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Why White People Shouldn't Use The N-Word

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Why White People Shouldn't Use The N-Word

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It's obvious that the usage of the "N-word" has dramatically high in modern America, as has the controversy surrounding the word. The largest of these issues with the word is it's exclusiveness and why it's frowned upon for those who are not black to use it. The privilege of this word does not belong to the whites of the United States because of their relationship with the word and those who the word was directed to in its origin. White people created this word to oppress those of color, while those of color can use the word more freely because they were the oppressed and this word was not a weapon wielded by them in the past. Not only should people not use the word, but they should learn through refrain, gain perspective through losing the opportunity to use the word where many other races have lost and still lose many, and larger, opportunities in the world

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Ta-Nehisi Coates just explained why white people shouldn't use the n-word in the perfect way

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Award-winning news and culture, features breaking news, in-depth reporting and criticism on politics, business, entertainment and technology.

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The usage of the "N-word" in pop culture today is very common: from music, to movies, to slang, which has caused it to lose some of the impact and history the word has in it. Many people use the word today in various meanings, whether it be endearment, harassment, or historical purposes, though it is becoming less and less violent of a notion. Because the word has lost it's power due to over usage, many have forgotten the grotesque origin of the word and the stain that it carries with it. Through its usage, this word has made the past a bit less significant, leading many to forget just why this word is so brutal. The "N-word" was born out of torture and blood, and its light usage is dangerous if its true meaning isn't realized with each expression.

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n-word; donte stallworth; neal brennan; dave chappelle show; nfl; national football leagues bans nword; nfl bans the nword; nigger; nigga; nigger vs nigga; kkk; ku klux klan; jay z; oprah;

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The n-word: An interactive project exploring a singular word

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After the National Football League made the controversial decision to ban the n-word on the field this year, a team of Washington Post journalists explored the history of the word, its evolution and its place in American vernacular today.

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Racism in Maine School or Just 'Kids Being Kids'?

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Racism in Maine School or Just 'Kids Being Kids'?

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In January of 2016, an incident in Bangor, ME was reported, where a black child was being harassed by classmates using the 'N-word'. As Maine is statistically the state with the largest white population, it can be concluded that exposure and knowledge of diversity is very limited. In order for America to actually move forward in the matters of racism, people, especially children, should be educated on the subject as they are not only the most vulnerable to accept acquired knowledge, but also because they will soon be the ones taking control of the nation. Education on the matter is especially important in areas where there is a severe lack in diversity, such as Maine, because the absence of exposure can lead to ignorance and limited horizons. In order to move forward, the people of the nation must be efficient in the education of racism and its many forms and cases, or else those who do not encounter it first hand are left out of learning of the evils of racism.

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Miki Aube received a call from the principal at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School last fall, one week after her 7-year-old son started second grade there. A student at the Brunswick school, named after the famous abolitionist author, had called her biracial son the "n-word."

The school called a meeting with both children, the school's assistant principal and the other student's father, who apologized. He told Aube, she recalled, he couldn't imagine where his child heard the word.

A week later, Aube got another call. A different classmate called her son the same slur. Again, a meeting was scheduled, but this time, the other parent did not appear. Aube said the parent did later apologize in person.

Her son, Aube said, brushed off the repeated slurs. His mother reacted much differently.

"I told him, 'You need to care. [They're] calling you that word because [they're] a racist,'" she said.

Although still just behind Vermont as the whitest state in the nation, Census figures indicate Maine is slowly becoming more diverse. Ethnic populations increased in all 16 counties between 2000 and 2010.

The metropolitan areas of Bangor-Brewer, Lewiston-Auburn and Portland-South Portland saw percentage increases of 6.2, 3.8 and 5.4, respectively, of residents who identify their ethnicity as other than non-Hispanic white during that period.

Against this backdrop, Maine nevertheless struggles on issues of race, a matter recently highlighted by the uproar after Gov. Paul LePage's comments about drug traffickers coming here from other states and impregnating "young" and "white" girls.

Perceptions are only one problem, however. Policies enacted to address civil rights concerns - including a 2012 state law requiring Maine schools to report to the state Department of Education all incidents of bullying, including racial threats and slurs - have had questionable effect.

