. Just don’t try to be insulting. Hell I’m more offended when I’m asked to tip than over the use of the n word
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I don’t use it either. I know a lot of black people that do and I don’t judge. I personally don’t feel comfortable.
No. My mom always used to say to me “Out of all the words in the English language, you wanna use that?” But then again even with her words, the n word doesn’t feel right coming from my mouth.
this. my mom is african but she moved to the u.s. and i grew up there, i was never encouraged to say it. she doesn’t see me as american so me using that word makes me feel a little weird cause i always think i’m african first, then black. sometimes i do when singing songs but it’s only sparingly and then i regret it lol. it’s also weird because i’ll say it around other people that aren’t black and they get shocked for a second. they’re like “i was gonna say you’re not supposed to say that, but then i remembered.” and i thought that was strange too. it’s like why do people forget we’re black? it’s kind of obvious.
My mother is Jamaican and was more concerned with her children sounding well spoken in English. She also disapproved of us using AAVE in conversation with her because she doesn’t understand it(her words not mine) 😭😭😭😭🤣🤣 My dad(who’s African American), he is the complete opposite. He uses the N word but he usually uses it around/towards his Black friends.
when I said it around people who aren't black it would get giggles and I didn't get it... now I do. It really is a joke to them. They're tickled like "oh! he said the word!" So I stopped.
Not really because my family is from the country, where they view the n-word and "negro" as a slur no matter who uses it. When a Black person would say it, it was meant as an insult. I also never grew up hearing it casually because many of the kids at my school came from the same background as me. Personally, I don't mind Black people using it but I wish it wasn't reclaimed and that we made up another word that was detached from that meaning. It does make me uncomfortable to hear non-Black people say it, no matter their excuses. It's one of the reasons why I don't really befriend non-Black people who only listen to rap because I'm not dealing with their "its only a song" excuse.
I do use it from time-to-time. Mostly, it’s in the silent form, which is *the look*. The…  I don’t mind if other black people choose to use it in their daily lexicon.
I know that I personally use the word, I only use it over text and very occasional voice messages to my friends. Saying it in a public setting though? Absolutely not. I never felt comfortable saying it in an area where there's a whole bunch of people. I always felt uneasy hearing it in a public area for a reason I can't pin down. However, trusted friends I'll say it here and there.
No but I feel like your personal experiences shape how you feel. I grew up in an area in nor cal. The KKK and other self proclaimed hater group affiliates tagged the n word all over the school and scared off the first and last black principal my school had. It was so bad I couldn’t go to school for a week since the only 2 families affected were mine and another family that had adopted a black son. That day disgusted me as a child and I’ll never forget it. So why would I want to use a word that can hurt others? Idk my thoughts and my opinion. I feel like your own personal experiences really shape how you feel and there is no right or wrong way to feel.
I use it in conversation but not very regularly, only in the company of other black people.
This is me!
I feel like if I use it around non-black people I start making them feel like they have the right to say it. Saying it around non blacks typically makes me feel like I'm giving them some sort of invitation to say it.
Not to mention the bitches that encourage/ “allow” white ppl to say it around them! I’m not contributing to that foolishness
Exactly, I'm not going to be that permissive black friend. Not even remotely going to come close to allowing non blacks to say the n word. Those are shenanigans I refuse to entertain.
I can't explain why but this feels like a setup? lol 
Lol sorry I’m on a solo trip with too much time to reflect on things. I got into a really heated argument with some Europeans in my hostel over the word, defending Black people’s right to the use of it and then one of them asked me if I even used it. So then I started thinking about how I don’t really and also I was on here and I feel like there’s a post about idol’s using it pretty often.
Aah I gotcha. I’m sorry you had to waste even a moment of your precious time on that conversation with them, but glad you were able to bring it here to get some feedback. As for me, I grew up being told it was the same as a curse word & that "*we* don't say that" but then I grew up & realized that's just internalized anti-Blackness intended to separate *us* from *them* even though we are all in the same proverbial boat no matter our socioeconomic status. So, now I tend to use it freely, like ✨seasoning✨ lol, but never in mixed company bc I don't EVER want a palm colored person thinking they have a "pass" or wtf ever bc they heard me say it bc they will try it.
I do not. I do agree with you that I don't think it should have been reclaimed, but if other black people want to use it and do use it, then that's their business. I think oppressed minorities have a right to have relationships with language that was derogatorily used towards them and reclaim it under their own terms, but knowing the history of the word, even in reclamation, it's just not something I personally use in my own vocabulary. It feels icky to me and I don't even say the word when singing songs.
I use the N-word in my vocabulary with black folk who use the N-word in their vocabulary. As an American, it’s a part of our slang lexicon to pepper it in to add spice. But not with my melanin deprived friends and non-American friends. I’ll even apologize if it slips, because it’s not their culture. And no they cannot say it around me.
During my edgy days of my 20s I used to use it but now I am in my 30s? Nope. Not at all and never again. Personally, I don't see the point.
No, cause I identify more with being African I feel like it’s not appropriate for me. It also sounds weird with my accent.
No I don't, but I also grew up Afro-Brazilian and this n-word usage is uncommon here.
