Should Black People Try to Own the Rights to the Word Nigga?

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE Should Black People Try to Own the Rights to the Word Nigga? While I generally refrain from the frivolous use of what has come to be called "the N-word", I only do it in deference to the sensibilities of Black people who have made the abolishment of "The N-word" (I feel silly even writing it) a major issue in their lives. Personally, I find the effort totally superficial and silly, since if you refer to "the N-word", you might as well say it. After all, it's not the word that's disparaging, it's just a word, it's the concept that it describes that's vulgar. If your child said, "F you, dad", are you going to give him a pass because he didn't actually say the word? Of course not - you're going to come down on him like a ton of bricks, because you know what he meant. The same is true of "the N-word" - we can start referring to it as grapefruit, but in the final analysis, it still means nigga. So, when we say "N-Word", it's just another silly way of sublimating an issue that needs to be addressed head on. So by trying to abolish a word - which has never been accomplished, to my knowledge, in the entire history of mankind - you only serve to give the word more power. By trying to demand that the word is never used, you're not only acknowledging a unique association with the word, but you're giving your enemies a more powerful weapon to use against you. First, your effort alone tells your enemy what's most painful to you, and secondly, now when they use the word against you they're not only saying to hell with you, but also, to hell with your sensibilities, and your campaign to abolish the word, so the insult is magnified. A more constructive way of approaching this problem is to first define exactly what a nigga is, then teach your children to live above that definition. That way you turn a negative into a positive. My definition of a nigga is any person of any race, creed, or color, who takes pride in his or her ignorance, and/or stupidity. After I had a working definition, I made sure that my kids understood that definition, then taught them to carry themselves in a way where they wouldn't associate the word with who and what they were as individuals. I taught my son, for example, that there might come a time in his life where some racist might point at him and tell his son, "See that guy over there, that's a nigga." But while warning him that he should be prepared for such a event, I also used it as an opportunity to instruct him on why it's important for him to always strive for excellence. I taught him that he should always carry himself in a way that if that should happen, the racist's son would look at him, then look back at his dad, and say, "Daddy, I want to be a nigga when I grow up." I assure you, that's what the sons of racists all over America are saying right now, after seeing the grace, dignity, and intelligence of Barack Obama - that's what's driving Rush Limbaugh crazy. That's the way you fight negative aspersions - you don't put all your energy into saying don't call me names, you invest your energy into making the names they call you both remote, and irrelevant to who, and what you represent. So if a racist calls Barack Obama a nigga, he now has to prove that he's superior to our president - and if he's sittin' in a beat-up pickup truck with a pack of Marlboro's rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve, he's going to find that an extremely daunting task. I adopted that philosophy quite by accident early in life. The only reason that I'm sitting here with the ability to write this article today is one night, as a high school dropout, I was talking to my mother about the dreams that I had for myself in life, when my step-father - a drunk, a gambler, and philanderer - started laughing, and said, "Nigga, all you gon ever be is just another nigga standin' on the corner dealin' drugs - until you get your brains blown out." He did more for me with that one remark than all of the counseling and juvenile facilities combined. He was a big hulk of a guy, so at 16 I still wasn't able to kick his ass, as I truly wanted to, but with that remark he planted a seed that spawned one of the primary philosophies in my life - never let anyone else define you or your capabilities. And just as importantly, always use negativity as a slingshot to enhance who you are. It's a gross waste of time putting all of your energies into a campaign begging people to be nice, and not call you a nigga, because it's a campaign that's dead on arrival. A much more productive use of your time and energy would be in initiating a campaign against becoming a nigga. I mean, wouldn't your time be better served in trying to get young men to pull up their pants, straighten their caps, and become better fathers? Common sense should tell you that if a person hates you, the most valuable weapon in his arsenal is what you've told him causes you the most pain. But the only way a word can cause you pain, is if you embrace it. Thus, if you're not a nigga, why do you feel that you own the rights to who can use the word? So, as much as I want to accommodate the sensibilities of my brothers and sisters in this matter, as a writer, words are the tools of my trade, and I have absolutely no intention of giving away any of my tools - especially one as graphically expressive as the word nigga. Because the fact is, there's a lot of niggas in this world - both Black and White. If you're a White man who's not supporting your kids, you're a nigga. If you're a forty year old Black man walking around in untied tennis shoes, with your cap on sideways, calling women