First Published: 7th of December, 2021
Last updated: December 7, 2021 at 22:45 pm
Some words change their meaning over time. For example, about a hundred year ago, the word “gay” meant “happy.” So, a century ago, if you woke up one morning and said, “I’m feeling gay” no one would give you a weird look. But fast forward to the turn of the 21st century, and the word “gay” means a completely different thing. Further, with all the gay pride parades going on, the word, “pride” might soon take on a new connotation.
The above is just one example of how words change their meanings over time. The example we’re going to look at in this example is the word “nigger.” Back in the bad ole days when slavery was legal, European slave masters dubbed their African slaves “niggers.” A nigger in this context meant someone of lesser intelligence most suited to hard labor. In those days, referring to African slaves as “nigger” was a norm, and no one took issue with it. But after the abolition of slavery, the word, due to its derogatory nature, became taboo. It became a racial slur that was flung around as an insult from time to time, sometimes with consequences such as protests and lawsuits.
Then, around the year 2001, at the turn of the century, the word took on a new meaning as young people started to affectionately refer to each other as “niggers.” But they would often drop the final “r” making it “nigga.” You would often hear young people of New York, for example, greeting each other by saying, “what’s up ma nigga.” And this was customary amongst people of all races.
A few years later, young women started to refer to their boyfriends as their “nigga,” but perhaps in a less cultured way.
Throughout all this, however, the word “nigger” still holds its derogatory definition and connotation, and if someone calls another person a nigger in the wrong context, it could turn into a serious problem.
In this sense, context is important. For example, the following would be considered inoffensive if it is spoken by one colored person to another:
“What’s up my nigga?”
However, if a while man calls a black man a “nigger” during an argument, it opens up deep, historical wounds, and is considered highly insulting.