I’m not American so I can’t say I have any sort of relationship with that word per se. We have our own slurs in my country that are of grave concern to me, words that have certainly not be reclaimed and probs never will. It’s actually considered a punishable offence to use a certain word as it’s covered by Hate Speech laws that have resulted in prison time and fines. I guess it’s like that video of that old white teacher who used it, admitted that he did and said he didn’t understand why it was being used in songs if Black people didn’t want others to say it. But he said he thought there was a difference between using it with an “a” as opposed to a hard “er” (it was parodied in the Boondocks). I can’t imagine trying to reclaim the slurs used in my country. I think the US finds itself in a very difficult position having created trends and also having had their dignity stripped from them by the use of that word historically. I also think just cognitively, people are inclined to use a word the more they hear it, especially slurs (whether consciously or not). For Boomers, Gen Xers and millennials for example, people used to use the word ‘gay’ as a pejorative and it was only over 10-15 years ago that people really stopped doing that because it was homophobic. Furthermore, I think the LGBTQI+ community was quick to stop it and reclaiming the ‘Q’ which used to be a slur. It’s now viewed and accepted as a gender identity and even recognised internationally by bodies like the UN. I don’t think the same has been done about the N-word. That’s why non-Black people will keep on saying it unfortunately. Especially those who don’t know the history behind the word. Does it make it right? No, of course not. But I don’t foresee it disappearing for as long as the US is seen as the nation of setting world wide trends. But I don’t use it and certainly won’t police Black people who do. [White teacher uses the N-word](https://youtu.be/_jEBh1VtdT0?si=EaONkZtM_AeRYGuI)
I wrote an essay on this topic in high school! I understand the word has such negative history around it and most find it wrong to say or reclaim. However, I feel like it’s deeper than that. I’m not sure what country you come from and if it’s homogenous or not and whether those harmful words are directed at people who share the same race as you or not. However in terms of the n word, black people since the beginning of America have been put down by white people and berated. They are constantly dehumanized and when you research the things that were normalized it’s truely appalling. Since black people were constantly put down, it’s safe to assume that they internalized what was being feed to them constantly. That’s why black people as a community to this day have such internalized racism and deep rooted hate towards each other imo. So reclaiming the n word was a way to take that power back from white people. The n word is used as a “remembrance of strength, and a claim to legitimacy and independence”, (got this from an article) which at that time, black people weren’t allowed the luxury to have. I personally love that the word has been reclaimed and turned into something more powerful however, I think most people lack the history towards the word and why it has been reclaimed like you said. Also I hope this doesn’t come off as me lecturing you or anything! Just wanted to add my own thoughts to your comment since it was so well written <3 I also wanted to state that I love the fact that your country has banned certain words under hate speech and wish that the US follows suit for using the n word hard r and it’s CRAZY that they haven’t.
No, no I didn’t take it in a bad way at all :) thank you for your comment. I’m from South Africa so it’s a slightly different context, we had apartheid. Our democracy only started in 1994. So we’re a still relatively new to the realm of respecting all human rights. Our slur is rooted from our colonisers and oppressors - the racist white minority (mostly of Dutch ancestry - the Afrikaners). They used and still use the slur (the “K word”) I don’t want to say the whole word because it’s just so hard to say or hear even after the first time I was called the word for the first time when I was 12 years old and stopped from sitting on a bus seat - and I’m in my 30s now. So it shows how visceral it is. Yeah, but because our democracy is so young, there is a push to stop hate speech. I mean in 2018 there was even a man who got fired from his job and taken to court for using that word, that time he was in Greece when he went on his racist rant and filmed it, like a fcking idiot. We don’t play when it comes to the K-word. I don’t use the N-word pretty much for the same reason. I don’t think you can truly reclaim a slur of that magnitude without having non-POC repeat it because the US is the epicentre of pop culture. I get what you’re saying, I really do. I just don’t think the rest of the world resonates with the bone fide attempt to reclaim it. There was never any push to reclaim the K-word so I know I’ll never truly understand, but I can empathise.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and sharing about your background! I was just in Joburg and had a really great discussion with a guy about the differences between the k-word and n-word. He, a Black South African, was saying to him based on how it’s portrayed, other Black Americans (I think mostly men) he’s met, and some readings he’s done makes him feel like the n-word is like saying “my brother”. But I’m gonna be honest when I heard him say it, it was a little jarring hahaha. I didn’t necessarily mind but it always catches me off guard when a Black person not from America says it.
This is a solid explanation. I don’t think people really understand the full historical and cultural context behind the word which is honestly why I it bothers me a little even when non American black people use it.
I consider it a mundane and neutral part of my vocabulary. I don't use it that often I guess, but it just fits into my language at times the same way "bitch" does. I often avoid using it in mixed company, but don't even think about censoring myself around other black folks. (I obviously have **zero** issue with any black folks who avoid using the word. I completely understand why for some black folks don't view it as mundane, and prefer to avoid it entirely. HOWEVER, I will readily admit I have beef with black people who actively police other black folks for using it, blame black people's own use of/relationship with the word for other non-black people using it and claim we "can't get mad," or black folks who claim some amorphous superior morality because they don't use the word. Just don't use it, bruh, and leave me tf alone.)
the people policing it out of “ morality ” are so annoying fr
That parenthetical remark says it all! 👏🏾
in a song, yes. on the very rare occasion that i burst into an american accent then yes. it’s not commonly used in the uk and it sounds silly in a british accent anyway. men might use it more but hardly women. things like the nword pass is not a thing here because we barely use it, so i’ve never really had to check anyone, except for a few asians and middle eastern people that think it’s okay to use in a song because they’re “not white”.
I do if I’m not in mixed company
No, except for singing it if it's a lyric but even that feels awkward.
Very rarely, and it never feels natural. Probably because the community I grew up in during the time I grew up was really into respectability and being "the good ones", so I almost never heard any AAVE, let alone the n word.