bitches and whoes, and your kids wouldn't recognize you, you're a nigga. If you're a preacher who's pimpin' your flock, and preachin' a sermon that you're not livin', you're a nigga. If you're a politician who's putting your career ahead of the people you're suppose to be representing, you're a nigga. And finally, if you're a president or vice president who lied a nation who trusted you into a senseless war for profit, you-are-a-nigga. So there are far to manny niggas walking around here to be talking about abolishing the word. Words are to thoughts what notes are to music. Would you have asked John Coltrane to go through his entire career without playing B flat, or a painter to never use the color blue? In the same way, by abolishing words, you also abolish a writer's ability to fully express his thoughts. How could I have related the thoughts that I just have without using the word nigga? And finally, here's a question directed exclusively at Black people - and please, answer it honestly. Is there any way that I could write a perfectly accurate portrait of Clarence Thomas without using the word nigga? Sure, I could manage to crank something out, but without the word nigga, an indispensable element of his character would be missing. Thomas sat perfectly mute through the wholesale disenfranchisement of Black voters during the 2000 Bush v. Gore debacle. He never uttered a word. Then after the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, he took the virtually unprecedented action of lobbying his colleagues to accept a case challenging the constitutional legitimacy of the first Black man to ever be elected President of the United States. There's only one word appropriate for such cultural treachery, and that word is nigga - and we all know it. Black people refer to Thomas as a nigga in private all the time, because in the Black vernacular the word has an entirely different meaning. So, the word does have its place - in fact, the doctrine of political correctness, along with the word's racial associations, prevent us from using it enough. Perhaps if we'd used the word nigga more liberally relative to previous acts of cultural treachery, Clarence Thomas might have avoided becoming its poster child. Well, in any event, so much for my little excursion into the realm of raw truth. I'm sure I won't be applauded for my stance - even though I'm just as certain that many of you secretly agree with me. But as we all know, hypocrisy trumps truth in polite society, so I should have known better than to even broach the subject. But I just can't seem to smooth out those rough edges - you know, that overwhelming need to call a hat a hat. I guess it's a throwback to the street in me - but at least I'm not dealing drugs. And speaking of which (the irony of ironies), my son that I was telling you about, he grew up to become a federal agent with the DEA (the Drug Enforcement Administration). And while we're on the subject, I went by my mother's house one day about twenty years after my step-father made the remark about my dealing drugs. Naturally, he and his friends were in the garage drinking, laughing, cursing, and gambling. When I walked through the door one of his friends said, "Man, I want to be just like you when I grow up." Then without even looking up from his cards, my step-father said, "Man, you ain't gon never grow up enough to be like him . . . you have to be born that way." I guess that was his way of apologizing. Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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American Exceptionalism and Christian Charity

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE American Exceptionalism and Christian Charity Larry, I'm sorry if it's beginning to seem like every time you send me a piece of e-mail I always repond with something negative, but I've become very cynical over the years, and you're one of the few people that I like, so I want you to understand me. So the fact is, while I love the artistry of Sam Cook, I just can't stand most hymnals. They only serve to remind me of how thoroughly brainwashed our people have become. I'd like you to read a couple of things. The first is a response to a minister who invited me to become part of his Bible study, and the second is a little thing out of my book, "A Message from the Hood", about how Black people became Christians: Reverend, Thank you so much for the invitation to become a part of your Bible-study group, but I'm more spiritual than I am religious. I seek God from within. I consider religion - ALL RELIGION - a form of bigotry. The fact that the Southern "Bible Belt" is the most racist part of America is no accident. Religion is a form of mind control. Graphic evidence of that is that we were taught to love thy neighbor while they had us tied next to the mules. So I seek God from within, not from a user's guide - especially one written by man. I know God by what he has created, not by some nonsense about Moses parting the Red Sea. The creation of the universe is miraculous enough for me, so I don't require God to jump through hoops and do magic tricks (like bringing Jesus back from the dead) to get my attention. Thus, while the Bible might be a great book, I consider it the greatest work of pure fiction ever written. God made birds to fly, fish to swim, and man to think - not to simply "have faith" in the words of other men. When man asks us to have faith, he's not asking us to have faith in God, he's asking us to have faith in what he's telling us about God. The entire concept of faith is meaningless unless there's doubt, and I have no doubt about the existence of God. How can any man look out into the night sky, then have to rely on a book to confirm the existence of God? Based on that philosophy, the Bible should have been written in braille. From my point of view, there's a name for people who have to rely on a book written by man to know the existence of God - blind. They have to be blind, because they have more faith in what man says, than what God has done. Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.  Eric L. Wattree Wattree.blogspot.Com THE CONVERSION ACome here nigga and let me teach you=re crazy, animal ass about the Lawd. The first thing you got to learn is to Love thy NeighborBespecially me." AYes sir, Massa. Why would anybody not love you, Sir? You so good to me, Massa. Anybody don=t love you needs to have they ass beat real good, Massa.@ AShut up nigga. I'm talkin'." Listen, you been blessed already, and you don't even know the Lawd. The Lawd made it where you don't have to worry 'bout a thing. I feed you, I put clothes on yo nasty ass, and I give you a shed to sleep in, and all you have to do is what your told. Do you know how blessed you are?" "Oh yes in deed, Massa. You take good care of me. I's so happy." "Now, listen real good 'cause dis impotant. God said, thou shalt not steal from me, thou shalt not kill (unless I tell you to), thou shalt not stick another coon's wife (unless we tryin' to make some mo niggas), and nigga, whatever you do, thou shalt not even look like you want to stick a white woman, or we gon lynch you black ass. You here me, nigga?" "Oh yes, Massa. We know dat! But Massa, I thought you said thou shalt not kill?" "Dat means people, fool! Real people--dat don't go for niggas. God wants us to keep you in yo place." "Dat's right, Massa. We sho gotta keep niggas in dey place. No tellin' what a happen if we let these niggas git loose. God so smart." "I said shut up, nigga, and listen to the word." "The next thing you got to learn is, whatever happens on this plantation is God's will bein' done. And if you listen to me, you=ll get to live like I do, when you die and go to heaven.@ "Live like you, massa? A nigga ain't got no business livin' that good. What a Po nigga like me gon do with all this? You know I ain't got sense enough to run nothin like this." "Just shut up, nigga!" When you dead you gon get some sense - the lawd gon give it to you. The Lawd can do anything, even give sense to a nigga. And he gon give you all the other niggas you gon need to help you in the fields, too." "Massa, you so good to me! Thank you for tellin' me all dis. I'm gon be a good nigga - the best nigga you ever seened. Look, I'm gon pray for you right now, and thank the Lawd for givin' me so good a massa." "Shut up and get up off your knees, ya dumb nigga! The fields need tendin'! You pray to the Lawd on your own time. God don't won't you talkin' to him when you s'pose to be workin'." "A couse, Massa. What I been thinkin'? I's so dumb. I don't know why you put up with me, Sir." "How many times I got to tell you to I shut up, nigga!" "Yes Sir, I's a shuttin', Massa. I's a shuttin', right now." "Now get yo ass out there in that field and let's get some work done around here . . . Oh, and Toby, have yo woman meet me in the barn. I need to tell her 'bout the Lawd too . . . and since this is sorta like chuch, tell her to put on dat pretty dress I like." "Yes sir, Massa." "And another thing, Toby, if my moma come a lookin', tell her I'm playin' in my tree house." "Why you gon go fibbin' to yo moma, Mr. Tommy? She knows you like to sit wit Lou Ann." "Just shut up, nigga, and do what I said!" "Yes Sir, Mr. Tommy . . ." "Whaaaaaaat a friend we have in Jeeeeesus . . ." 　 "ONE NATION UNDER GOD, WITH LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE, FOR ALL." Hmmmmmmmm . . . No shit? Toby's dead, Homeboy.  Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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Michael Jackson and America’s Superstardom

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE Michael Jackson and America's Superstardom I greatly admired Michael Jackson. I admire anyone who's the very best at what they do, and Michael Jackson was definitely that. I remember when I first heard him. He was doing a tune called "Who's Lovin' You?" He was a mere child at the time, but his talent was so fully developed, and he sang with so much emotional maturity, I mistook the high pitch of his voice to be that of a very soulful adult female. Then later when he did "Billie Jean" at the Motown reunion, he seemed to literally defy gravity as he Moonwalked across the stage. So yes, this young man was, without a doubt, one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived. But Michael's life - that shooting star that dazzled humanity with its awesome display, only to burn out much too soon - threatens to serve as a perfect metaphor for America itself. The story of the United States parallels that of Michael Jackson. It is also the story of a precocious child star that dazzled humanity with its awesome display. The United States is undoubtedly a superstar among nations, but we must not let hubris allow us to forget that among those very same nations, we are nothing more than a precocious child. While the United States is 233 years old, that's relatively nothing when it comes to the history of nations. Iran, one of the oldest nations on Earth, is over 8000 years old. That means that when Jesus Christ walked the Earth, Iran was more than 6000 years older than the United States is today, even then. We need to keep that in mind as we formulate the language of our foreign policy, because believe me, it is a fact that has not been lost on the Iranian people. It is America's failure to recognize and respect that fact that has caused so much animosity towards the