A few people, including Virtual Bomaniland favorite Big Walt, have asked where my issues with Darrick Z. Jackson–please say the Z.–and his piece on nigga in hip hop.
My big problem with that piece is that he took Richard Pryor’s views and placed them on everyone that uses the term. So Pryor claimed that he said nigga like it was going out of style because it empowered him in some bizarre way.
So what’s that got to do with me?
Jackson can have his take on the use of the word, and he has the right to not want to be called “nigga” by anyone. If he were to ask me not to use the term around him, I would not. However, there’s a certain arrogance that fuels the ascription of one man’s views to a giant group of people.
However, I was erroneous in saying that I don’t agree with him. I really don’t, but that wasn’t my issue with his piece. I have serious problems with his perspective and his rhetorical techniques. His perspective is one of an older gentleman that looks down on the younger generation while ignoring any role that his generation had in molding the youth. I have no idea how old he is–I’d say he’s under 40 based on the spelling of his first name, but I really don’t konw–but he acts as though people my age and younger just magically turned out this way. Further, he offers no solution for changing what he deems to be a huge problem. For Jackson and his ilk–which includes the absolutely insufferable Stanley Crouch–to be useful in their critiques, they must offer some theory on how society became what it currently is. Otherwise, there is no way to construct means to reach the standard of behavior he seems to feel would be proper. The sniping he does from his keyboard is, at best, masturbatory.
And as a general rule, I avoid being around another man’s skeet. Just not my idea of a party.
As for his rhetoric, it’s designed to fool those with substandard critical thinking skills. From the looks of things, Jackson went Googling for the least intelligent quotes on using “nigga” from people whose names would be readily identifiable to readers. I’m curious why a columnist from Boston didn’t find a quote from Randall Kennedy’s book “Nigger–The Strange History of a Troublesome Word.” Or whatever the subtitle of that book was. I don’t agree with what I’ve seen from Kennedy’s book–which I have not read, but izrael has and wrote my favorite of his pieces on–but someting tells me that he offered some logic that Jackson couldn’t dispute.
Basically, when you can only find stupid things other people have said to add to your point, you don’t win anything from me. Perhaps he should have called Phonte Coleman about this issue. I know Phonte a little bit, and I’ve heard him say he doesn’t have any issue with the word “nigga” and doesn’t really care who uses it (nor is he discriminatory about whom he refers to as niggaz). I don’t know if Phonte has done an interview on that, but I know he’d have something smarter to say on the issue than 50 Cent or Russell Simmons.
So why no mentions of anyone like that? Why just go for points that even people like me–who use the term liberally and unapologetically–think are moronic?
That’s not presenting a counterargument. That’s the analogue to snowbirding or cherry picking, waiting by your own goal and waiting for an easy basket rather than running down the floor and playing defense. It’s too easy. I’d like to think that Jackson would like to offer something more challenging than that.
But here’s the best part.
Nothing about the N-word or B-word has helped black people to rise above achievement gaps in schools or helped black males to be respectful to women and responsible to babies they father out of wedlock.
Right. And neither has whacking one’s mack all over a newspaper page. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, that’s pot.
Both y’all niggaz is black.
Moving on, I think I’ll do this week’s list tomorrow. What’s it gonna be on? I really couldn’t tell you. Been on a serious Sly kick lately, but I don’t know the depths of his catalog like that (I primiarily stick to Stand!, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, and Fresh). Or might be the Police, who I’ve gotten deeper into since I got their entire catalog when I was at my brother’s house.
Leaning toward Public Enemy. Check back tomorrow for more.
14 Comments
by Kirk
I happen to know you have plenty of Isaac Hayes’ shit to do a list on also…
That is very true.
by Kirk
I happen to know you have plenty of Isaac Hayes’ shit to do a list on also…
That is very true.
by janai
The sniping he does from his keyboard is, at best, masturbatory
CLASSIC…can i borrow?
With citation, of course.
by janai
The sniping he does from his keyboard is, at best, masturbatory
CLASSIC…can i borrow?
With citation, of course.
by sandy darity
And there’s the insufferable handkerchief headed journalist Juan Williams — avowedly anti-reparations — who spent his entire on air memorial to Richard Pryor and his humor talking about Pryor’s use of the word nigger. Nothing else. There was no more to Pryor’s humor. In the same bag is a certain famous actor who also is scarfheaded (he played the driver in Driving Miss Daisy) who now tells us there shouldn’t be a black history month (cause of course every month is black history month). Whether he’s right or wrong he has no credibility whatsoever playing the roles that he has over the years — the subservient, wise coon.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet my sensei!
by sandy darity
And there’s the insufferable handkerchief headed journalist Juan Williams — avowedly anti-reparations — who spent his entire on air memorial to Richard Pryor and his humor talking about Pryor’s use of the word nigger. Nothing else. There was no more to Pryor’s humor. In the same bag is a certain famous actor who also is scarfheaded (he played the driver in Driving Miss Daisy) who now tells us there shouldn’t be a black history month (cause of course every month is black history month). Whether he’s right or wrong he has no credibility whatsoever playing the roles that he has over the years — the subservient, wise coon.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet my sensei!
by sandy darity
And there’s the insufferable handkerchief headed journalist Juan Williams — avowedly anti-reparations — who spent his entire on air memorial to Richard Pryor and his humor talking about Pryor’s use of the word nigger. Nothing else. There was no more to Pryor’s humor. In the same bag is a certain famous actor who also is scarfheaded (he played the driver in Driving Miss Daisy) who now tells us there shouldn’t be a black history month (cause of course every month is black history month). Whether he’s right or wrong he has no credibility whatsoever playing the roles that he has over the years — the subservient, wise coon.