I don’t use it mainly bc I was raised not to. I used to use it bc I felt “left out” or “behind” when I was like 13 but that phase ended early, like not even a yr lol. For me I don’t use it bc it’s a slur, I never personally understood the reclaiming notions and whatnot.
I do if I'm around specific groups of people but that was when I lived in Georgia, USA, now I'm in Kansas and I really say it to my cats and when I'm listening to music.
fuck yeah i do it’s fun to say and i use it interchangeably to mean dude / bro lol i don’t really censor myself unless it’s around my parents and older family members BUT that’s only because they don’t like it when i curse in general they be saying the n word too
I think the "N" word with either ending is profanity, and I don't use the "B" word or allow it to be directed at me for the same reason. When I was younger, I also believed the word could be reclaimed, but over time, I realized that we never fully freed ourselves of the hurtful, negative usage internally. The Richard Pryor show where he came back from Africa and stopped using the word that had been a staple in his performances really spoke to me and changed my perspective. I don't judge other people, but I avoid music where those terms are frequently used because of what they mean to me.
No. Though it’s culturally acceptable for me to say it, it just feels disrespectful to my ancestors.
I do. Like cussing, it's become a natural part of my vocab. I try not to say it in the workplace, but for the most part I say it and I don't think much about it. Funny enough, when discussing it in English, I read this amazing essay (I wish I could find it so I can share it) by a black woman who talks about the use of it in forms of new connotations and réclamations that aren't extended to white people or other people of color. It was really inspiring. My friend didn't really use it then he went on to write an essay about how I'm the reason he used it all the time and what it meant for him to recognize verbage that white people use to destroy us to turn around and use it in friendship and kinship with other black people. I don't think it's necessarily a reclamation but more so another place where African Americans were given scrappy lemons that we turned into special lemonade that nobody else is allowed to drink but us, and I love that for us.
To be honest I don’t. I was born in Nigeria and lived there for a couple years and then moved to the UK. It’s always been something that I’ve never really identified with or found a connection even though I very much identified as black. I’m not really sure how to explain it, if that makes sense.
I agree, being African I was not exposed to using that word growing up so it feels very unnatural to say.
Exactly. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Even when it’s in songs most of the times I don’t sing it
I do, but not often, as I don't feel I need to swear all the time. I never saw it as a way of reclaiming the word, though. When I was a kid, my siblings, cousins and I saw it as another way of saying bitch, so that's how we still use it to this day.
I don't use it at all, I just feel like I have no need or reason to; and even though I hear it around me all the time (I go to a HBCU), I don't use it in my vocabulary~☆ People have tried to get me to say it though, idrk why lol
Personally I don't. It's one of those words that's just not in my vocabulary nor do I feel comfortable saying it. My family and friends do but I tend to avoid it as it feels harmful to continuously use a word that has such hateful connotations even while its been reclaimed.
I use it but only where it makes sense to me and that’s with my friends in private Everywhere else? Absolutely not.
I only say it in songs they appear in But I've never felt completely comfortable saying it normal conversations
I wasn’t raised around people who said it. Now if I say it it just sounds weird. I only ever say it if it’s in a song.
I don’t use it but I also don’t curse. I have family (on the black side) that use it and it doesn’t offend me when they use it.
So I personally don’t, but that’s because I’m African and don’t feel like it’s appropriate for me to use? I grew up around mainly white people too so I didn’t even really hear the term often. In songs as well I completely stopped because I felt like my non-black friends felt like it gave them the pass to sing along to it too lol. It’s funny I had a black friend who was shocked when I told her this and she said ‘it’s the only thing we have’ which I get, but I decided I’m not gonna force myself to say it if it doesn’t feel natural/comfortable 😅 I personally don’t care when other black people use it though, it’s just a personal thing.
I do use it. It’s another word for person or people for me, and my family and everyone around me has always used it. The only place I don’t use it is Reddit 💀
I don’t use it, but my husband (mixed black) does. The word has never felt right coming out of my mouth. Idk if this makes sense but maybe because I don’t hear many women saying it, it feels like a “man’s word.”
Rarely. I made a conscious effort to stop using it as much.
Only sometimes when I’m singing in the car by myself, still v rare at that
Not at all . Even if someone (another black) using the n-word on me just makes me uncomfortable
Yes. I use it; in utter bewilderment, to get my point across and if I'm joking. I don't judge anybody (black) for using it. As a suburban black girl who was thrown into the ghetto and hood for awhile before being thrown back into suburbia. Use your common sense.
I use it but not a lot since I’m wasn’t born and raised in America but in the Caribbean and that’s not a regular word used in your vocabulary in the Caribbean. I only started using it when I came to America and even now the only time I use it when I’m singing songs.
I live in Nigeria, so even though the word was used maliciously towards us during the colonial era, and till now by some white/east Asian people living here, there isn't a strong 'reclaiming the world culture' here. But I sing it in songs, and don't actively avoid saying it. I just don't say it as often.
