I Love The Boondocks. I love it because it’s funny, not to mention clever and intellectual. Have you checked it out? What I am sharing will make more sense if you have seen the show – but if not, go with the flow on this with me. As I watched the show, I am quite bothered by the character Uncle Ruckus’s overuse of the N word (Nigga). I mean it’s one thing to hear it, laugh and move on. If you take the word out of the equation will you still laugh?
Let me say this, like so many Black people I know, I grew up hearing the N word used every day. I have even used the word more than once, twice, three times…well, you get the point.
Some of my favorite music contains the word N word. The word just ended up in the song. Hmmmm. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure a day has gone by in my life where I haven’t heard the word N word used in some form. The word is an adverse historic part of our language culture and was created to impose a below level demeanor.
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We have become so immune to hearing and using this word that we aren’t effected by it any more; or if we are effected the silence is golden rule is quickly applied. In fact, in other cultures it’s now considered cool to be called N word. I hear people of all different ethnic backgrounds refer to each other as N word. What is really happening here?
Some argue and believe that we have managed to re-associate the meaning of the N word to now hold a more positive connotation. How could that be? A degrading brand name given to the African culture, made in America more than 400 years ago and we use it to refer to something positive? Help me understand this.
Ruckus repeated and ran this word into the ground on the Boondock’s season premier. Perhaps he was and I just didn’t get the memo. Ultimately, my real issue is evident, that the word is here to stay for the time being, but it should not stay because we labor and empower the word.
Even though some of us use it, we are not accepting money for doing so or are we? If Rukus or any other entertainer were paid big bucks every time the word was used in their script or song, it would be the million dollar buzz word for the day paid in royalties.
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There seems to be something almost questionable about one of our own, not just using the word but SELLING the word. When a recording artist uses the N word in a song, is that not us selling it? When the creator of the Boondocks makes his living from using the word in his show, is that not the same thing? Let me go deeper on you right here, are they not being paid to make us, the consumer, feel like it’s okay to continue to degrade ourselves? So deep goes the trickery, that we have been made to think that it’s now cool to be insulted and degraded. And what about those of us who are buying the products just as guilty as those who are selling it?
What’s really happening here? At the end of the day, I’m starting to rethink the meaning of a sellout all together. Back in the day, a sellout was considered someone who wore a collegial suit, spoke proper English, married outside of their race, and somehow disassociated themselves from certain aspects of their culture. I’m starting to think that maybe the sellout is today’s current sheep in wolves clothing.
Today’s sellout has swag and is cool. He’s very stylish and trendy in his dress, he might wear his hat to the back, arrive at a
