German Jews in particular had assimilated and thrived personally and professionally in their homeland, but were forced to flee when the Nazis refused to recognize them as Germans first and Jews second. But when they arrived here, they wasted no time in assimilating, and looked down their noses at the throngs of eastern European Jews who came after them. They wanted nothing to do with these "greenhorns" who represented all the stereotypes they — and their new fellow Americans — abhorred.
The same can be seen in some Hispanic neighborhoods today. American-born Puerto Ricans may look askance at new arrivals from the Dominican republic who “bring down the neighborhood” — refusing to learn English and clinging to their old culture.
But the history of African Americans in this country is a very different one. Unlike some other ethnic groups who band together and start new businesses here by pooling resources and setting up new arrivals with funding and support, African Americans have little in the way of this kind of community unity. Despite their incredible cultural contributions to our country, even at the height of the Harlem Renaissance they still faced discrimination and segregation. The cycle of crime, poverty, lack of education and accessibility to resources is still a huge problem, despite a sizeable and thriving black middle class.
It is this successful middle class that represents the loudest voices in this clarion call for an end to the “n” word, which is still embraced by many black youths. It serves as a source of shame for those who have worked so hard to gain a foothold in the larger society by education and hard work.
It could certainly be argued that bringing this hot topic to the forefront can only be a good thing. The recent brouhaha over Michael Richards’ disastrous stand-up routine where he used the “n” word to retaliate against hecklers demonstrates how it is still acceptable for a black person to use this word but not a white person.
Though there are many who abhor the use of the word by any race at any time, the use of the “n” word as a form of affection is rampant among today's black youth as well as entertainment figures. By openly challenging this, it is possible that a form of positive “social engineering” can be put into play, similar to the anti-smoking campaign.
By refusing to run cigarette commercials, asking for ID from young smokers, running scary anti-smoking ads, raising taxes on cigarettes, and banning smoking in most public spaces, many smokers have quit and doubtless many young kids who would have once thought it “cool” to smoke now realize that it is not. As a result, even the most rampant partier who spends each weekend high on X at a local rave may eschew cigarettes. It’s too expensive, there’s no buzz to speak of, and it’s bad for your health. What’s the point? Though most teens are still too young to wrap their minds around their own mortality, for many, smoking is still an outdated relic, no longer useful in order to be “cool” with peers.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Nancy
Black leaders certainly have their work cut out for them, because the most pervasive users of offensive words of ALL kinds are young blacks themselves. If they aren't referring to each other as 'nigga' or some variant thereof, they're calling their mothers, sisters, girlfriends, etc. 'ho' (whore). This filthy terminology is endemic to rap music, which is widely popular among white kids these days as well - as is the spread of using the very language black leaders are railing against. Not only in rap music, but black-oriented films, videos, & general culture of the black socio-economic lower & working classes, which of course the kids of ALL levels copy & use with each other. I frankly have no idea how black adults can change this sitution, but unfortunately it seems to be mainly their situation to change, since the primary offenders are their own people. If it were my kid(s), I'd be tempted to put them in a military school after tanning their little bottoms raw, but this is not an option available to most working or lower class people of any color. Besides, kids are notorious for being most attracted to whatever is verboten by adults, especially if it has shock value, which the N word certainly does.
2 - Matt Paprocki
Maybe next time you could just write a book. =;)
Kidding aside, wonderful piece Elvira. Superb points and thoughts all around.
3 - Zedd
Elvira
Well thought through. You hit on some important points.
As for the N word, I don't know. I think its time to ignore it. In 25 years, all of the people it affected will be dead for the most part. I think we empower it when we make a big deal out of it.
I don't use profanity. All of it makes me uncomfortable. When you were using all of the Jewish slurs, I was getting really embarrassed and actually looked around in my bedroom (I'm alone sitting on my bed on the lap top) as if someone would say, "WHAT ARE YOU READING?".
I think your solution for people to use that word in their privacy is the most ideal.
Rappers should just stop the silly self promotion and trying too hard. Bless their hearts, these were kids who were raised (for the most part) with no knowledge of what the world outside of a ten block radius was like. Its like the kids from Charles Dickens' world being allowed to be the voice of England. They found an opportunity to get rich and they took it. But they were uncouth. What I find problematic is the industry that promoted them. With most artists, record companies groom them and mold them into what they end up being but they allowed rappers to spew that filth into the air ways and calling it the black experience. I suppose the same happened with rock groups in the 70's and 80's promoting drugs and devil worship (how silly).
However, thank you for your candor. We don't see much of it. Thank you for not being PC either and just speaking your mind. It feels respectful instead of condescending. Bravo!!