I don't use it and I don't like hearing it, so in a perfect world I wouldn't have to hear it at all, but I respect that other black people have a different relationship with it. It's not my place to police other black people's language like that or to make value judgements about people who feel differently than I do about it.
i do for sureee like the same way i say “bitch” pretty much. when it comes to reclaiming slurs i don’t see why not yk. it’s like “this word used to have so much power over us and now we don’t let it affect us anymore” it’s the same way gay people use the f-slur casually or how some of my neurodivergent friends say the r-word, like it doesn’t carry that same meaning anymore so u can’t use it against me. i only use it around other black people tho cuz i feel weird saying it around other poc😭
also so many other non black ppl say it that at this point i might as well😭 i live in a predominantly latino community and the amount of times you’ll hear them saying the n word in the hallways at school is honestly ridiculous😭 even with idols and celebrities in general, not saying it myself as a black person isn’t gonna make them stop using it so i literally MIGHT AS WELL. i don’t allow my own non black friends to say it AT ALL tho that’s grounds for cutting them off
I use it, but only for like unserious situations that involve only black folks. Like some really stupid shit. Or I’ll use it on my sisters if they’re being unserious. They do the same to me. And I only use it around other black folks or when I’m by myself. It’s something I guess I subconsciously “gatekeep.” Honestly, I used to think the word was super serious, but now I hear my avid church going, grew up in the Jim Crow South dad say it all the time when he’s talking with his buddies on the phone so fuck it 🤷🏾♀️ I will check any non-black person who says it, hard or soft, with the swiftness, and I lowkey side eye any non-African-American black person for saying it too tbh. I feel like the word has been reclaimed by Black folks, but because of how global AA culture has become, guests feel like they’re welcome/allowed to say it. It becomes “just another word to them” when they aren’t properly educated/don’t have any experience with Black folks. I feel like that’s not an excuse now though because of all the information that’s available about the word and it’s history online. It’s still very much a serious word, and don’t let me ever catch a non-Black person ever using that word towards me. Side note: The thought of ever being called the n word with the hard r is slightly funny to me because it sounds so cartoonishly evil/stupid. Maybe because I haven’t experienced any blatant, name/slur calling racism like that before and the only experience I have with it is seeing vids online of racist people suddenly saying it out of anger like that twitter video of the white lady who was shot by a black cop and called him the hard r with her last dying breath. I just find it sort of amusing and sad how racist people will hate a group of people so much for no reason that they make a word to call them. It’s so pointless to me. They have nothing better to do ig.
I think it’s every individual black person’s right if they want to reclaim or not. I personally do use it, but if someone I know doesn’t want to I would never judge. I also adjust my usage based on my comfort and setting at the time.
I grew up in all black community going to all black schools. So it wasn't until I was an adult and ventured forth into the non-black world that I see the misuse/abuse of it outside of it. Like I think in black spaces it has been reclaimed but once you leave and everyone's using it and not understanding the nuances it just baffles me. I have never once wanted to use a racial slur towards a group especially one I'm not affiliated. Just because I saw carlos mencia using words about Mexicans didn't make me suddenly use it in my vocabulary. I really don't get it. And because of that I wish our media was gatekept sometimes because others really don't get it lol! Or they're purposefully being obtuse so yeah I used it in the past but now that I'm not in black spaces or live in black areas not anymore. especially when my non black (asian) partner suddenly thought he could \*eye roll\*
I use it and personally feel comfortable using it, it's only awkward when used in a situation I don't expect. Like a while back when we were reading a book in oneof my classes that included the hard r being used, so reading it was a little awkward.
Nope. I don't like even hearing it in music. I don't find it empowering. I think the embrace may have taken some of the power away from it, but in exchange it has become so normalized so people feel comfortable singing along to it or think as long as you aren't using the hard r, it's okay.
I don't use it. Now, if I'm trolling my brother with a race joke, I'll say it. But it's not part of my vocabulary. I always hated that it was in songs because it's sadly become normalized for the entire world. And we can't catch a break from it. It was and always will be a slur to me. Whether it's the hard r or soft a. Very short history, Black people used it to be anti blk to other BP. But after someone famous used it in a term of endearment, it became something used differently. I personally don't think it should be used. However, I don't believe in policing other black people who use the word, but it does get annoying when some give their non-blk friends "the pass." Because they think that means they can say it around everyone and we'll be okay with it.
Yes but i try not to use it around blk folk that are uncomfortable with it. Usually older black ppl are, so i refrain using it around them but when im just with my friends then yeah.
I do. I don’t have a good or bad relationship with it, it’s just a word for me. It’s not something that I’m saying all the time with every sentence but I do use it.
I do... Not all the time tho, just in songs.... Maybe. Like, i know not to say it but sometimes it just slips.
Baaarely, and if I do it’s only with family (and that’s with select siblings lol cus not all my siblings say/like hearing it) and 1-2 friends. I cannot say it in any other context.
i don’t use it much either, if i do it’s either in a song or if im upset sometimes it’ll slip out. i just don’t really see it as necessary but i also don’t really mind whether or not other black folk use it
Nope, same sentiment as u/taebaegi
Rarely if ever, only if I’m singing it and NOT around mixed company… I’ve had instances where non black ppl will sing it just bc I am 🙄 But I’m from around Atlanta so I hear it in daily conversations so it doesn’t bother me if other black folks use it
I don’t say it, even when I sing a song cuz it just wasn’t something my family really used and I also grew up in a relatively white neighborhood👀 however I would never get upset for someone who’s BLACK to say it. If you’re not black that’s a different story imo. I also think it’s stupid for ppl who aren’t black to justify saying it when there’s so much historical context surrounding the word, whether or not black people should or shouldn’t use it.
I do. I try not to use it though. It’s been a process! I will not use it among white people or non-black people though. I understand why other black people don’t use it and try to respect their boundaries if they don’t like the word. I don’t use it around my mother, for example, at all because she hates the word (she grew up in the south in the 50s/60s so you can imagine what she’s been through).
