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With an "a" the word can be a source of pride and community for black Americans, which is why it's used so commonly in black music. Non-black Americans are not

With an "a" the word can be a source of pride and community for black Americans, which is why it's used so commonly in black music. Non-black Americans are not commonly accepted into this community, so when non-black Americans say the word it's considered very rude. With an "er" on the end, it's almost always a racist term. Either way you spell it, it's pretty much only acceptable for black Americans to say it.

0815test 8y ago
Fun fact: the word with an added "d" at the end is a very different word that actually means "cheapskate, overly parsimonious". I have a fringe theory that this is what all the music videos actually mean to refer to (it would kinda fit with the whole "bling bling" and "money is everything" theme) and that the whole thing is a really teh'ible misundah'standing which wee all vehwy sohwy about! (I would love for the entire black community to reclaim that word as part of promoting widespread awareness of good personal-finance practices.)
- Amezarak 8y ago
  Niggard has no etymological, denotational, or connotational connection to a racial slur. It’s a little astounding to me that it’s a bad word now that people are afraid to even type because it sounds sorta like one until you get the whole word out.
  - intertextuality 8y ago
    I didn't even know of that word, so I don't know it's history, but niggardly is another similar word, or snigger. Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead, as they're way too close in spelling and pronunciation. It doesn't help those words are not commonly used at all either. So although they technically may not be bad words, I wouldn't say them. Languages do not follow rules or technicalities. Those words just got the short end of the stick, unfortunately.
    - 0815test 8y ago
      > Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead But surely this must hold all the more strongly for the "a" word? Even if you're hearing it in a music video as a reference to a social ingroup, it basically amounts to propping up one of the vilest racial slurs around, which just seems self-defeating.
arkh 8y ago
> Non-black Americans are not commonly accepted into this community, so when non-black Americans say the word it's considered very rude. Isn't it somewhat racist?
- freehunter 8y ago
  I'm not entirely sure what "it" you're referring to. If you're saying that it's racist because only one race is allowed to say the word: No, I don't think so. It's not really a racial thing, it's a race and a culture. Not all black Americans say it, not all black Americans agree with it, and not all black Americans can get away with saying it. It's a kinship thing. My wife's female friends can say "you're such a bitch" but no one else would be able to say that to her. My coworkers and friends call me a nerd, but if someone I didn't know called me a nerd I would take it as an insult. They haven't earned that right. It's an offensive word unless there is a kinship developed where I know you're not saying it in a hurtful way. If you're saying it's deemed racist for non-black Americans to say the word, then yes. Saying it with an "a" would be deemed less racist and more of a very rude faux pax by many. Others may see it as very racist. Also depends on the context it's being said in.
  - arkh 8y ago
    Specifically this part : "Non-black Americans are not commonly accepted into this community" Also the fact people keep writing "the n word", "the word but with an a" feels like communicating with children. Just write nigger or nigga and be done. The sky won't fall. You can't analyze or criticize something you can't name. Especially when forbidden words change every 10 to 15 years because people will just start using other common ones as insults. A simple example would be how "despite", "kings" and "queens" were used to mock black people (not just north-american one) on r/cringeanarchy (which ban must be why this was reposted).
    - freehunter 8y ago
      Some people aren't comfortable saying the word, I don't know if anything you can say would change that. The only purpose of the word, from my perspective, is to hurt someone else. You can say it all you want in whatever manner you want, but I won't because I know it can only hurt the people who hear it. All I was trying to do was to explain to a non-American how Americans view the word. The wrong person saying it to the right person could easily get that speaker killed, that's the power the word has in some communities. You can say it online all you want and you can argue that it doesn't have power, but there are many neighborhoods in America where saying it with an "a" or with an "r" will result in a murder that no witnesses will corroborate.

0815test 8y ago

Fun fact: the word with an added "d" at the end is a very different word that actually means "cheapskate, overly parsimonious". I have a fringe theory that this is what all the music videos actually mean to refer to (it would kinda fit with the whole "bling bling" and "money is everything" theme) and that the whole thing is a really teh'ible misundah'standing which wee all vehwy sohwy about! (I would love for the entire black community to reclaim that word as part of promoting widespread awareness of good personal-finance practices.)

Amezarak 8y ago
Niggard has no etymological, denotational, or connotational connection to a racial slur. It’s a little astounding to me that it’s a bad word now that people are afraid to even type because it sounds sorta like one until you get the whole word out.
- intertextuality 8y ago
  I didn't even know of that word, so I don't know it's history, but niggardly is another similar word, or snigger. Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead, as they're way too close in spelling and pronunciation. It doesn't help those words are not commonly used at all either. So although they technically may not be bad words, I wouldn't say them. Languages do not follow rules or technicalities. Those words just got the short end of the stick, unfortunately.
  - 0815test 8y ago
    > Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead But surely this must hold all the more strongly for the "a" word? Even if you're hearing it in a music video as a reference to a social ingroup, it basically amounts to propping up one of the vilest racial slurs around, which just seems self-defeating.

arkh 8y ago

> Non-black Americans are not commonly accepted into this community, so when non-black Americans say the word it's considered very rude. Isn't it somewhat racist?

freehunter 8y ago
I'm not entirely sure what "it" you're referring to. If you're saying that it's racist because only one race is allowed to say the word: No, I don't think so. It's not really a racial thing, it's a race and a culture. Not all black Americans say it, not all black Americans agree with it, and not all black Americans can get away with saying it. It's a kinship thing. My wife's female friends can say "you're such a bitch" but no one else would be able to say that to her. My coworkers and friends call me a nerd, but if someone I didn't know called me a nerd I would take it as an insult. They haven't earned that right. It's an offensive word unless there is a kinship developed where I know you're not saying it in a hurtful way. If you're saying it's deemed racist for non-black Americans to say the word, then yes. Saying it with an "a" would be deemed less racist and more of a very rude faux pax by many. Others may see it as very racist. Also depends on the context it's being said in.
- arkh 8y ago
  Specifically this part : "Non-black Americans are not commonly accepted into this community" Also the fact people keep writing "the n word", "the word but with an a" feels like communicating with children. Just write nigger or nigga and be done. The sky won't fall. You can't analyze or criticize something you can't name. Especially when forbidden words change every 10 to 15 years because people will just start using other common ones as insults. A simple example would be how "despite", "kings" and "queens" were used to mock black people (not just north-american one) on r/cringeanarchy (which ban must be why this was reposted).
  - freehunter 8y ago
    Some people aren't comfortable saying the word, I don't know if anything you can say would change that. The only purpose of the word, from my perspective, is to hurt someone else. You can say it all you want in whatever manner you want, but I won't because I know it can only hurt the people who hear it. All I was trying to do was to explain to a non-American how Americans view the word. The wrong person saying it to the right person could easily get that speaker killed, that's the power the word has in some communities. You can say it online all you want and you can argue that it doesn't have power, but there are many neighborhoods in America where saying it with an "a" or with an "r" will result in a murder that no witnesses will corroborate.