WORDS NOT JUST WORDS
They say that words are powerful unless it’s the words of a Black person or the words of the Black community correcting, educating, and having to try to convince white people and non-Black people of color to not use the n-word as if it is okay to somehow come out of their foul mouths or so easily roll off of their foul lips and foul tongues. Foul because it takes real lack of not only self-awareness but a callousness and racist and anti-Black view of the world and the people it affects so deeply, and a lack of civility, decency, and humanity to allow that vile word to spew out of your mouth as if saying the n-word is somehow okay to say to Black people or people in general. And the fact that the majority of white people and non-Black people of color is likely to respond that “Black people say it all the time” only proves their lack of racial intelligence and their lack of comprehension and lack of care and lack of respect for Black people and the Black community and humanity as a whole. The Black community and the use of that word by some Black people is a whole different conversation that Black people and the Black community has to have with itself and does not include white people’s or non-Black people of color’s input, voice, thoughts, interjection or commentary. After four hundred years of slavery, racism, oppression, discrimination, brainwashing, and systematic and institutionalized racism and white supremacy have many in the Black community believing that using that word but dropping the “er and adding an “a” at the end of the word: is somehow empowering and dismantling the racist and vile meaning and use of that word by white people and non-Black people of color. No, the n-word is not synonymous with Black people or being Black or the Black community but just like the color of our skin that vile word has been weaponized by racists, white supremacists, and people with Anti-Blackness ingrained and indoctrinated into their callous and dark souls to disrespect, denigrate, and disparage Black people and the Black community. The use of that ignorant atrocious racist and despicable word is no justification for white people or non-Black people of color to use that word as if it is okay or justifiable in their racist minds. The simple fact that if a Black person or the Black community begin to eagerly, repetitively and easily use the word “cracker’ or “honky” or “devil” or “spic” or “wetback” or “chink” or any other racial epithet to describe white people or any non-Black person of color or their entire communities as a whole then there would be an outrage and screams of racism and calls to end the use of those hateful words of racism so freely being tossed around by Black people or the Black community, by those same people and same communities who seem to think that it is okay or harmless to freely spew out the n-word or somehow think that it is fashionable to do so. We can pretend that it is a lack of awareness or innocent racial stupidity but the fact of the matter is that white people, the white community, non-Black people of color, and non-Black communities of color all know for a fact that they are intentionally using the vilest most ignorant and racist word in the vocabulary of the human language and any form of human communication to disparage and disrespect Black people and the Black community as a whole. The curious thing is the audacity that white people and non-Black people of color have the audacity to feel attacked when called out for using such a vile word. There is no justification for white people and non-Black people of color to use that word and there is no forgiveness in my mind as long as the use of that vile word so easily rolls off of their tongues and they continue the fallacy of promoting and propagating that the way they say the word is somehow harmless or is not said in a racist way or racist manner and does not affect Black people and that Black people should get over the meaning of the word or to just let it go because the word does not have the same racist vile meaning as years past. Funny how white people and non-Black people of color always have the audacity to force their opinions on Black people and the Black community and tell us how we should feel about racist hateful disparaging words towards us and our community, how we are affected by racism and racist ideology, and how we should deal with the systematic racism, bigotry, oppression, discrimination, and anti-Blackness that we have to deal with on a daily basis in our lives not caused by us or our own doing but by hateful, vile, racist individuals and systems hellbent on our continual oppression and discrimination. Words are powerful, actions are powerful, and how you treat people is powerful. Excuses or fake false justification for your racism and anti-Blackness inside your heart is a sign of your personal ineptitude and weakness and hate. Do better.