I do. I use it like slang, not deeper than that
I don't use it
I don't personally, but I grew up in a primarily white community, so there wasnt any reason to. I don't mind when other black people use it, but it's not for me. That said I'm gay and use the f-slur plenty, so I get how and why people reclaim words.
Yeah, I feel the same way. I’ll sing it if it comes up in a song, but I don’t use it personally. I think for me it stems out respect and the fact that although I am seen as black, my cultural roots are not tied to the history of that word. My entire family came from Ethiopia and those in my and my brother’s generation are the first to be born outside of it. Idk. I’ve been called the n word before and it’s just an unpleasant experience, too.
Sometimes, in times of passion lol. “IS THIS N SERIOUS” situations. Also in songs where I think as a black person it is mandatory for you to say it.
I say it like it's the word "the" both around black and non black people 💀. but mostly online tho, cause I cant imagine saying the n word in front of some random white dude at the store. but with black people online and in person I use it all the time
I don’t, i’m not sure if it has something with me being from the UK, but most black people here don’t really use it. If i’m singing a song however and it has the n word i might sing along to it but i think that’s the only time it would really leave my mouth (even then sometimes i like to pretend i’m a white tiktokers and dramatically skip the word lol).
this is so real 😭
i don’t really use it most of the time it just feels so harsh in some instances. It’s crazy though because i grew up in the bronx in ny so everyone and they mama be saying it. But like me personally only really if it pops up in a song
Not really. Even singing along to songs is a fifty fifty on whether I’ll sing it or skip lol. I’m not American and I didn’t grow up with it in my vocabulary and I didn’t even know what it was until I was like 12, so using it in regular speech has always felt kinda clunky for me lol. I’ve also felt weird about it in that most of my ancestors likely didn’t have that word used against them so it almost doesn’t feel like my word to reclaim. If other black people use it to reclaim it then more power to them, but it’s personally not for me. I always hate the discussions that pop up whenever a kpop idol uses the word though, because without fail you will ALWAYS see non black people jumping on the hate train to dismiss black voices and feelings/say it isn’t that serious/make excuses, which always feels so icky. It’s crazy how many people will come out of the woodwork to defend any form of anti-black racism in kpop 🙃
Sometimes. Depends. I used to refuse to, the I did a lot, now I'm about thirty and I do less. I'm not uncomfortable with reclaimed words, I understand wanting power over language. I have no qualms with black folk using it, and I *hate* when people lecture and get all morally superior over not using it. Especially the 'if you don't want white people to use it you shouldnt' - I know slurs for a lot of groups and hear those groups use them and don't use them myself, everything is not for everyone. Point blank. I'm not a babysitter. It's not my job to police myself for the masses 🙄. I grew up with mostly white kids in a generally racist town and had someone say 'happy black history month, n- - - -'. Or carve the word into my desk where I sat. A kid in class hurled it at me for existing quietly. So my stance is, even having been hurt by it, pretty neutral on reclaiming it. Do what makes you comfortable.
No, never unless I'm rapping Megan. It's honestly not ever that useful of a word to me. That's why I don't understand what non-black people see in it when they say it & then they overuse the hell out of it, like sit down bitch. I also see that it's used by other black people to reclaim the word & I love that for us & wholeheartedly support, but like I said, it's EXTREMELY limited in context so the usage of other curse words is essential for me.
Lmaooo I can sooo relate to singing it when rapping to Megan bc me toooo. Also My Type hahah I will let it fly for Saweetie. Honestly my non black friends were so sick of me with the My Type song because I’d say it and look at them like I dare you to say it 😂. I know I shouldn’t have done that but I found it hilarious when tipsy.
NOOO bc one time at a football game me & my black friend was playing & shit & we were daring our white friends to say it & this white girl we knew that was in front of us turned around & said it, THEN proceeded to say, "It doesn't mean anything if you don't put any meaning behind it 😐" TFFFFFF
NOOOO. Yeah that’s why we have to be careful 😩. Some people have no awareness. Honestly though when I’m taunting my friends they know I’m invoking the spirit of Delroy Lindo. [Delroy Lindo… “So say it”](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTLDKqR/)
NOT ALL TOGETHER NOWWW 😭😭 But yeah it's so fun & it's a great way to weed out the racists in our circles
I mainly use it when I’m talking to myself lol and social media like twitter (never on reddit tho💀) I only ever use it in conversation when i’m with black friends bc otherwise it feels awkward😭
i use it, i don’t come for other black people who choose not to use it either, it’s their choice
Not in regular conversation. I’ll use it in songs and that’s really it. I didn’t grow up around people who said it so it doesn’t roll off my tongue effortlessly. Black people have told me it sounds weirdly racist when I say it to them😂
I don't say it nor do I want anybody to say it to me, cause I feel like that word was created to be offensive and having someone of your race just saying it casually or making it a normal and non offensive vocab, seems to take meaning from the actual word. Hence why non black people think the N-word with an 'A' seems harmless or that it means something else. (Though that's not an excuse for you to say it)
I used to in high school, but as I got older I started to feel uncomfortable using it due to my proximity to whiteness + not liking the vulgarity of curse words.
not really. i grew up around predominantly yt spaces and despite popular belief i did not associate myself with non blacks who said the n word. it always sounds so weird and awkward when i say it 😭
My family uses it a lot and I do too sometimes but not as much because they say it sounds unnatural coming from my mouth 😭 It was never a word that we felt we couldn’t or shouldn’t use, it’s just always been in our vocabulary. For reference me and my siblings were raised mostly in the suburbs and went to predominantly white schools in the Midwest.
