LET’S TALK ABOUT THE N-WORD

At first, I did not want to express my opinion on this matter, but I was chatting with my friend Lynou and I thought I should share some insights, it concerns me too so why not?

So let’s talk about the N-word. Just like I would not use the B-word when talking to a female friend, I would not use the N-word to address any of my black friends. I have no problem with those who do use it obviously; how could I? Freedom of speech for all. It’s completely my choice to not use those words, I cringe when I hear my friends use those derogatory terms as a joke but at the end of the day, they are free to speak however they want. My opinion is that the N-word is and was always a demeaning term and the fact that a black person uses it does not make it any less harmful. I wonder if slaves back in the day would use that term as a joke without feeling a little pinch in their heart; the same goes for the B-word when addressing a woman.

I feel like, the more we use the N-word word as a joke, the more they (racist people) laugh at us. The same term they used to use to belittle us, we are now using it to address one another. I am BLACK, BIG(&Beautiful) and a WOMAN (BBW); these three things together already could be or are stress factors in the world we live in today. I have even tried to filter most if not all the songs I listen to, any lyrics with derogatory terms, whether it’s about a race, men or women.

I guess what I’m saying is, if the N-word or B-word was depreciating back then, why should we use it so lightly now? It may be a bad comparison but racism and slavery were not things to joke about back then,(at least not from the perspective of the oppressed) and they still are not subjects we can joke about. Racism was and still is abusive in every meaning of the word, physical, emotional, psychological, just like bullying, and to me, it seems that the N-word carries that weight. That’s my opinion .

In the end, whether you’re talking to your friend, about your friend, be mindful of how you’re communicating, practice introspection!!!

On that note, I think I need to go for a little walk and breathe some fresh air…

Until then, BE KIND

HarryELLE