A Bangor Daily News review of incidents reported by schools revealed a varying, incomplete accounting of incidents, no consistent methods for either tracking, analyzing or responding to reported incidents, and no penalties for schools that fail to document them.

The lawmaker who sponsored the legislation now laments it hasn't been followed as intended, and some parents seek more uniform responses, specifically schoolwide efforts designed to reduce the likelihood that children will face bullying.

Several parents interviewed for this story also went further, faulting administrators for too easily dismissing verbal harassment as the actions of "just kids," and saying this climate is allowing racism to take root in schools. Many were reluctant to speak on the record, fearing repercussions for their children.

Farausi Cherry, a counselor at Windham High School and leader of that school's civil rights team, said use of derogatory language - even by young children - shouldn't be dismissed.

"You would think it's 'kids being kids,' or [ask yourself], 'Is it really an issue?'" said Cherry. "But most of the time with these names, that's an issue."

Reporting requirements

Maine's anti-bullying law requires school administrators to annually report instances of bullying, cyberbullying, hazing or bias-based harassment motivated by race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, gender, or any of a long list of characteristics or perceived characteristics.

The Education Department also developed a model policy for schools and required all Maine schools to develop similar policies to deal with bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.

Schools should report all substantiated instances of bullying and cyberbullying to the state and "delineate the specific nature of the incidents, the consequences and the actions taken."

Brandon Baldwin, who leads the Civil Rights Team Project for the Maine attorney general's office, an initiative tasked with reducing bias-based harassment in schools, said racial harassment is the type he hears about the most.

Last year, for example, state officials were informed of an incident in which an African-American elementary school student was invited to an alleged Ku Klux Klan rally by another student.

The state relies on local districts to report such bullying incidents. If administrators knew of no such incidents during the school year, they still must file a report to that effect. Maine Department of Education data provided to the BDN, however, revealed a widely fluctuating response to the law since it was enacted.

During the 2013-14 school year, the first reporting year under the new law, just 87 of Maine's 620 public schools reported at least one instance of bullying, hazing or harassment to the state, a response that Anne Gabbianelli, director of communications for the Education Department, attributed to a lack of awareness. That number then jumped to 121 schools in 2014-15.

The number of reported incidents varied dramatically from year to year. In 2013-14, schools informed the state of 422 incidents of bullying, hazing and harassment. In 2014-15, the number more than doubled to 1,030.

For bias-based bullying, the category that includes racial harassment incidents, there were 64 incidents in 2013-14, reported by 40 schools. In 2014-15, at least 102 incidents of bias-based harassment were reported by 69 schools.

Gabbianelli said this trend shows the system is working.

"The increase in numbers in 2015 no doubt reflects an awareness of the reporting system, and so it will be interesting to watch for 2016 data coming in from the locals as more and more [school administrative units] recognize their responsibility," she said in an email.

The law, however, lacks any mechanism for the state to enforce whether administrators file the required annual reports. About 50 Maine schools and school districts had failed to file the reports as of Friday, Jan. 15.

The data released by the state also shed no light on the type of bias involved. The numbers don't break down the type, such as race, religion or gender, in reported incidents of harassment. The state does not analyze the bullying reports, according to Gabbianelli, and relies on schools to report civil rights violations to local police and the federal government directly.

"All Maine [Department of Education] does is follow the law, and this law asks the state [to] provide policy and that is in place. ... We trust locals are reporting," she said.

Acting Maine Education Commissioner Bill Beardsley, through Gabbianelli, declined to comment for this article.

Mothers, advocates speak out

Interviews with Maine parents and school administrators, however, raise questions about the accuracy of the state data, whether all incidents are being reported or if school officials understand the requirements of the law.

When Catherine Anderson's son was called the "n-word" in third grade, no one from his school contacted her, the Portland mother said.

"It was my son who told me about it several days later when he thought I wouldn't be able to do anything about it," she said in an email. "He was afraid of being 'that kid' who has 'that mom.' I told him I had to address it."

In Brunswick, Superintendent Paul Perzanoski said administrators addressed both incidents involving Aube's child appropriately.

"Our administrators acted fairly and followed the discipline code they have to follow," he said. "The administrators told me they handled it right away. They sat the two parties down and discussed it, face to face, and let people know this won't be tolerated."