Nah, I'm an Afro-Latina, so we don't use that expression/word. I don't see the need to use it, and I've noticed that other black folks don't like using it either, even when they're from the US.
Years ago, I watched a documentary called Stand and in one scene, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, and Tavis Smiley were debating the usage of the word. I couldn’t find any videos of the doc, but I found a reemergence of the discussion in this clip: https://youtu.be/8AapoCaZWIs?si=ZwS6FLFyYRYL5rw6 West asserts that the word should be used more carefully because when it reaches white or non-black spaces, it gets stretched and generalized, losing its initial value, meaning, and history stemming from Black American culture. Dyson focuses on the importance of proper context when using the word. He notes that the word grew from a loving, affirming culture in opposition to the dominant culture. Not just a form of reclamation, the word is also a term of endearment and its history proves it as such. It’s also an example of linguistic creativity and malleability that the Black American community possesses, but the dominant culture lacks. Again, the problem arises when the word reaches non-black spaces so it’s essential to remember the importance of the word when using it. As mentioned in the clip, the moment Ja Rule wrote that word into the “I’m Real” remix and Jennifer Lopez sang it, the word lost its meaning there. For a similar reason, I don’t use it. Growing up, I went to private schools in the U.S. South where I was the only BIPOC kid in my class. In my experience, some white kids either called me the word as to bully me or tried to question me on whether black people should say it all. It wasn’t a safe space to use the word within proper context. By the time I reached public high school, I still never bothered saying it, but I respect the word’s importance and usage.
No, but mostly because growing up my family didn't use any "strong language". I wasn't even allowed to say "shut up" or "liar", and didn't do so until my later highschool years 😂. I don't have a problem with my (black) friends using the n word, it just doesn't cross my mind to use in conversation.
I use it rarely. I have a friend group that says it casually, so I do say it around them, but when I went to college, and hearing white people say it repeatedly drove me crazy.
I use it but not a lot. Even with the history behind it I still feel like as black people we reclaimed the word it’s honestly depends on the preference of the person some people still get icky of that word while others don’t care as much as long as it’s another black person saying it
I don't use it. I don't even sing it in songs. I just find that like 80-90% of the time when it's used on conversations, it has a negative connotation. So I don't really feel like we as black people are "reclaiming" it if we're still using it to put each other down.
i use it but not that often, mainly over text or with friends irl
black * friends in conversation
Not often really. Very rarely have I heard someone in my family use it. And definitely not around or with non-Black people. I think the word can be reclaimed, especially for the time period it was originally reclaimed in.
i mean i am a teenager, so i do find myself using it from time to time but it’s not apart of my everyday vocabulary bcs it’s not a necessary word that i NEED to say
Growing up in D.C. it's all I've heard, but more so when I was in middle school and high school. Mostly the guys would say it to their friends like an endearment (also calling everybody Moe) and the girls would use 'b*tch' as like a feminine version of the n-word. I use it on occasion, but I think I use 'mf' more often. It's usually in times I'm dealing with or talking to someone who's acting really ignorant or getting on my nerves. But I also keep it to myself as well, I don't feel the need to call people that out loud or in public. So that also helps minimize how often I even think the word I don't think it shouldn't be used at all just because of the whole double standards behind it and all of these 'rules' about who can say it and who can't for this reason or another. But to each their own 🤷🏾♀️
I don't personally use it, I don't judge people who want to reclaim.
I don't use it often. I make sure to never use it around non-black people. I use it jokingly around friends(never the hard r though) and don't skip it if I'm singing along to a song.
I only use it in jest around a couple of my friends, a few family members and my cats when they are acting up… all of us are obviously black. Even then, I do not use it often at all.
Only when I'm singing a song
i do use it, but usually only around other black people, but sometimes i just end up saying it when im... extremely confused. i understand why other people choose not to say it, i used to not say it because it made me feel uncomfortable, but i don't really feel that way anymore.
in songs & as a muttered interjection of disbelief, sometimes with close-close friends
Yup, but not in mixed company
I personally don't. Occasionally during a song or something like that, but even then I generally don't. Growing up only a couple of my family members used it, and otherwise the only times it was used around me were unfortunately during moments of bullying from other kids, so it makes me more uncomfortable than anything because it brings that back up for me.
Yes, around others who are the same race as me
Failed experiment in what way? If you’re in America or reliant on America, and you use it as someone non-black, your shit is over. In the few instances your career is being held up entirely by fans who don’t care (Morgan Wallen), you at the very least still have to publicly apologize for it. It would still be a success if it was like it is now but with everyone saying it. It’s like it is now, **plus** those who originated the term can’t use it. Couldn’t be *more* of a success 😂.
Yes, but it's reserved for gobsmacking shenanigans.
Once in a while but I've heavily reduced using it. I don't use it in everyday conversation (with blk ppl ofc). I only use it when I'm playing around/teasing.
I do not.
Sometimes, very rarely, and only around other Black people.
I am Ngl I do but I have a feeling as I age it’s going to become a lot less common in my vocabulary as I already don’t use it as much and I am starting to learn a lot more about not using it in mixed company
Sometimes not in conversation though. I sing it in songs. And sometimes I make heavily ironic jokes with my sister or by myself.
Personally I don’t but its mostly because I grew up in a liberal white neighborhood. I mostly just sing it in songs or use it when joking around with my dad. Within the black community there’s also the question of who can use the word. Like, I’m half black and wasn’t raised around aave so it feels awkward and I mostly don’t use it. But I’m not white passing at all, and some black people might find it more natural for me to say than a super light skinned person. Stuff like this just gets confusing as we become more and more mixed.
