“Don’t be such a n—-.”
The shock that hit when my boyfriend at the time said that to me was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe the derogatory views that surface during a casual conversation.
As the present generation emerges, adults are commonly heard saying how today’s tech savvy generation will lead America and the world into the future. We are the kids who are going to change the world. Yet, how can we change the world when we as teenagers have the filthiest mouths on the planet?
Over the past decade, during our high school years, we have created a number of socially acceptable words to utter. The worst of all is the “n-word”—an especially popular choice of numerous young males and females at South Kingstown High.
My question is: do any of those “n-word” users really know what they’re saying?
There are many answers to this. One is the music that influences our every day lives: explicit rap and hip hop. Lil’ Wayne, a favorite of many including myself, uses the “n-word” like there is going to be a shortage of moments to use that word in his next song.
Words such as the f-word, b-word, and n-word are casually tossed around in derogatory ways by the so called role models of our generation. The misconception with teenagers, of course, is if Lil’ Wayne and 50 can say it then it is obviously okay. Although amidst friends it may seem to seem acceptable, in the real world, however, it is not.
Originally the “n-word” came about during the age of slavery all across the world. This term used to refer to Negroes as a whole. According to www.adversity.net, the literal meaning of the “n-word” means a person of African decent or an oppressed individual who is cast as a powerless scapegoat. By using this word to refer to people of color you are degrading their character as well as their heritage.
The “n-word” is not the only term for a specific race. The most common known words for example, are kike, for people of Jewish religion, Cracker or Gringo for those who are Caucasian, Yank, for an American, Chink for an Asian individual, and lastly Wetback or Beaner for a Mexican.
With these terms we are identifying people and calling them out by their race. Is this not the country where we are all equal? Is this not the land where we don’t see color or race but judge by the individual person? We are all immigrants or descendants, yet we continue to alienate and put down one another in order to elevate our own self worth.
These derogatory words are not only hurtful to others but by commonly using them, we all make it okay for Mexicans to be known as Beaners or Asians to be known as Chinks. We need to realize by making these terms okay, we make it okay for others to use them.
The next time you hear a group of kids using any of these words, stand up and say something because if you don’t now, who will in the future? If we are the makers of the future tomorrow, we need to act out and create a better one today.