Good news, rap is going to be changing. The underground, poetry (spoken word) movement is surfacing and having a great impact on Hip Hop. It is getting actually refined, imaginative and more sublime and less "in your face, I'm tough, please like me I didn't get enough hugs". The rappers are aging. Jay Z who had a video where he was actually puring malt liquor on women in bikinis (I could die), is now a business man and pushes responsibility and professionalism (I'm still irked though).
You'd be surprised how many Black people who are over 37 who loath rap.
4 - Keith
Elvira,
Let me first say, FANTASTIC post. You bring up a lot of cool and interesting topics.
I believe that anyone who feels that racism "is now a non-issue" (your third paragraph) needs to open their eyes to the hidden privileges that white people and other majorities receive in society day in and day out.
Also, I have to disagree with you about the use of derogatory terms being acceptable between members of the same race. Your example of the Jewish businessman to me seems a clear example of gossip, which in my opinion is always unkind and hurtful, never constructive. I don't mean to start a fight with you, but I would love to start a discussion :-)
You should check out my site too. I just recently tweaked it in order to make it more of a commentary on my position in society, particularly how I seek to reject my cultural heritage of tyrants and oppressors and work to be a different kind of white man:
Hope you enjoy!
Keith
5 - Clavos
Very interesting article, Elvira.
Lots of food for thought, leavened with some truly interesting personal and family history.
I don't think we should pass laws outlawing speech, no matter how distasteful or hateful it is.
Thanks for a good read!
P.S. Are you being paid by the word? :>)
6 - Zedd
Elvira
Your article was very long but unlike a lot of others, I stayed glued. Your family history and the look into the world of Jewish immigrants at that time added a great deal of color. You wrote it like a novel. Long and juicy!
Keith
I think using negative terms among your own people actually makes light of those terms. People have always done so.
I've said this before but... If I say my sister is a horrible parent, its fine but if you say that, its not so fine. If I call myself FAT its perfectly okay. That's just me exercising my sense of humor but if you call me FAT uhmm, that's just not funny. I hope you understand the use of those types of terms within the groups that they are intended to hurt.
7 - alessandro nicolo
E, the same stories you paint about being Jewish I can apply to how my friends, family and I joke about being Italian. We tend to use "wops" in the same manner you refer to "kike." Personally, I have been called this many times over. Here in Quebec they us the term "maudits importees" (loosely translated damn imports) even though we were born here. Anyway, legislating racism via banning words is useless. It's thought control. What if the Jews, Irish and wops, er , I-talians got together and began their own campaign of banning "mick", "kike" and "dago?" Great piece.
8 - joe mom
lolz, if they ban the N word, black people will have to relearn english
9 - Glen Boyd
Elvira,
This article was just submitted for BC news promotions at Digg and Netscape. Unfortunately, we encountered a glitch (which is a fairly common one) at Reddit which means we were not successful getting it submitted there. Either myself or one of the other editors will try again later and it should then be successfully submitted.
In the meantime, go vote at Digg and Netscape.
Oh, and great article by the way.
-Glen
10 - Glen Boyd
Elvira,
This article has now been successfully submitted for BC news promotion to reddit, in addition to Netscape and Digg. Sorry about the delay (damn site glitches!)
Now go vote.
-Glen
11 - Sean
"Our greatest challenge lies in convincing them that it is in their best interests to leave the “n” word out of public discourse, and limit it mostly to private usage."
that doesn't even make my list of the top 10 trillion greatest challenges to address in my lifetime
12 - Elvira Black
Hey all:
Wow, thanks for the great comments. I will respond to all later.
Glen:
Thanks so much for the promo registration and info. Just one problem:
My friend read over the piece and found a whopping booboo in the third from last para. Where I say we have an African American Speaker of the House, that should of course read female. However, we also have a new, Democratic, African American head/chair? of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel (hope the spelling's right) whom I personally adore, btw.
So Glen, Mark, et al--if that little glitch can be changed it would be great. I'll e-mail the editor's group too.....
13 - moonraven
With racism having a strong upsurge in popularity, not only in the US but also in many other countries, the idea that it can be legislated out of existence is absolutely irrational.
It's not racist words that are the problem, it's the racists that are saying them.
14 - Clavos
it's the racists that are saying them.
You're right.
What do you want to do about them?
15 - Michael J. West
I don't think it should be banned.
If nobody is allowed to say the "N" word, we won't be able determine which people are the kinds of scumbags who would use the "N" word.
16 - Michael J. West
What do you want to do about them?
The question is ironic, I presume, Clavos?
The only way to eliminate racism - or any form of prejudice - is to exterminate the human race.
17 - JustOneMan
Keith...
"I seek to reject my cultural heritage of tyrants and oppressors and work to be a different kind of white man"
Pretty funny stuff...you cant be serious....tyrants and oppresors???? This is a parody right???
JOM
18 - Clavos
Actually, MJW, I wanted to see what moonraven's response would be.
For some time now, she has "masterfully" been pointing out what she perceives to be problems, particularly with the USA, but without offering solutions.