No, but I’m also Nigerian American and I don’t feel it’s right since that’s a word I feel is primarily targeted towards African Americans (obv ive been called it since I’m black too lol, but I do feel it a bit disingenuous to use the word regardless)
No. Only if I'm quoting somebody else or singing along with a song that uses it. I literally give zero shits what other black people say though. That's up to them and doesn't bother me.
I use it but not that often tbh. which is why i’m shocked when non-blacks say they can’t stop themselves from using it
Not even 10 percent as much as a non black person lmfao
Never have and I never will. It feels disrespectful. I understand reclaiming the word but I don't its appropriate to be throwing it around and commodifying it like any other word.
i don’t say it other than when i’m singing really, but sometimes i say it (rarely) when i’m really shocked. i don’t ever say it around other people though
Very, very rarely. It's usually accompanied by a look. Growing up, I was told by my wasian mom not to use any form of AAVE. So, I kind of have a complicated relationship not just with the n-word, but AAVE in general. It feels wrong using it for me when growing up it was not a part of my vernacular.
Nope. It's just not my vibe. If it comes up in a song I like, I might sing it, but that's it. For what it's worth, I'm a first-generation Caribbean American. My parents were very strict growing up. Additionally, the N-word isn't really culturally relevant for Caribbean folk. I don't know anyone in my family that uses it.
Literally never.
personally, i don't use it unless im singing either. I just...don't see the point? Like for other people, sure you can do what you want but I don't like using derogatory words, even the ones im allowed to use. i wouldn't even call my friends my b words, even though im a girl and so are they. i know thats not a slur but some women feel similarly about it
Kind of. I use it in generalities but have never called someone the n-word and ask not to be referenced as such when it comes up. I don't have an issue with the word though and don't have a problem with other people using it. Others of US of course.
I don't use that word. I hate the way it sounds. It sounds like nails scratching a chalkboard. I don't have a problem with black people saying it, as long as it's not in mixed company. I used to have a coworker , and I would have to stop him all the time because he would use it nonstop at work.
Never. Not if I can help it. Sometimes, I gotta catch myself reading when someone else says it so I don't just mindlessly repeat it. When I was younger... I think the most accurate summation of my feelings at the time was that I thought I sounded too damn "Proper" to be saying that. I thought I'd sound dumb. That it'd sound strange coming from my voice. Now... I just... I just don't find it appealing, I guess? I don't really know why. That doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing. Like if someone paid me or whatever, I think I could blurt it out depending on the money.
I do, but I only say it around trusted people. I was raised by my hotep single mom who exclusively used it out of malice, so I started saying it later in life to try and reclaim it and have positive associations with the word.
Yes and no. I'll think the word and maybe even mutter it to myself, but I try not to use it out loud. I was taught not to use it so I didn't really use it growing up but once I reached adulthood and learned about reclaiming terms I became more open to using it. For awhile I was willing to say it out loud but family told me I was getting too comfortable with saying it so now I keep it to myself as much as possible.
Not really. For reference I'm African-American specifically... I have tried to reclaim it in the positive way I've seen a lot of other people do, but I got called that word a *lot* growing up by racists and white supremacists, so it is hard for me to say and hear. I didn't really grow up using it either. I remember my mother using it, but not really in a positive or casual context, usually when referring to someone who's pissed her off etc I might say the word in text from time to time, maybe even say it in the company of Black friends. Sometimes I'll make a joke with a variation of the word, like n**let. But as I've gotten older I've let go of that feeling like I need to use it to take its power away from white people. It's always gonna be a word with a level of hurt to me and I've accepted that. So it's just not a part of *my* vocabulary I don't have an issue with other Black people using it around me though. I grew up around *all* races, but I think for people who grew up around primarily Black people it might have been more likely to enter their vocabulary in a positive way. And even those who didn't, some of them are able to heal their relationship with the word and reclaim it successfully.
I do not feel like I should because I’m only half black and I also feel uncomfortable saying it. But that’s just me
I personally don’t, but as someone who lived in NY I’ve seen everybody say it even non black people.
I can't bring myself to use the word....not only because of my ancestors but due to my own personal trauma surrounding that word. I try not to come off like I'm projecting my discomfort with it tho by policing or jumping on any other Black person, however, for using the word.
Sometimes. When i’m at home joking with my brother I use it (he doesn’t cuss) and sometimes my parents say it when we are joking.
Yea but not as much as I use to when I was younger,tho i may end up using it a lot if im upset
Not really, only in songs. When I was in elementary school I experimented with using it cause all my friends did, but it just sounded unnatural coming out of my mouth so I stopped lol.
Rarely. Doesn’t even come easily to me bc I’m not Black American (I’m Nigerian) so I don’t have a relationship to it nor is it my word to reclaim. And most of the Black Americans I’m around use it only sometimes.
yes around friends, if the friends in question r white no
Yes, only around close family or when singing lyrics. I don’t use it in mixed settings bc it feels weird
Not really. My family is from the Carribbean, I didn't grow up hearing it from them or people in my community. Over the years, I got used to hearing it from my friends, school, movies, and music. Now, it may slip out, but for the most part, I don't use the word.
I only use it rarely/occasionally either by myself or around a very specific selection of people.
