MyThoughtWorld.com

By Cal Samuel August
MTW contributing writer

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This week, the NAACP is burying the "N" word. Since this word has taken on a derogatory meaning, especially when used by "whites," in our day and age it is not acceptable to use it.

In fact, among most "whites" or "Caucasians" (whatever you want to call them) if you are inclined toward political correctness, this derogatory �N� term is not used; I don�t hear it except perhaps in a rap context (which I might only come across in public blasting from the stereo through one�s car window.) If anything, rap, a genre dominated by �African-Americans,� has revived the use of the word. The NAACP website said that rappers would be on hand for the funeral of the "N" word. Since rap has revived it, perhaps it is appropriate that rappers, many of whom have done so much to harm their own culture by promoting harmful attitudes, were there to put the derogatory word to rest.

For the politically correct who try to appease those who are always looking to define themselves in their own cultures in different ways, it seems, at least, every few years they may nod approvingly. To those who find this immaterial, this exercise may seem like a bit of a farce. The word pretty much is dead (except as I said in the rap context, or among the truly vulgar).

I am not one to bow down to political correctness, but the �N� word is so charged it should never be used. There are other words like that. For example, people could really use the �F� word a lot less, and no one would be hurt by its omission.

There are realities we need to address here, though. When we are out in public and try to identify people we don't know, we have to identify them by some characteristic, and in a crowd of "white" people, a person of a different color stands out. Skin color then becomes an identifying characteristic. These days, people are trying hard to be PC, so instead of saying "black," which among many people of a darker skin color was once acceptable, we might say "African-American."

In days past, "African-Americans" were referred to as "colored people." The NAACP, who serves "blacks," or "African-Americans," whichever term you wish to use, uses "colored-people" as part of its acronym. This term may be considered unacceptable for some to use, especially for a person of "white" skin color.

While I believe that we are moving past discriminating against those of different skin colors in terms of job and educational opportunities, whether one likes it or not, "whites" will probably always, if not openly, refer to the one darker colored person in the crowd as "black," "Asian," or some other variant, simply as a matter of convenience. Such descriptors are not meant to be derogatory. Rather, they are meant to be both descriptive and practical.

For example, if the only medical doctor in the room is the "black" man, and I absolutely need to find him at the crowded party NOW, a responsible person is going to say, Dr. so and so is the "black" man standing over there.

In the same respect, at a crowded party where the guests were predominantly "dark skinned," the lone "white" person would stand out, and I would assume that the person would be identified as such. It is only logical.

It is an interesting irony to think that "black" has become a respectable word among many, when the Latin term from which the "N" word comes is "niger" which means "black."

It is also interesting to think that I, as a "white" person, have exactly the same chemical (melanin) in my skin as a "black" person does, just less of it. Therefore, in a way, you may call me "colored" if you wish. The difference being, I just happen to have less melanin than a person of darker complexion. The implication is, there is NO SUCH THING AS RACE, unless you're willing to say we all belong to the human race.

What I am happy with is the transformation our country has made in the last fifty years. People will certainly segregate along cultural lines, gathering among themselves, and in their communities. But when it comes to the workplace, athletics, what have you, there is much less commotion about "whites" and "blacks" hanging out together, which is a good thing.

If I want to be friends with someone who has more melanin than me, I can, and rational people will not think anything of it, and that's a good thing. That's the American way. God bless us all.

Categories: Opinion, POP culture, politics
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