Nigger

[[File:The Nigger in the Woodpile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"The Nigger in the Woodpile", an 1860 anti-[[Lincoln]] political cartoon.]]
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{{cquote|No Viet Cong ever called me nigger.|||Attributed to Muhammad Ali during his refusal to fight in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>Kennedy, Randall (2002). ''Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word''. Random House. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-375-42172-3.</ref>}}
{{cquote|What white people have to do, is try and find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first place, because I'm not a nigger, I'm a man, but if you think I'm a nigger, it means you need it.|||James Baldwin<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-i-am-not-your-negro-raoul-peck-feature-20170119-story.html To director Raoul Peck, 'I Am Not Your Negro' is a 'bomb' — here's why] by Tre'vell Anderson (February 3,2017, 3:00 AM) ''The Los Angeles Times''.</ref>}}
The word "'''nigger'''" (often referred to [[Euphemism|euphemistically]] as "'''the N-word'''" in [[political correctness|polite discourse]]) is a [[racism|racist]] slang term used to refer to people with dark skin, generally of [[African]] descent.  It stems from the [[Latin]] word ''niger'', meaning 'black'.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150315215919/http://www.latinwordlist.com/latin-words/niger-19897685.htm Niger] ''Latin Word List'' (archived from March 15, 2015).</ref> It probably came to English via a roundabout route through another European language, many of which derive their word for "black" from the Latin (e.g. "'''negro'''" in [[Spain|Spanish]], "nero" [not [[Roman_emperor#Nero_.2854.E2.80.9368.29|''that'' Nero]]] in [[Italy|Italian]], "noir" in [[France|French]]). Note that not all the romance words listed above are necessarily racist. Sometimes they are the equivalent of English "black", sometimes they are the equivalent of English "negro" {{---}} guess where that comes from {{---}} and sometimes they are indeed racist but a very similar sounding word is totally fine {{---}} just like the negro situation in the 1950s, when that word was fine but a slurred delivery could come off as that other "n-word".

==Etymology==
Historically, it was a common term to use for referring to dark-skinned folk, along with "negro," and was derived from the Latin word for "black."  However, at some point during the 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries, it came to be regarded as derogatory.  The use of "nigger" is now almost universally seen as inherently racist, with the exception being the attempts at [[Reappropriation|reclaiming the term]] by some African-Americans.

"Negro" has in turn gradually lost its acceptability over the past 40 years or so due to its disturbingly close association with the epithet, to the point that today it's just barely acceptable at all — and then again, only in some particular contexts (usually historical, such as referring to Negro League baseball).<ref group=note>Kinda like how [[Person-first language|"people of color" replaced "colored people."]] We don't get it either.</ref> Changing attitudes to racial differences furthered this trend, as did the [[civil rights]] movement. The [[euphemism treadmill|continually shifting connotations]] of racial terms are reflected in the fact that organizations such as the United Negro College Fund and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People continue as respected and decidedly non-racist entities.

==Modern usage==
{{cquote|If you say 'what's up, nigga?' then that's cool. But if you say, 'Nigger!', then I'mma take it different.|||Eazy-E, who argued that the use of the word depends on context<ref name="eric">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRsP6KwyvHs The "N Word": How, Why & When to Say It, Featuring Eazy-E Interview & NWA. Marc Watts Reporting]</ref>}}
{{cquote|Why would you be a ''nigga'' for life? Why can't you be a ''human being'' for life?|||Earl Hutchinson, berating Eazy for his liberal use of the n-word<ref name="eric"/>}}
Sociologist Randall Kennedy's 2002 book, ''Nigger,'' notes that one of the primary functions of the word in its modern incarnation is a way of "roping off cultural turf".<ref>Kennedy, Randall.  2002.  ''Nigger.''  New York: Vintage Books.</ref> As such, it is commonly used in [[hip-hop]] culture and the inner city. Frequently, friendly pronunciations of "nigger" are shifted markedly to "nigga," with the missing "r" serving as an important identifier of intention. In such a context, "nigga" can be a way of asserting cultural distinctiveness, while "nigger" remains a derogatory slur.