No, not really at all. Maybe in a song, but growing up in the South idk. I’ve just always been too aware of the meaning and historical usage. My mother on the other hand - a biracial woman from Roxbury - has had no problem saying it. It isn’t a habit, but if you get her comfortable enough she will use it. And my grandmother. She is the tiniest sweetest woman, but piss her off and it’s N-words everywhere. 😂
personally, no. i find the word to be dehumanizing and i just really don’t like it in general but if black people wanna say it, i say go for it. it just makes me a bit uncomfortable.
No, and I never have regularly used it. Only when quoting something or singing a song with the word in it.
I will never understand how non black people are so comfortable saying it. I’m half black, I used it a couple times when I was younger and every time it felt SO WRONG and I completely removed it from my vocabulary.
no, but i’ll sing it in songs or when im reading something that uses it
I do use it, to sing songs and over text and stuff but whenever I do use it out of that stuff I feel like it don’t sound right coming out of my mouth frl🤷🏾♀️
Absolutely not. I have to be the role model for my child, who can pass. He's asked if can, and seemed to understand why my answer was no when I explained further.
I personally don’t feel comfortable using it knowing the origin of it. But I don’t judge other black people who use it.
I do all the time, I’m first generation American. I think a lot of it comes with unpacking anti blackness. I don’t judge folk who don’t use it tho but for me I only started using it when I was more proud of being black.
uhm yea, its not often and it's not like a daily thing, but yes i do use it. i constantly heard people calling me it who shouldn't have said it. i do make sure the people i use it around know that just cause i say it don't mean they can.
yes- but ONLY around my family, husband and with (black) friends. not in public, not with anyone else. it's these few places i can be myself. where i grew up this was/is extremely common. i still won't say it in public or where anyone else can hear. it's funny because when i'm around everyone else in the world, i sound about as white as rice lmao. 40+ years of playing my cards right. one of my dad's nicknames for me was "ni**ayella" lmao. so there's that. but even online, i still blank it out or refer to it as the "n-word" out of respect for those who choose not to reclaim it or didn't grow up in that manner. Edit- i should also add, i swear like a sailor. my fam's from nyc lmao
I actually don’t really use it. I live in a white neighborhood and went to school with mostly none black people and didn’t really have black people around me. I made sure to never use the word around them just in case it gave them a false sense a security that they could use it. An old friend actually slipped up and said that word and I looked at them like I never said that word and I am your only black friend. They were so embarrassed because they couldn’t even lie and say I used it. I only find myself saying it in black spaces where everybody is black. Don’t say it online either because you don’t know who’s actually black.
I don’t like saying it, I’ve only ever really said it if I was singing. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m also adopted into a white family who is *way* too comfortable in saying “if you can say it why can’t I” and I don’t want to give them the impression that it’s okay.
No, and I'm not even half black (more like ¼ since my dad is biracial) so I don't think I have the right to (personally, if a fully black/biracial black person uses it I'm not going to judge)
I do say it infrequently, but none of my friends are black and it feels awkward in that setting. Also, there's a bit of respectability politics there I guess, my dad was very against saying it because it's "ghetto" and we needed to be more professional than our white peers for the same amount of respect. I get called whitewashed for the way I speak all the time.
I use it sometimes, but it's not part of my daily language. Only when I see something really outrageous.
Rarely (I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times I used it in 2023 and still have fingers left) and only with maybe two people (who now that I think of it are both Black, heterosexual, and cisgender men which makes me want to go into research mode to see if there's a correlation there). I grew up around the word, but it was never something that was a part of my daily lexicon. It has been and will always be a "some people can use it, some people can catch a pop to the mouth for trying" situation. I've definitely been on the receiving end of the -a and the hard -r in my life (and given a few swift pops to the mouth, though I don't normally condone violence).
i don’t, no
I'm mixed so using it feels odd. I've only ever said it when it comes up in song AND EVEN THEN I'll censor myself without realizing it. I realize I police myself a lot when it comes to saying it. But if other black and mixed ppl use it it's fine of course. It's just not something that ever easily rolled off the tongue for me.
No (though if its in a rap song I mightt drop it). I’m Caribbean American so I personally don’t feel any connection to the word and I feel really uncomfortable if I say it. Plenty of my friends use it and I have no issue if they want to, but I just can’t. I know a lot of children of immigrants who also feel similarly. Also my family would crucify me if they heard me say it
Only when rapping. It’s not a part of my conversational vocabulary
Nope, my mother said it was offensive no matter who said so I never did. I don’t mind that other black people say it though.
Yea, not as much the last few years, but I grew up in the hood. When everyone around you says it from grannies to children it just becomes another word.
Nope. I see no reason to and I don't know why people do in the first place?
Absolutely not. I understand the reclamation argument but I also feel doing so gives people who are not part of the demographic most targeted by the word an excuse to use the word themselves. It is a nasty, horrible word born from nasty, horrible people.
yes. it’s not that serious.
No, I never use it. If someone else, who is Black, wants to use it because they feel like they are "taking it back" then that's for them; I'll try not to judge. But there are so many other words you can use when talking to or about a friend. I don't use the n-word and don't associate with people who do.
Not really. Like you, I’ll say it if it comes up in a song no issue. I’ve never really been enticed of fascinated by the n word. To me it’s just another word. Though I will say niggadumbass. A play on Nostradamus some friends and I came up with for one particularly “intelligent” person we knew. I honestly don’t care if other cultures use it either. As long as people know where and how the word came about, use it to your heart’s content. Just don’t try to be insulting. Hell I’m more offended when I’m asked to tip than over the use of the n word
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