Entertainment Icons Speak on 'The N-Word'

I agree with nelson because it's a word freely used in any manner which is moral wise inconsiderate and most of the times when used it's totally uncalled for. Alot of people may disagree with nelson because of the saying freedom of speech thing. If that word is used at the wrong place and wrong time african americans will be ready to fight.

I personally come from a pretty diverse neighbouhood, all types of people, from all over the place.....carribean, african, european, middle eastern....the works, and lots of us use the word...i mean i've been hearin' the word since i could remember, so to hear it, doesn't really affect me the way it probably should, it's a dirty word sure, but rivers run deep and so do the ties to that word...lots of people might not like or understand it, but it ain't goin' away any time soon that's for sure......one

Is it just me that's noticed that blacks call blacks N*gg*rs and it is acceptable but if whites call blacks N*gg*rs it is rascist.

England lad for me, or any other black person, to explain to you why if blacks call each other n*gga is not racist would take to damn long. All i can say is learn everything about slavery, reconstruction, post reconstruction, and civil rights. I agree with nelson on some points, i only say n*gga when im not in mixed company, i dont like sayin it when whites are around.

How does one outlaw a word? and if it is a common practice, what other words have been "outlawed?" curse words? d*mn? f*ck? sh*t??? as it is, "the n-word" is edited out of songs and not said on television (excluding the boondocks). Practically, what can be done about it? them boyz in tha hood are gonna keep saying it, its always going to be unacceptable for whites to say it, it will never make sense. It's just one of those things... Gotta love americana.

Agree with nelson on what point? he's not quoted in the article. Personally, i think people want to play games with the word. Like, it's okay to say "n**ga", not "n**ger. Or its a term of endearment when black folks use it, and hate when any other race uses the word. What idiot thinks like that? true, there are any number of words to describe parts of the body, or sex acts, but they are not people. Never has one word used to describe a race, or group, of people been so freely adopted by "those same people", and ultimately society as a whole. It hasn't happened with asians, europeans, or hispanics. But it has happened to us. And we sit back and adopt it into our culture like it somehow takes the sting out of the word when we say it. White folks love that line of reasoning from some of us. So, while its true you can't abolish a word, it doesn't mean you have to say it. Oh well, i guess we'll always be our own worst enemy.

"ni99as please"

Thank you for proving my point, trapstar.

The n-word who in the hell bought that up, and yes i do not like it..but dumb ass thug like trapstar and newsdude3k there mother or father do'not teach them fool from worng to right so that the only word that the can say and wirte on the wall!

I may have missed you point, bigdrew, but were you lumping me and trapstar together as far as being dumb thugs? i hope not, because my post clearly states my hatred of the word. When i thanked trapstar, it was for showing how ignorant we can be, even after someone presents you a seemingly valid reason to not use the word.

Oh damn my bad...me fu*k up pls forgive me i am soory for what i say to you and trapstar my bad you right im worng ...can you forgive me??

I think more young white boys use the word towards each other nowadays.just goes to show you how much power we have.

For me, the word has no emotional value. When i was coming up i was taught that a ni99er was an ignorant person, and to me that's what a ni99er will always be. No matter what color, race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or sex, if you act ignorant, to me you're a ni99er. Yeah slavery sucked and we were treated horribly, it took us all these years to finally get somewhere, but we're doing better than the native americans. They have casinos, sure, but they also have about three pure bloods. We need to ignore inflammatory words and phrases that are designed by haters to distract us from our real goal: getting our sh*t straight. We can't sound ignorant when we refute the claim that we are ni99ers. "ni99er!" "no i ain't!" sound good to you? not to me. Iam waiting for the day when education is as important to our people as flashy possessions. This is the only major difference between our lives and white people's lives. They care about education, their kids get educated and make it to the top. Why? because they're educated. Yes there are plenty of examples of educated black people not getting promoted or jobs or whatever. If we ran the world, would we be happy that they were coming up? if the histories were reversed, could you not see yourself acting the same way? if it were legal to have slaves now, black people would definitely own some. Everyone would. Who can say no to free labor? especially free labor that cleans the kitchen and bathroom. I can't even believe that we still talk about slavery

I try not to use the word, i'm from the caribbean and lived in brooklyn , nyc for some years and that word got into my vocabulary but i just try to use"rasta" instead......unless somebody is acting like a dumb ignorant "ni99a"! jah blees

I feel u jah me raised in a carribean neighorhood in miami and i am blackturkish and we neva use that word...

Please don't laugh me off of here, or be overtly critical of my partial lack of wisdom, but this word is, outwardly and overtly "wrong!" no, it cannot be made against the law to use, as can any other word. However the prudence of someone using such terminology in mixed company expounds profoundly on their own ignorance, white anglo or african american. As much as african americans despise the sound and use of the word by white anglos, the majority, of white anglos feel likewise, hearing it used by african americans, (or other whites anglos). Dave chapelle's sudden revelation that perhaps everyone wasn't laughing with him and his use of "n," word comedy astonished me. To think that such a brilliant man, did not perceive this in advance is beyond me. Likewise with mike epps and his humor. He is such a talent, to lade himself down with the future burden, learning of the hurt he has brought to so many folks, in spite of the fact he meant well and has many rolling in the aisles. Again, this word seems to be the new, "bad" word, like mother f----r, was to the late lenny bruce and richard pryor. Of course this time to be used by only one part of this human color spectrum and very divisive even there. I heard an elder lady on tavis smiley's show one evening and how she referenced this word's usage as like, packing poison into a perfume bottle! it doesn't make it smell better, feel better, or look better and unlike grapes made into wine, does not get better with age. The lady reminded me of nina simone b

The lady reminded me of nina simone but i am sure it wasn't. What ever you do, respect your elders, they paved these roads, we walk on, and it seems like a pretty good foundation to me! ps.. Fyi, in my youth i did pick cotton a couple of times while my dad was off in the korean war, and he himself was a sharecropper as a younger man, until realizing that even the army was a way out to a better life.

Fyi, in my youth i did pick cotton a couple of times while my dad was off in the korean war, and he himself was a sharecropper as a younger man, until realizing that even the army was a way out to a better life. Last three posts by jay, entered on november-10-2006.

I disagree because i feel that we can say what we want to so cause its our mouth n if they got a probium wit somebody callin them a ni##er then they should let them know. Me i call everybody ni##er cuz i want to even white people!

I think that it is very disrespectful when don imus called those women nappey headed whores, because they look like very respectful women and they carry themseleves in a respectable manneer. Therefore i think that he deserved to be fired. I want to give a sout out to : blue (aka ms bartly and mr.daujar, angel taria erica and every @ tri-cites high and concord baptist church. Peace