It’s funny, I almost wasn’t going to post anything about the celebration of Dr. King, but being as passionate as I am, I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. 

It breaks my heart when I see our youths (of all colors) running around degrading one another with n*gga this and n*gga that.  (And before you stop reading this, I want you to know that I am not one of those wanna be whites or stuck up Blacks or anything like that, I’m just educated, that’s all)

Now, this is without a doubt the most DISRESPECTFUL and OFFENSIVE word in the history of mankind.  And no matter how you mix it and mash it: with an “a” at the end, or “c’s” instead of “g’s”, the word means the same.  It was a word used by the slave masters to show that the slaves were inferior, less than human, less than cattle.  The word was used when slaves were beaten and lynched, it was used in the 60’s when Blacks were hosed and chased with dogs, and you’d be naive to think that in 2008, it’s meaning is any less.  It’s meant to be suppressive, corrupt, inhumane, callous, humiliating, and was never and will never be a substitute for “what’s up my brotha” 

I am reminded of an expression: A man put a grasshopper in a jar.  The grasshopper jumped and jumped trying to get free but kept hitting the lid.  After some time, the grasshopper stopped jumping and stopped trying to get free.  Finally, the man took the lid off the jar and allowed the grasshopper the chance to escape.  But, the grasshopper remained in the jar, not even striving for it’s freedom anymore.

In psychology, (I know what what I’m talking about because this is what I’m getting a college degree in – see my about me section), this is known as learned helplessness.  This experiment was also done with dogs and electric shocks. 

When we use this “n” word, we are suppressing ourselves.  We no longer need the slave master to use this word because we use it ourselves.  We have been conditioned and don’t even realize the great damage that has been done over the years.  And when we finally can be free of such a degrading word, we choose to use it ourselves anyway.  And for what?

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not trying to be hard on anyone.  I have spoken to many people who use this word.  It’s how they grew up, it’s a part of them, and has become a habit.  And to those who feel they have taken the word and made it positive, I say this: when you can reverse the effects of slavery, when you can take back all the lynchings, and the years of oppression, the racism, the hatred because of the color of your skin, and everything else, then maybe you can turn that word into something else.  But you can’t.  You just can’t… the damage has been done, and we don’t need to add to it. 

All I know is,

When I die and I come face to face with my ancestors and other greats like Dr. King, Booker T. Washington, Huey P. Newton, and the list continues, they will know that their deaths, their beatings, lynchings, murders, fights, and their struggles were not in vain.  I stand for something: truth.