It has, on occasion, been humorously remarked upon that black people can use the term "nigger", but white people cannot.<ref group=note>Except Quentin Tarantino, and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63M34s8afbo one highly contrived exception.]</ref> For the most egregious examples, just visit YouTube and enter [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Chris+Rock&aq=f "Chris Rock"]. This apparent double standard has sometimes been played for laughs in some popular culture. In ''Rush Hour'', Chris Tucker walks into a bar and casually greets a friend with "what's up, my nigga", while when his partner Jackie Chan repeats the same thing a few moments later, it quickly devolves into a fight.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyXuP48LDOE ''Rush Hour'' &mdash; "What's up my nigger?"] on [[YouTube]].</ref> White American rapper {{wpl|Eminem}}, who gained notoriety for his use of violent, mysoginistic and homophobic lyrics in his songs, went on record to draw the line with the use of the term especially given his ethnicity.<ref name="eminemslur">{{Cite news |last2=Nov |first2=06 |last3=2004 - 08:46 |date=2004-11-06 |title=Eminem: I'd never use 'N' word |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30174608.html |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=Irish Examiner |language=en}}</ref> He did however occasionally use it, albeit with the blessing with his black peers during concerts,<ref name="neeguh">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-01 |title=All the times recorded times Eminem has said the n word |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Eminem/comments/si16zi/all_the_times_recorded_times_eminem_has_said_the/?rdt=35242 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=r/Eminem}}</ref> and has apologised for a tape recording which surfaced in 2003 where he used it in a freestyle performance.<ref name="eminemslur1">{{Cite news |title=Eminem apparently being forgiven for using racial slur in old song |url=https://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/2003/nov/28/eminem-apparently-being-forgiven-for-using-racial-slur-in-old-song/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=Herald Extra |language=en-US}}</ref> Another instance of the so-called "n-word pass" was when actor {{wpl|Leonardo DiCaprio}} understandably expressed discomfort with using it when portraying a racist plantation owner in ''{{wpl|Django Unchained}}'', but was assured by co-stars {{wpl|Samuel L. Jackson}} and {{wpl|Jamie Foxx}} that DiCaprio's use of the slur is well within the context of the film's story and setting, as mincing it out would make his character look way less abhorrent to audiences.<ref name="leo">{{Cite news |title=Leonardo DiCaprio was uncomfortable with cruel Django Unchained character |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-was-uncomfortable-with-cruel-django-unchained-character-2012121810 |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=Newshub |language=en}}</ref>

The ''[[South Park]]'' episode "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" attracted at least some controversy for its liberal use of the word nigger; it was nonetheless praised by the [[NAACP]] for its nuanced and contextual take on the subject matter, calling it a hilarious but good example of educating the public on the impact of racist slurs, particularly its comedic way of conveying other races' perceptions of how black people feel when hearing it.<ref name="boston">{{cite news|author=Vanessa E. Jones|title=No offense, but ...|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=January 29, 2008|url=http://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/01/29/no_offense_but_/|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-date=March 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319084232/http://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/01/29/no_offense_but_/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/08/pzn.01.html Transcript of "Paula Zahn Now" from March 8, 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629031600/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/08/pzn.01.html |date=June 29, 2011 }}. CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2007.</ref>

===Similar-sounding words===
Every now and then, there's a controversy where someone gets in trouble for using the completely unrelated and much older word "niggardly", which means "miserly" and has an unrelated etymology.{{efn|The ''Oxford English Dictionary'''s etymology of "niggardly" traces back to the Middle English of the 1300s with the words ''nygardis'' and ''nygard''.<ref>[https://archive.is/6nbnB "Niggard", Meaning & Use] ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (archived from 3 Dec 2024 01:17:14 UT).</ref> The word "nigger", however likely derives from classical Latin ''niger'' ("black") but is known to have entered Early Modern English from the Spanish ''negros'' ("black").<ref>[https://archive.is/wip/iG6L6 Niger, Etymology] ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (archived from 3 Dec 2024 01:29:51 UTC).</ref>}} During these flare-ups, groups such as the NAACP, and just about everyone else for that matter, take a hard stand to defend the dictionary and remind people to consult it ''before'' getting into a huff.