But Perzanoski said he would not report the incident to the state, because schools are required to report only instances in which disciplinary action results.

Gabbianelli said the law requires schools to report all instances of bullying, regardless of whether disciplinary action is taken.

Perzanoski also said Aube did not file an official complaint, which would have triggered formal investigations into the incidents. Instead, he asked the students' teacher to develop a "social skills group" to discuss the type of language.

"She's talking to kids about how tolerant they are and how they shouldn't be calling each other words that hurt," he said. "Those types of things will go on."

Aube said that wasn't good enough.

"I just want the children to be in trouble for what they did - and not just being removed from the class," she said. "I want the school to hold an assembly with all the parents and all the students and talk about racism. Racism is a problem here. How is my child going to learn and how is he going to be safe in his classroom when other people are distracted by his skin color?"

'Go above and beyond'

Janet Mills, Maine's attorney general, said it's difficult for the Education Department or her office - which prosecutes violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act - to investigate bullying or harassment if schools fail to report it.

"While the law is a laudable set of principles and guidelines, it is also somewhat aspirational, avoiding enforcement provisions that might have been considered heavy-handed by school boards and administrators at the time it was being considered by the legislature," Mills said in an email.

Rep. Terry Morrison, D-South Portland, who sponsored Maine's anti-bullying legislation, said he's disappointed with the lack of follow-through on the responsibilities outlined in the law.

"We left it up to the department to manage themselves," said Morrison. "Before we jump the gun and blame them for not caring, we should figure out what ... is behind it, and then ask, 'How can I help you get the tools to succeed?'"

On Friday, Morrison said he will meet with Department of Education officials in the coming weeks to ensure the department is collecting data as the law requires.

Morrison pointed to a handful of schools in southern Maine - Sanford, Saco and Thornton Academy - that he said are "doing a fantastic job" complying with the law.

"Even my own district, South Portland, which struggled a little bit, is doing better," he said. "There are schools that try hard and schools that really aren't giving it 100 percent and are hiding behind, 'Oh, we know better, we're educators.' Well, just because you have a degree on your wall doesn't mean you know how to [approach harassment]."

Baldwin said many people have been taught to ignore differences to avoid the discomfort of discussing discrimination.

"So then when we need to have these important conversations, it's difficult for us to do so because we don't have the vocabulary or the experience, and we're afraid that we're going to do something wrong," he said. "That's where we can help schools."

Cherry, the counselor in Windham, advocated for a head-on response to harassment in Maine's schools.

"Me being African-American, I can relate to someone [being harassed]," Cherry said. "If we have to report something, let's report it. If we have to go above and beyond to make that kid feel safe, let's do that."

When students began driving around the Windham High School parking lot with a Confederate flag on their truck in 2012, the school environment grew tense and the administration put an end to it, Cherry said. They then held school "summits" to discuss what had happened.

"What I loved about it was the whole school was involved in the education piece," Cherry said. "It was, 'Here's what we want the message to be: This is offensive to others, and it can't be done.'"

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Racism in Maine schools, or just 'kids being kids'?

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A Brunswick mother's experience, at a school named for a famous abolitionist, shows shortcomings in how Maine schools handle racial incidents and a 2012 state law meant to address them.. Maine news, sports, politics, election results, and obituaries from the Bangor Daily News.

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As of 2015, the U.S. population is dominated by whites, at around 81.6% of the total population. What his means is that many ideas or conclusions about racism in America today are coming from a white person's perspective, which may not always be the most insightful. This is because in history, whites have faced less, or even none at all, racism in America than other groups. To receive opinions or other means of information on racism in America from a group that has been arguably untouched by prejudice's hand is like asking a someone who's only hiked once or twice in their life advice on how to traverse the Appalachian Trail. You may gain some knowledge, but not as much as a veteran adventurer, or in this case, someone of color. All in all, our country may be struggling with racism as much as it is because of the lack of diversity in our population, which is leading to a lack of diversity in thought, especially towards matters of race and bias.

