I understand the historic negative connotations the word has, however, from a social and cultural dynamics perspective isn't it legitmately possible to argue that the word's meaning has changed.
Here is an excerpt of a Styles P interview where the issue of the "N" word comes up:
Styles P: When somebody from the hood is calling you [“n***a”], there is no emotional attachment. He’s not trying to degrade you or disgrace you or anything- he’s saying it out of love. So when someone other then that calls you that, it takes it to another level. I think from us using it with each other it’s kinda turning a negative into a positive. For them to still use it, it’s a negative-negative. When we use it, it’s a loving and endearing term. No matter where the word came from, it’s [about] the context of what we use it now. The word came from somewhere but the word hot originally meant something was hot, but hot means something is cool now. It’s alright to switch those words around, but it’s not correct to switch [“n***a”] around.
At the end of the day, culture and language as a component of culture are in constant flux.
The result is that as life progress culture evolves.Has the word "N" word not evolved as well?
Maybe the problem is that the "N" word hasn't completely evolved and so it can still be used to cause offence, hence people's sensitivity bcoz the word seems to possess a double-barrel meaning depending on the context its used and on the intention of the person uttering the word.
One thing is clear though, the word can both be offensive and inoffensive depending on the intention of whoever says it.
I think if u're black and u honestly trust the relationship u have with a white cat and u know their fundamental intentions I don't see why a white person u know and trust can't adopt the term "nigga" in its benevolent sense to address u. Its like Eminem not being able to call D-12 his niggaz.
I wouldn't advise a white person to address a black dude they don't have a personal relationship with as "nigga" bcoz their intentions are not likely to be understood.
To me the most important thing is that culture evolves and the realisation that the power of the "N" word to offend lies solely in historic intention and the malicious intent of those who today choose to utter the word with a desire to offend.
However, the word itself has no inherent power to offend and ultimately whether I am offended as a black person lies in the meaning I choose to give to the word when its uttered to me.
That meaning is not purely dependant on the historcal meaning of the word, but its also dependent on the cultural norms we have today.
I will therefore only attach the historical meaning where I conclude that the person uttering the words has the intention to offend.If I conclude that there's no intention to offend, then I'll attach a benevolent meaning to the word according to the cultural norms we have today.
At the end of the day we may even rob the "N" word of its offensive power as time progresses.
Maybe one day instead of thinking the "N" word is offensive, perhaps peolpe will understand that altho its origins were negative it has come to mean something else.
Pac's own interpretation was Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished.
This way maybe someday everyone will want to be a Nigga.
