Sunday, May 21, 2006

The "Nigga" Defense


(It was only a matter of time)

And this to the "Battered Wife Defense," "The Ambien Made Me Do it Defense," and the "I was Molested by Circus Clowns Defense."

Now white people can call you a nigga, beat your ass and say that hip-hop made them do it.

Last June, Glenn Moore, a negro, got his skull fractured in Howard Beach, one of most racist parts of NY.
It was one of those moments where people act surprised because there is still... wait for it... racism in New York!
Twenty years ago another negro got murked in Howard Beach and it was a much bigger deal.

The prosecutors (or the offense, as I like to say) allege that Nicholas Minucci called Moore a nigger as he chased him and beat his ass.

The defense claims that Minucci said "What up nigga?" to Moore as he approached, to which Moore replied "What up?"
Then Minucci beat his ass after he was attacked.

As far as this whole story goes, Minucci's defense strategy is laughable, because I don't think a white person has ever had to defend themselves from a black person in Howard Beach nor has any black person, post-1970, replied to a white person's "What up nigga?" with a friendly "What up?"

Negroes know better.
Plus Minucci is a racist ass name. That sounds like one of A.J. Soprano's friends.

Article quotes,

  • Mr. Minucci's friends and family have said that the word is uttered today more in collegiality than hatred, and that its proliferation in rap music and everyday conversation among young people of various races and ethnicities has changed its meaning and impact.

    "Every kid in the neighborhood uses it," she said. "It doesn't mean the same thing anymore. They all say it all day long, no matter what race. They all grow up saying it now."

    She added, "All of Nick's friends — black, white, Spanish, Chinese — they all use the word. You should hear when they talk on the phone to him in jail. "

    Ms. Minucci suggested that such a shift has been "the best thing possible for that word" because through its use "it's lost a lot of its power and hatred."


I pray to the God of racism for a Chinese kid to say "What up nigga?" to me.
Truly.


Recently there was a Internet nerd debate about the racism of an indie artist who doesn't like rap.
He said rap has "more vicious caricatures of African-Americans than they had in the 19th century."
Is he wrong?

And he also said that the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the super racist Disney movie, "Song of the South" was catchy.
Is it not?

During this whole debate some said this issue raises "the dangerous and stupid notion that one's taste in music can be interrogated for signs of racist intent the same way a university's admissions process can: If the number of black artists in your iPod falls too far below 12.5 percent of the total, then you are violating someone's civil rights."

Although it's clear this guy was a victim of the P.C. police, the question remains, does the word nigga coming from a white man who like totally digs hip-hop dude and then cracks your skull, better than nigga coming from an indie-loving, Pitchfork-reading cracka?


While writing this "In the Heat of the Night" and "Remember The Titans"(soo inaccurate) were playing; two movies whose driving conflict comes solely from 1960's racism and both had plenty of niggers, coons and general racism to go around.

So how did that kind of obvious understanding of racist language and intention devolve into a sort of pan-niggaism where people are unable to to identify the meaning of the word?

Rap music.

The defense's argument rests on the assumption that rap has changed the context of the word to the point where tossing out a "nigga" before a beating does not constitute a hate crime.

When one of the most white-friendly artists, Kangay West, had 2005's biggest hit with the sing-along friendly chorus of,

"Now I ain't saying she a gold digger
But she ain't fucking with no broke niggas."

What is Amber supposed to sing in her Audi after she buys Kangay's unedited album from Best Buy for $9.99 on her way to the Hamptons?

Please believe that she ain't fucking with broke niggas, not broke... broke as the radio would have you believe.

8 comments:

  1. Honestly, I don't think anyone should be using that word: black, white, Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, whomever. It still (and should, I think) carries such ugly connotations. In my mind, it remains a symbol of a bygone era which the U.S. still has not properly confronted. And until Americans get real about race, maybe it's a good thing that there can be reminders that everything isn't copasetic.

    But that said, like all groups that have embraced insults as a means for coping (lots of Jews crack lots of Jewish jokes; lots of them don't. Same with Muslims, Indians, etc.), black people--as individuals, not as some monolithic group for which there is only one set of ideas and attitudes and opinions--need to decide what they think is right, because the supposed privilege of using that word is only something they can experience as they are the focus of that word's intended malice. Most of my black friends don't use that word. At least, not around me. And that distinction might be worth noting--forever, groups have made self-depricating jokes when enjoying the theoretical safety of intimate homogeneity: a circle of Japanese friends might make jokes or use words that are ostensibly offensive when they are congregating privately. But those same jokes and terms may no longer carry levity if they are invoked when amongst others. So, too, with the n-word.

    If nothing else, I am so sick of hearing white kids use the hip-hopped "nigga" as though it's OK since they are merely imitating--and really, mocking--something that they've seen or heard. It's stupid.

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  2. P.S. You love the Dells.

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  3. If people who are called a word choose to use it so be it that's their choice.

    If people outside of that group use it knowing it has a negative origin...than they deserve any beating they get.

    When I see girls calling each other bitches I don't think it must be cool for me to do it.

    I believe in eliminating excuses...so I eliminate any excuse for someone to want to kick my ass.

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  4. "I believe in eliminating excuses...so I eliminate any excuse for someone to want to kick my ass." ...^while I agree to the extent that this is a good strategy for avoiding conflict, my problem is that I cannot convey to those that choose to use the word... that I don't get down like that. Yeah, Lil Susie and her crowd think because they spent their time infront of the cd player memorizing 50cent and Kanye they got the ´right to spit "the truth" as some other "nigger" gave it to them...I beg to differ. I shouldn't have to whup nobodys ass for excercising their constitutional right to free rap recitation.

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  5. If I call my friend Stan an asshole, he calls me a dick and we both laugh. If I call some random dude an asshole and he breaks my nose, no surprise. Especially if the dude is a different color - he's not likely to take it as a friendly joke.

    It gets real complicated when nigga's being thrown around, especially between whites and blacks. I know like 3 white guys who can "nigga" without looking like wigga wannabes, and even with them it's close.

    That said, this Minucci fool fractured someone's skull. Who gives a fuck what was said between them? If Minucci said "Yo cutie" would it make a difference?

    Either Moore tried to rob Minucci or not. Minucci was in an Escalade full of his friends, Moore was walking with 2 other guys on the street. They may have been out to steal a car, but that's got nothing to do with it - unless Minucci has an official Vigilante badge we haven't heard about.

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  6. I wish more white people would use the word 'nigger' properly as it was originally derived - at each other.
    http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=33

    We people of color should help them out by calling them niggers every chance we get.

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  7. gina - Rappers saying nigga doesnt give anyone the right to say it but it sure makes things confusing for slow white people. Thus, we have this stupid ass case.

    jjj - That "Yo cutie" shit killed me. The case would be more interesting if he had said "You a cute nigga."

    dp - You stay dropping that knowledge. No homo.

    The sad truth is that hip-hop has everyone thinking they are 'black' in the hip-hop sense and we all know that hip-hop is selling tainted Kool-Aid to the (m)asses.

    Let's see how this turns out...

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  8. lawyers are geniuses.

    they can find their way ot of anything.

    change er to a. hate crime down to assault.

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