The dreaded
“N-word” the only ethnic slur that is so powerful and potent that people avoid
speaking its name, as if the mere mention of it would bring upon pure hatred
and ultimate evil amongst the masses.
A word that
is not like any other, it is a true double-edged sword, when spoken by a select
few under certain circumstances it could be considered a term of endearment, a
sign of camaraderie, but when spoken out of anger it becomes a dagger that
pierces the heart of the intended target and makes him/her feel less of a
person.
The phrase,
“Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me” obviously does not hold true, at least not
when it comes to this word and the pain it could cause when used by ignorant
hate-filled people.
The word is
muttered behind closed doors, where people feel safe from any repercussions
and/or retaliation as a result of doing so, in a sense they feel as if they are
breaking some kind of unwritten law when it crosses their lips.
Now I don’t
personally think that everyone who uses this word is a racist.
Sometimes,
I think that people don’t realize how horrific this word is and what it could
do in the wrong hands, they just do so without thinking and/or concern with who
they may hurt in the process.
I’m white,
so white that I’m almost transparent, so I can’t pretend to understand the
magnitude of devastation this word has caused over the years, all the people it
has hurt and why it holds the power it does.
To me, it
is nothing more than hateful garbage that has no purpose in our world,
completely meaningless and totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
But then
again, as I said prior, I am white and never had to feel the sting of such a
word.
I won’t sit
here and tell you I’ve never used the word because that would be a lie, but I
will do my best to avoid using it at any and all costs in the future, because
it is not something that should be taken lightly, regardless of which ethnicity
you are.
But I can
honestly tell you I’ve never used it in a hateful manner, only in a mindless
joking kind of way, which by the way does not make it any better but I’m just
being truthful here.
The bottom line
is this, we as whites don’t understand just how deep this word cuts, the damage
it has done and will do moving forward, and so as with all forms of hate speech
we need to remove it from our vocabulary and let it die the death it deserves.