United States among Muslims in the Middle East - and much of that animosity has also extended to many of our allies in the West. And it is in recognition of that fact that President Obama took the tact that he did in his Cairo speech. While many in the GOP are trying to play politics with this issue, President Obama's Cairo speech reflected the ultimate in statesmanship and good common sense. He recognized that no one likes a cocky and disrespectful child, and that's exactly what the United States has become. Bush was seen not only by Muslim countries, but countries all over the world as a bratty child who was using the clout of militarism to talk down to nations that dwarf the United States in terms of history and cultural tradition. Thus, it was absolutely necessary in order to establish constructive engagement in the Middle East for President Obama to first repent, and then ask the world to please forgive the stupidity of his arrogant sibling. He was right to assure the people of the Middle East that the United States recognize them as a great and ancient culture, whose religion has contributed tremendously to mankind. Just through those few common-sense words President Obama began a healing process that immediately began to mend animosities held against the United States for over sixty years. Clear evidence of that was immediately apparent. Immediately after his Cairo speech the people of Lebanon voted to appoint Saad al-Hariri, Backed by the United States, as their new prime minister, and voted down the Iranian backed Hezbollah hardliners. And immediately after that, the Iranian people took to the street in opposition to hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But just like the jihadists, GOP hardliners like Dick and Liz Cheney claim that President Obama's position is weak, and it makes America less safe. But the facts belie their contention, since the very people who are voting for a more reasoned stance towards the United States are the very same people that jihadists depend on to recruit their terrorists. So why is the GOP taking such a hard stand against common sense? Just like the jihadists in the Middle East the GOP require an enemy to maintain power. The jihadists in Iran came to power as a result of mass demonstrations just like we see in Iran today. But in that case, the demonstrations were against the United States for toppling Iran's democratically elected government and replacing it with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, a United States puppet. So since hatred of the United States is what brought them into power, the jihadists feel that it is incumbent upon them to maintain that hatred to remain in power. The same is true of the GOP. The Republican party's agenda - protecting the interest of the corporatocy, like the insurance industry over the good health and well being of American families, for example - is so counterintuitive to what's in the best interest of the people that it is incumbent upon the GOP to always maintain an enemy - any enemy - in order to circumvent the common sense of the people and appeal to their emotions. A perfect example of that is the way the GOP has convinced a large segment of the American people that acting in their own interest constitutes socialism - and of course, socialism leads to communism. Thus, according to their reasoning, anything that gives priority to our own families over corporatism is communist inspired. They've successfully used that reasoning to circumvent our common sense. Clear evidence of that is if we used our common sense we'd realize that social security and medicare, two of the most popular programs in America, are both based on socialist principles - so is congress' healthcare plan. Everything is about dollars and cents to the GOP, including war. The only people in America who hasn't suffered from the war in Iraq is the GOP and their corporate cronies. In fact, while America suffers, they've benefitted from it greatly. While the children of the poor and middle class are dying, their children are cheering us on from the lobbies of exclusive country clubs; and while average Americans are losing their jobs and homes, GOP cronies are wallowing in the profits of war. So what does this have to do with Michael Jackson? Just like Michael Jackson, Americans have derived enormous benefits from our status as world superstars. But that's not always a good thing, because also like Michael Jackson, our status as superstars have caused us to overindulge ourselves. If Michael hadn't been such a superstar the world might have placed limits on him. In that case, the plastic surgeon who disfigured him might have refused to do the excessive surgery, which I'm convinced led to his decline. And if it turns out that he died as a result of drugs administered to help boost him for his comeback, he might still be alive today if he'd been simply, Michael the postal worker. The very same dynamic is true of America. If we hadn't been such a superstar, the world may not have allowed us to invade Iraq. In that case, 4000 young Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children would be alive today. In addition, if we had invaded, George Bush and Dick Cheney would be in chains today, facing charges of war crimes. So while President Obama indicates that he wants to look forward, that is the luxury of a superstar. When one considers the result of looking forward after Richard Nixon's Watergate, and Ronald Reagan's Iran/Contra affair, it becomes clear that the salvation of America may lie in looking back, and holding ourselves accountable, just this once. 　 Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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