by sandy darity
And there’s the insufferable handkerchief headed journalist Juan Williams — avowedly anti-reparations — who spent his entire on air memorial to Richard Pryor and his humor talking about Pryor’s use of the word nigger. Nothing else. There was no more to Pryor’s humor. In the same bag is a certain famous actor who also is scarfheaded (he played the driver in Driving Miss Daisy) who now tells us there shouldn’t be a black history month (cause of course every month is black history month). Whether he’s right or wrong he has no credibility whatsoever playing the roles that he has over the years — the subservient, wise coon.
by strong
I’m 36 and distinctly remember my great-uncle pulling over to the side of the highway after my cousin and I used the ‘N’ word. I was around 10 years old at the time. We were driving on our way to the family reunion in Woodbine, Ga. My uncle was so taken aback by our use of the word that he pulled over and lectured us about the history of the word and the way that the word had been used to belittle black men and women including himself. After gaining that historical perspective, I did not use that word anymore. I find it unsettling that it is used (in various forms) in our music, and the conversations of many.
I had never heard any of the adults in my family use the word, so I’m not even sure where my cousin and I would have heard it. Furthermore, at that time in the late 70’s there were no popular songs, to my knowledge, using any variation of the word and I’m certain that I wouldn’t have been allowed to see any films using that kind of terminology. If the word was used in my family, it must have been out of earshot of us kids. My how times have changed…
If you watch Nick at Nite or TV Land, you can find “nigga” used liberally on shows like “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son”. If I’m not mistaken, both of those were shows developed by Normal Lear. Definitely the case on “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times.” My problem, in those cases, is that those shows were written by white people, and I maintain adamantly that white folks have no room or right to think about using the word outside of a quote.
by strong
I’m 36 and distinctly remember my great-uncle pulling over to the side of the highway after my cousin and I used the ‘N’ word. I was around 10 years old at the time. We were driving on our way to the family reunion in Woodbine, Ga. My uncle was so taken aback by our use of the word that he pulled over and lectured us about the history of the word and the way that the word had been used to belittle black men and women including himself. After gaining that historical perspective, I did not use that word anymore. I find it unsettling that it is used (in various forms) in our music, and the conversations of many.
I had never heard any of the adults in my family use the word, so I’m not even sure where my cousin and I would have heard it. Furthermore, at that time in the late 70’s there were no popular songs, to my knowledge, using any variation of the word and I’m certain that I wouldn’t have been allowed to see any films using that kind of terminology. If the word was used in my family, it must have been out of earshot of us kids. My how times have changed…
If you watch Nick at Nite or TV Land, you can find “nigga” used liberally on shows like “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son”. If I’m not mistaken, both of those were shows developed by Normal Lear. Definitely the case on “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times.” My problem, in those cases, is that those shows were written by white people, and I maintain adamantly that white folks have no room or right to think about using the word outside of a quote.
by Strong
Perhaps that word was used on certain tv shows. However, in my family, our parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles took the time to teach us not to mimic everything that we saw going on around us. We were taught to be leaders and not followers. Therefore, even though we may have heard someone on television using that word, we knew that in our household such language would never be tolerated.
I think that there may be a generational gap. In my workplace, which is a Fortune 500 company, a new class of recent college grads who are being trained for their first professional jobs, have already been ‘coached’ twice about using inappropriate language in the workplace and for telling offensive jokes. When I heard what had been said, it turns out these young adults were repeating lines from popular tv shows and recent movies. I think that the difference in just one generation is that my family made sure that I knew what is and is not appropriate to say or do in certain settings. (Mind you, there is only a 10-12 year difference between me and these recent college grads).
by Strong
Perhaps that word was used on certain tv shows. However, in my family, our parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles took the time to teach us not to mimic everything that we saw going on around us. We were taught to be leaders and not followers. Therefore, even though we may have heard someone on television using that word, we knew that in our household such language would never be tolerated.
I think that there may be a generational gap. In my workplace, which is a Fortune 500 company, a new class of recent college grads who are being trained for their first professional jobs, have already been ‘coached’ twice about using inappropriate language in the workplace and for telling offensive jokes. When I heard what had been said, it turns out these young adults were repeating lines from popular tv shows and recent movies. I think that the difference in just one generation is that my family made sure that I knew what is and is not appropriate to say or do in certain settings. (Mind you, there is only a 10-12 year difference between me and these recent college grads).
by big grip
As an older reader, I am always amazed by the “sanctimony” of my generation. I don’t like the word nigga in any of its mutations, but we need to stop fixating on this word as the fountainhead from which all of Black America’s problems flow.
I am in my forties, but I LOVE The Boondocks, nigga and all. It gives me a good jumping off point for “life learning” discussions with my son.
The “nigga” experience episode was a classic.
We need to look at the artistic context in which the word is used. Would I not listen to That Niggas Crazy by Richard Pryor, because of that word? I would indeed miss out on one of the classic comedy albums.
It may be blasphemous for me to say this, but I just don’t see the relevance of all of this hand wringing about this word.
by big grip
As an older reader, I am always amazed by the “sanctimony” of my generation. I don’t like the word nigga in any of its mutations, but we need to stop fixating on this word as the fountainhead from which all of Black America’s problems flow.
I am in my forties, but I LOVE The Boondocks, nigga and all. It gives me a good jumping off point for “life learning” discussions with my son.
The “nigga” experience episode was a classic.
We need to look at the artistic context in which the word is used. Would I not listen to That Niggas Crazy by Richard Pryor, because of that word? I would indeed miss out on one of the classic comedy albums.
It may be blasphemous for me to say this, but I just don’t see the relevance of all of this hand wringing about this word.