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Blacks and whites see racism in the United States very, very differently

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Blacks and whites see racism in the United States very, very differently

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The racism issue in America is not seen in the same light depending on the race  being asked. In a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, the question: " How serious do you think prejudice against minority groups is in the US today?" was presented. Results of the poll are somewhat startling, out of roughly 1,300 people, 66% of non-whites said yes, while only 39% of whites thought the issue as serious. This goes to show how there is a division in thought on the severity of racism in America between the peoples that live within the nation. It is essential that these differences be settled for the country to progress and leave racism to die, as it is an issue for the people, therefore, it must be solved by the people.

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blacks and whites see racism in the united states very

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Blacks and whites see racism in the United States very, very differently

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How you see race in the United States can depend a lot on your own background.

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As observable through events that have occurred this year, such as Charlottesville, racism is still rampant in America today, though the roots and means of inheritance of these biases are still puzzling. The largest understandable source is just simple perception of environment. The article compares the observations people make on race to those of kids at a new school - "When you arrive at a new high school. You are instinctively trying to figure out who’s cool, who’s not, who’s a nerd, who gets beat up? Kids quickly acquire these associations," . Speaking of children, the relationship between parent and child can be very important to the development of racist foundations within a person. If a child is not educated from a young age that people are truly equal and there isn't a "bad" group and a "good" group, then it is more than likely the child will grow to think favorably of a certain people than another. A solution to this issue is to change our culture and what is seen as socially and politically acceptable, as well as dissolve the stereotypes and personas that come with a skin color, as people are just people and not a member of some sort of group where everyone is the same.

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Torch-bearing white supremacists shouting racist and anti-Semitic slogans. Protesters and counter protesters colliding with violence and chaos. A car driven by a known Nazi sympathizer mowing down a crowd of activists.

Many Americans responded to this weekend's violence in Charlottesville with disbelieving horror. How could this happen in America, in 2017? "This is not who we are," said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D).

And yet, this is who we are.

Amid our modern clashes, researchers in psychology, sociology and neurology have been studying the roots of racism. We draw on that research and asked two scientists to explain why people feel and act this way toward each other.

What causes people to be racist?

"In some ways, it's super simple. People learn to be whatever their society and culture teaches them. We often assume that it takes parents actively teaching their kids, for them to be racist. The truth is that unless parents actively teach kids not to be racists, they will be," said Jennifer Richeson, a Yale University social psychologist. "This is not the product of some deep-seated, evil heart that is cultivated. It comes from the environment, the air all around us."

Richeson compares children's instinctive formation of biases to a student at a new school. "When you arrive at a new high school. You are instinctively trying to figure out who's cool, who's not, who's a nerd, who gets beat up? Kids quickly acquire these associations," she said.

To get a sense of just how pervasive and imperceptibly our environment can affect us, one study at Tufts University found that even with a TV show on mute displaying scenes with no explicit discrimination, the nonverbal body language of black and white actors interacting was enough to cause watchers to test higher for implicit bias afterward.

"An us-them mentality is unfortunately a really basic part of our biology," said Eric Knowles, a psychology professor at New York University who studies prejudice and politics. "There's a lot of evidence that people have an ingrained even evolved tendency toward people who are in our so-called 'in group.'"

But how we define those groups, and the tendency to draw divisions along racial lines, is social, not biological, he added. "We can draw those lines in a number of ways that society tells us," he said.

When does racism drive people to commit violence?

"The most likely predictor of that is exposure to a kind of ideology," Knowles said. Most if not all people carry implicit biases and unexamined prejudices, he said, and some may harbor feelings of fear or resentment that they don't express in public.

"But when people come into contact with an organized ideology that valorizes or glorifies an intergroup struggle like a race struggle - that scaffolds from people's everyday prejudices into something altogether more violent," he said.

White supremacist groups promote a "siege mentality" among their followers, Knowles said - rhetoric that aims to lend legitimacy to people's racial and ethnic fears. He pointed to the slogans shouted by participants in the Charlottesville rally: "You will not replace us" and "White Lives Matter."

"I think that one thing that these violent ideologies are communicating to people, and people are receptive to, especially people who are struggling, is that whites are actually the ones who are being discriminated against in society," Knowles said.

Charlottesville was hardly the first time this thinking has led to violence. Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine people at a historic African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., justified the killing with a hate-filled rant in his journal in which he wrote that he wanted to "take action for my race."