There also have been moments of confusion when the [[Korea|Korean]] pronoun/phrase "니가" (''nii-ga'', you, informal) or "내가" (''nae-ga'', I, informal) has been misconstrued as "nigger".<ref>[http://thethreewisemonkeys.com/2011/08/30/young-american-man-erupts-on-bus-at-older-korean-man/ The Bus Incident: 24-yr-old American Goes Ballistic], among others</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTT9MT0rMhU&t=50s Video of Psy's "Champion"] on [[YouTube]]. Note the comments.</ref> This has also flared up with the Chinese word "那个" (''nèiga'' or ''nàge'', "that"), the first pronunciation of which is commonly used as a filler word similar to the English "uh" or "you know".<ref>Agrawal, N. (September 5, 2020). "[https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-05/usc-business-professor-controversy-chinese-word-english-slur?_amp=true Controversy over USC professor’s use of Chinese word that sounds like racial slur in English]" ''LaTimes''. Retrieved September 20, 2020.</ref> These are a couple of those unfortunate coincidences of embarrassing false friends across languages (such as how "''embarazada''" might plausibly be assumed to be the Spanish word for 'embarrassed', but in actuality means 'pregnant'). 

As is usually the case, the crackers ripped off the niggers and started using the word, slightly modified for themselves. Much as the blues became "rock and roll," "nigger" has been corrupted as well. As such, a white person who thinks their Snoop Dogg mp3s mean they embrace "urban culture" may be referred to as a "wigger" (or "whigger"), a [[portmanteau]] of "white” and “nigger" &mdash; someone who is white but who thinks they "act black". Interestingly, racists used to refer to [[Judaism|''Jews'']] (or the [[Ireland|Irish]]) as "white niggers". And virtually everyone else as some version of the word. Hispanics as "brown &mdash;", Asians as "yellow &mdash;" or "rice &mdash;", Arabs as "sand &mdash;", etc. Because apparently it's so hard to keep track of all the various ethnicities they hated.

Unfortunately, some have chosen to make up a false etymology for the word "picnic", assuming (and then telling others without checking their facts) that it comes from "pick a nigger", and then inventing a false origin for the term. Supposedly, white families would choose a black person to [[lynch]] while the families enjoyed an outdoor meal together. The word "picnic" has a completely different origin, of course — it comes from a 17<sup>th</sup> century (incidentally, a couple centuries before the first lynching) French word for an outdoor meal where, curiously, no lynchings were held.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/picnic.asp "Rumor: The word 'picnic' originated with crowds gathering to watch lynchings"] on [[Snopes|Snopes.com]].</ref> This shameful hoax perpetrated by individuals who are probably well-meaning but very careless with their facts would be merely embarrassing if the history of ''real'' lynchings in the United States weren't so horrific. A similar but more amusing thing happened with Christians assuming that [[HeavenO|"Hello" has something to do with Hell]], based simply on sound or spelling, without bothering to check the dictionary first.

The Iranian-American journalist {{wpl|Negar Mortazavi}} has repeatedly dealt with people mispronouncing or misunderstanding her name to be "nigger", to the point that people have repeatedly suggested she go by some sort of nickname. She has understandably declined to do so. ''Negar'' is literally the Persian word for "painting" or "mark", but is commonly used in poetry to mean "the beloved" and is a common female name; it is pronounced "neh-gar" with stress on the second syllable.<ref>[https://archive.is/bFa5K When I first moved to the US, at 20, friends and family kept saying that not only is my name hard to pronounce, it‘s a dangerous word that can easily sound like a racial slur. Suggestions were Meg and Nicky. I didn’t give in. And I’ve been teaching & correcting people for 17yrs.] by Negar Mortazavi نگار مرتضوی (3:10 AM · Mar 6, 2019) ''Twitter'' (archived from 25 Oct 2024 06:40:03 UTC).</ref>

