The short answer is no. But in actuality, no one should be using the word. I don’t care if you are white, black, Asian…it doesn’t matter what your race is, just please don’t say it. The reason why I’m bringing this up is that I watched a video on Youtube in which a girl (white) who goes to FSU made an argument that essentially questions why white people can’t say the word, even if it is in a song. Three minutes into watching the video I was like “oh, hell no,” but as I kept watching the video I realized that she brought up some valid points.

“If the N-word is so bad, then why do rap artists put it in their song anyway”

I honestly think that this is such a valid question because hip-hop is pretty mainstream so obviously it is not only black people listening to it. People of all races enjoy hip-hop culture. Therefore, it’s kind of crazy to expect someone who is white that is reciting a song, such as Bodak Yellow which is the number one song in the country, and then skip over the n-word. Personally, I don’t use the n-word because I think that it is dumb to say, regardless of race. And, I understand that blacks in America have tried to make a positive out of a negative, by changing the word from a hard “er” to an “a,” but honestly it just doesn’t work.

I mean a white person in authority, let’s say a police officer, for instance, can call a black person the n-word and it would most likely sting them to the core. And this has definitely happened, MANY TIMES. Therefore, how can you gain power over something that can still be used against you? For my own personal experience, I have actually been called a nigger. I was 15 years old, I went to six flags with some friends and out of nowhere these white boys pass by us and call us niggers while laughing. So many people “say oh its ‘20-whatever,’ that racist stuff happened in the 60s.” But no, it still continues today. Even today, many blacks in America are persecuted by their fellow Americans. Therefore, if it is such an issue for white people to say the n-word, even if it’s in a song, then artists should not be using the word.

“Why Can’t People have serious conversations without getting angry and offended”

I thought that this was another valid point that was brought up. So, my friends (black ones) and I have had this conversation before, about whether or not black people should try to educate non-blacks on why they should not say the n-word. At first, I said no because I didn’t think that it was my job to educate someone on something that should be common sense. But, from watching the video it clearly showed me that not everyone thinks like me. Not everyone understands why the n-word is bad to use in a song or even between friends.

Honestly, I think that it is sad because I just wish other people could see clearly the injustice that goes on in American society. When I think of the n-word I think about all the black lives that have suffered and died in this country, and I’m not even just talking about slavery. I’m talking about Latasha Harlins, a 14-year-old black girl who was murdered by a convenience store owner because she was accused of stealing orange juice. And I’m talking about Kalief Browder who died because our criminal justice system is screwed up. For me, the n-word is not simply a word, it is the symbol of oppression. But, I have realized that in order to make progression, conversations need to be held between people of different backgrounds so that we can actually understand the views of others.