Knowles has been studying what he calls "everyday racism" for nearly two decades. He said he hasn't seen significant change in baseline levels of bias among Americans. Instead, he thinks, more virulent forms of racism are being "unleashed" - particularly by President Trump. He noted the president did not explicitly condemn the hate groups that organized the Charlottesville rally until two days after it was held.

"The fetters are coming off," Knowles said. "When you have a president who won't specifically signal out Nazis and white supremacists for opprobrium that communicates something to people with racial resentment. ... That's a powerful message that these feelings you've been having, these racial and ethnic fears that are inside of you are, okay to express."

Can you teach people not to be racists?

"The only way to change bias is to change culture," Richeson said. "You have to change what is acceptable in society. People today complain about politically correct culture, but what that does is provide a check on people's outward attitude, which in turn influences how we think about ourselves internally. Everything we're exposed to gives us messages about who is good and bad."

Knowles agreed that norms can serve as a check on expression of violent racism. But to challenge the deep-seated prejudices that shape our behavior, to unlearn our implicit biases, "we need contact," he said.

"It's absolutely the opposite of what white nationalists want, which is a segregated society," he said. " We need an integrated society, and at the same time need to create as much socioeconomic fairness as we can, so what relationships people have across group lines are egalitarian relationships. ... That's the one thing that can create trust between people on each side of an us-them divide, and the only thing in the long term I would put my money on to reduce prejudices."

Will racism disappear over time? Aren't older people more racists and younger generations more progressive?

"It's a myth that our country will somehow become more progressive. And it's equally a myth to think that our children will save us," Richeson said. Most of alt-right activists who sparked violence in Charlottesville, she pointed out, were young white men.

"There's data that shows young groups like millennials are more progressive and egalitarian. But that's usually on issues like climate change or gay marriage, usually not in their level of implicit bias," Richeson said.

In fact, Richeson in recent years has been studying how white people react to the fact that America is shifting into a majority minority country (where minorities make up more than 50 percent of the population). In those studies, young white subjects responded just as strongly as older white ones with anxiety and uncertainty, expressing more negative explicit and implicit racial bias in tests.

After reading about the coming demographic change, for example, white subjects, including college students, were more likely to agree with statements like "I would rather work alongside people of my same ethnic origin."

Richeson said, "Yes, there have been gains in policy like allowing interracial marriage and discrimination laws, but when it comes to our interpersonal biases, it's simply not true that we just need to wait for the few old racist men left in the South to die off and then we'll be fine. The rhetoric for racism is still in place. The environment for racism is still there. Unless we change that, we can't lessen racism."

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Why are people still racist? What science says about America's race problem.

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Torch-bearing white supremacists shouting racist and anti-Semitic slogans. Protesters and counter protesters colliding with violence and chaos. A car driven by a known Nazi sympathizer mowing down a crowd of activists. Many Americans responded to this weekend's violence in Charlottesville with disbelieving horror. How could this happen in America, in 2017?

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Exposing Bias: Racism and Race in America

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Exposing Bias: Racism and Race in America

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In an interview between Robert Fieseler and two anthropologists from Harvard, the status of racism and role of race in  today's America is discussed as structural and is still as common as it is because it has been used as a tool in multiple recent institutions. In additions to racism being used in society in recent years, racism in America was emerging right as our country was developing. This concurrence of foundations gave way to ideas and customs that placed those who were not white beneath average status, which was a system that continued right up until today where it's just starting to alleviate, though not absolutely.  Another reason racism is still somewhat commonplace in America today is because of the development of ideas in the youth of society. As children grow, much of their knowledge on race is obtained through family, friends, media, and simple observation of the world - for example; a child may come to the conclusion that people of a select group are bad, purely because that is what they were told by one person they may trust. An example of this happening can be seen throughout the story of Huckleberry Finn, where he is constantly torn between whether slavery is right or wrong. It seems the strongest solution to this issue in America is to remember the past and what came of it, though set forward on the future and ensure it does not exclude those who have been forgotten.

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Exposing Bias: Race and Racism in America

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Journalist Robert Fieseler discusses American race relations as a social construct with Harvard Extension instructors and anthropologists, Michael Baran and James Herron.