19 - Nancy
The irony of black self-inflicted racial epithets is that they condition all the non-blacks to think that every black kid is a 'hood' with a gun, etc. - and then the nice young black guys wonder why everyone gets nervous when they're around, dressed for "jailin'". If I didn't know the kid upstairs so well, if I met him out on the street at night I'd be jumpy, since he does his best to project the requisite 'baaaaad' image all the boys his age cultivate - plus he's about 6'6, although he only weighs about 140. Doubtless he'd wear braids or rasta locks if his mom would let him. But I DO know him, so I know he's not at all what his wistful 'image' presents, & he's far more likely to help an old lady carry her groceries than he would be to even consider doing anything actually RUDE, let alone robbing her. A boy scout & softie at heart.
Zedd, I'm glad to hear the erstwhile vulgar rap crowd is cleaning up as they age. Everybody does dumb stuff when they're young that comes back to embarrass them later when they're middle aged 'old fogies' & part of The Establishment - especially if they've got money. The pity of it - & as you pointed out, the real crime - is the usual exploitation by the various 'entertainment' industries that perpetrated this crap & still do, in music, video, TV & movies. IMO they do all Americans a disservice by the way they represent all of us as trashy, violent, & materialistic, with the morals of a pack of dogs.
20 - Heloise
Elvira,
You're Jewish right? I know Jews have some choice words that they call each other. Don't know any offhand, but mostly they refer to their being money crazy or super cheap. In Chicago we got polish sausage from "Jew Town." And everybody called it Jew town. I don't know if that's a bad term or not.
Anyway my cousins came up with a novel way of saying the n-word. They would say it backwards: reggin. That was our code word. We would never say the n-word. I could care less about using it one way or the other, but people thought it was funny to reverse it. I mean IF you just had to use the word.
Basically it is an ugly word. People, black people have used it as a term of endearment (amongst other blacks). And anybody who says differently is lying. As for non-blacks calling blacks n's, well then it becomes a hate crime. Is that going too far?
Glad I don't live in Jesse's "Hymie Town." Remember that? He took a lot of heat for saying that. I had never heard that term used, or should I say often used until he said it. But remember Jews (who seem to always be publically saying something offensive about blacks and nonwhites)and other groups have taken a lot of heat for saying stuff. Hell, what I am talking about so the hell have I. I hate PC.
Heloise
21 - Heloise
Elvira why do you adore Charles Rangel? Because he doesn't look black? Hmmm.
He looks just like my Creole grandfather though.
Heloise
22 - Heloise
Elvira,
Did you know that Harvard and other Ivy colleges at one point had to impose quotas to keep Jews out of those colleges, because their percentages in them was getting beyond what the WASPs wanted to see? Mind you at that same time NO blacks were allowed in Harvard or other Ivy schools.
I guess that's why I have a problem when Jewish people hawk their "discrimination." The proponderance of lawyers, judges, teachers and other groups are mostly Jewish, by percentage mind you.
Heloise
23 - Media Tycoon
One thing we must remember as Americans:
It is legal to be racist. Stop worrying about other people and start worrying about yourself. That's my motto.
24 - Heloise
Elvira wrote: Unlike some other ethnic groups who band together and start new businesses here by pooling resources and setting up new arrivals with funding and support, African Americans have little in the way of this kind of community unity. Despite their incredible cultural contributions to our country, even at the height of the Harlem Renaissance they still faced discrimination and segregation. The cycle of crime, poverty, lack of education and accessibility to resources is still a huge problem, despite a sizeable and thriving black middle class.
Heloise: Elvira shame on you! I thought your were trying to write something positive here? This is pure-D bullshit.
The man who started Ebony and Jet, he just died, lived down the street from me for a while in Chatham. I lived next door to the Lusters who started another hair care company, as a family. Johnson's mom pawned her furniture and gave him the money to start his company. I could go on.
I call that pooling money. What do you call it? Do you think that Arabs were going around the city asking people for money, or the Chinese? No, they used their family.
Just because blacks don't have a chain of Chinese restaurants is not the litmus test. Africans are very good about pooling money. They have lots of shops where they do hair that black people bought from Chinese hair shops.
So, everybody has their NICHE. The word has no T in it. Elvira you are way wrong on this one. And I hate to use the R-word, but it sounds racist too. I wrote a long chapter on Chicago and the achievement of average blacks and how we have influenced culture today.
Heloise
25 - Heloise
NOTE: For those who read this article, not written by a black woman, please note that she does not speak for black businessmen, including my son, who have their own businesses and pool their resources and money. I really take issue with her statement. That is pidgeon-holing at its best. Congratulations Elvira, another Jewish person putting their foot in their mouth when it comes to "SPEAKING" for blacks. Don't do it.
Heloise
otherwise a good-meaning article