Amidst the [[Artificial intelligence|AI boom]] of the 2020s, critics of AI have used the slur "clanker"—as popularised by the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise where it is used as a slur against battle droids—to express their distaste towards the pervasiveness of AI from delivery bots to [[large language model]]s. This has predictably led to internet [[meme]]s incorporating the term which reference historical and contemporary discrimination against African-Americans<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Romo |first=Vanessa |date=2025-08-06 |title=It's 2025, the year we decided we need a widespread slur for robots |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/08/06/nx-s1-5493360/clanker-robot-slur-star-wars |access-date=2025-08-06 |work=[[NPR]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Brittany |date=30 July 2025 |title=There's Officially A Term Used To Insult AI, And You're Going To See It Everywhere |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/clanker-ai-slur_l_68892c48e4b06a2e515cad07 |access-date=8 August 2025 |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref> as well as satirising attempts to reclaim it e.g. the derivative slang term "clanka", in obvious reference to the reclaimed slang term "nigga", which eventually led to some controversy such as when one Black content creator announced that he would no longer produce any such skits making use of the word "clanker" as some audiences have left racist comments directed towards him because of the videos and it thus became far too close for his own comfort to continue on with the joke.<ref name="Alsoufi">{{Cite news |last=Alsoufi |first=Rana |date=2025-10-09 |title=The AI Slur ‘Clanker’ Has Become a Cover for Racist TikTok Skits |url=https://www.wired.com/story/the-ai-slur-clanker-has-become-a-cover-for-racist-tiktok-skits/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124020811/https://www.wired.com/story/the-ai-slur-clanker-has-become-a-cover-for-racist-tiktok-skits/ |archive-date=2026-01-24 |access-date=2026-01-27 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

==Effect==
Curiously, studies have shown that the mere use of the word "nigger" to describe a black person can prejudice listeners against that person. In one such study, test subjects were asked to judge scripted debates between white and black contestants. After the debate and before the subjects gave their assessment, an assistant to the experimenters would refer to the black contestants neutrally, negatively, or negatively while using "nigger." Those subjects whose deliberations were tainted by the inflammatory term were much more likely to judge the black debater harshly.<ref>Greenburg, Jeff and Tom Pyszczynki. 1985. "The Effect of an Overheard Ethnic Slur on Evaluations of the Target."  ''Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.'' 61: 21.</ref>

==In politics==
Throughout recent history, the use of the epithet "nigger" has sparked major controversy and ended many lengthy political careers. 

In the Nixon Tapes, President [[Richard M. Nixon|Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon]] can be heard saying, "Our niggers are better than their niggers." He also politely defines Africans as "swinging from the trees."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbFzpq343s8 President Nixon on Blacks and Jews] on [[YouTube]]</ref> (His friend [[Ronald Reagan]], in a private phone conversation with Nixon, also compared Africans to "damn monkeys" that are "still uncomfortable wearing shoes."<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-a-historian-uncovered-ronald-reagans-racist-remarks-to-richard-nixon How a Historian Uncovered Ronald Reagan's Racist Remarks to Richard Nixon], ''The New Yorker''</ref> But hey, at least Saint Ronnie didn't say the N-word 
on tape
!)

In 2012, [[Rick Santorum]] may have nearly referred to President [[Barack Obama|Obama]] as the "anti-war government nig-".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgrhJSAaYIc Rick Santorum calls Obama a "nig"] on [[YouTube]].</ref> Fortunately, he caught himself before finishing the sentence, and 
conveniently
 quickly changed the subject. Since then, there has been some debate concerning what Ricky was actually going to say. Some have speculated he meant to say ''negotiator''; however, given the context, this wouldn't have made any sense. Considering his earlier statements about "blah people", it may be difficult to brush this one off. If you want to be generous, what he almost said may have been "negro" instead, not that that would make it much better…

==See also==
*''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' — "Watch that 'boy' shit, redneck!"

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Racism]]

Categories: Language, Racism