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My Road Trip Through the Whitest Towns in America

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My Road Trip Through the Whitest Towns in America

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Whitopia is described as a place of solitude, privacy, security, and kindness - which gives off a very alluring aura. After reviewing the story of a black man's adventure through 3 mostly white towns in America, these communities are more understandable and stand out bolder in the nation for me. These places are not necessarily racist, nor do racists necessarily reside in these communities, but it can be understood that these towns produce racism. By isolating people from people, understandings of one another become less apparent, leading to divisions in thought and living. Ultimately, it's important for us, as Americans, to come together and walk away from old customs and instead of hiding from each other's differences, but to live as one and embrace one another as humans.

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Teachers often use TED Talks in the classroom to introduce a lesson topic or to frame a student discussion. Below are 10 TED Talks about race in America - curated by TED-Ed upon educator request - that teachers may find useful in the classroom:
Featured image: Angélica Dass/Humanæ
For more education resources from TED, sign up for the weekly TED-Ed newsletter here >>

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10 TED classroom resources about race in America

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Teachers often use TED Talks in the classroom to introduce a lesson topic or to frame a student discussion.

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In this poem, the bond between African Americans in the nation is described as one of brothers and sisters. This bond was born out of a need for one another because the past of these peoples were forsaken in slavery and discrimination. Additionally, African Americans hold this care for each other because in the past, they were not shown care by those they share this country with. This "pledge" gives insight to how the generations of hate have cemented a unity within the black community in the U.S. This sort of relationship can be observed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the bond between Huck and Jim, as Jim acts as a father figure for Finn because he too knows hardship and believes they NEED each other to survive their adventure.

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BECAUSE we have forgotten our ancestors,
our children no longer give us honor.

BECAUSE we have lost the path our ancestors cleared
kneeling in perilous undergrowth,
our children cannot find their way.

BECAUSE we have banished the God of our ancestors,
our children cannot pray.

BECAUSE the old wails of our ancestors have faded beyond our hearing,
our children cannot hear us crying.

BECAUSE we have abandoned our wisdom of mothering and fathering,
our befuddled children give birth to children
they neither want nor understand.

BECAUSE we have forgotten how to love, the adversary is within our
gates, an holds us up to the mirror of the world shouting,
'Regard the loveless'

Therefore we pledge to bind ourselves to one another, to embrace our
lowliest, to keep company with our loneliest, to educate our illiterate,
to feed our starving, to clothe our ragged, to do all good things,
knowing that we are more than keepers of our brothers and sisters.

We ARE our brothers and sisters.

IN HONOR of those who toiled and implored God with golden tongues,
and in gratitude to the same God who brought us out of hopeless desolation, we make this pledge.

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The Black Family Pledge Poem by Maya Angelou - Poem Hunter

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BECAUSE we have forgotten our ancestors,our children no longer give us honor. BECAUSE we have lost the path our ancestors clearedkneeling in perilous undergrowth,our children cannot find their way. BECAUSE we have banished the God of our ancestors,our children cannot pray. BECAUSE the old wails of our ancestors have faded beyond our hearing,our children cannot hear us crying.

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An analysis by Toni Morrison, this document shows the multiple relationships Huck has between Jim, the racist society he lives in,  and his moral being.  What was first understood about this analysis is that the author goes layers beyond the surface of the book, suggesting Huck's suicidal feelings and the father figure within Jim for Huckleberry. One point that particularly spoke to me that I can agree with now that it was presented to me is that Huck isn't running from control  but from lack thereof, he's escaping what he doesn't know because it frightens him. In relation to the real world, it can be understood from the article that children who lack any sort of parentage tend to find comfort in unlikely people and places, as Huck found fortitude under Jim's care. By shining light on the various conflicts occurring within and around Huck, it's easier to understand the motivations of Huck's actions, specifically his silence in many important situations. Huck's silence reflects, in my opinion, his estrangement from many of life's natural occurrences, such as feelings of affection or guilt. All in all, the article sparked lots of thought within me, making Huck's observable mentality all the more complex through analysis of his deep feelings for Jim, his tendencies to dwell on subjects of death and loneliness, and his unending escape from that which is foreign to him.