VB says:

Okay…this makes me tired. It gets confusing when first people say it’s offensive to say the n-word and then they award people for using it. What really got my blood boiling was seeing Terence Howard and Don Cheadle on Oprah say ing that it’s okay to call each other N- as long as it’s done by certain people (I paraphrase, but this is what they said in a nutshell) . Oprah disagreed and seemed quite shaken that they would admit that.

N_ is offensive I don’t care WHO says it. And some of the black leaders need to stop talking out of both sides of their mouth and be REAL Men and Women and take a stand for what is right. It’s like a parent that drinks and takes drugs telling his child NOT to do likewise because “that’s bad for you…do as I say not as I do” That’s how STUPID these leaders sound!

VB says:

I’d like to add to my first comment that I work in a high school and it makes me mad and embarrassed when our black students shout the word N_ to each other whether in jest or anger and it is reported by a teacher (Usually white) for discipline follow up. When questioning these students they always say “It’s okay if WE say it to each other” But usually these are the very students that run to report when a student of another race calls them that very word. It’s no wonder with some of our black leaders settting such FINE examples that we see this in our young people. God help us!

Chris Gill says:

Al’s battle is not one of the continued use of the n-word within the Black culture, but of maintaining credibility as a member of the civil rights elite. Let me explain. By definition based on actions and attitudes, one cannot be critical of things Blacks do and still be embraced by the Black liberal establishment. Black liberals make excuses for our poor behavior, and deflect the blame on whites, the system, racism, etc. “Conservatives†adhere to strict absolutes and establish opinions of concepts as right or wrong, etc. This analysis is from a behavior standpoint, as well as politics.

Sharpton can’t flip-flop and call a spade a spade (No pun intended). You can’t get all obtusely liberal and provide advocacy for a quadruple murderer by shotgun named Tookie (One victim was even shot in the face), and then go a tirade about respecting historical Black figures. Nor can he invite wealthy white liberal politicans to his church to patronize us about “plantations,,,,,you know what I’m talkin’ bout’ â€ÂÂ, and “about being the next Black president (While giving the Black power fist salute no less)â€ÂÂ. True, the pimping of King’s legacy is getting just plain tired and uncreative. Yes, King was a pacifist and would be opposed to the war in Iraq. Position respected. He would also be opposed to the 70% out of wedlock birth rate in our community, he would also be opposed to the murder rate of us by us, and he would be completely nauseated and opposed to the ungodly behavior and attitudes glorified by the hip-hop minstrel sub-culture. May I add, these issues are completely absent from the lips of the Black elite liberal establishment. Just because you are “annointed†to keep whitey on his toes, doesn’t mean you have to pretend our issues of detriment don’t exist.

ricland says:

Yeah, well, Sharpton is Sharpton because people keep talking about him, so I won’t, except to say this: the man’s a buffoon.

Boondocks?

I don’t understand it. I don’t understand the name. How does the name of the strip connect to the content? I don’t understand the huge afro the kid sports. Huge afros went out of style 20 years ago. But mostly I don’t understand how a comic strip that hasn’t told one gag, shown any wit, or makes no real commentary about anything can be voted best of anything.

Not that I place any credence in what the NAACP does. You’ll recall, they awarded Michael Jackson their “image award” not too long ago. Your older readers may recall how the NAACP lobbied to get Hattie Mcdaniels off the 1950 sit-com Beulah because they thought her pure African features demeaned African Americans, or how they successful got Amos ‘n’ Andy off the air because they thought the shows lawyer character Algonquin C. Calhoun demeaned black lawyers.

More recently the Mfumi used the weight of the NAACP to get a sit-com about the Lincoln White House canceled. The show was on a white-owned network, but produced by blacks. Nonetheless, Mfumi, a man with no education, training, or experience in the art form felt he was qualified to tell blacks who were, what’s appropriate and what isn’t.

Meanwhile, BET continues to poison the hearts and minds of new generation after new generation with their hip hop filth, and the NAACP has not uttered a single word in protest.

Sick.

Also, this text box is too tiny and has no preview function.

ricland

Brian says:

The truth I have observed is that there are no leaders. There are men and women who toook respective stands but there are no leaders so to even look to another human being for so called leadership. I f you look up the origin of the N-word(for all you ultrasensitive black folk) you will understand that the debates are useless over whether we use it or not. Heres some factual info I picked up on. In the arabic language the word nigger is pronounced Nijjar(N-I-J-J-A-R) which was taken from the Nuwaupic word Zen-ge the word comes from Egyptian dialect (a najaar), meaning, drum roll please, Carpenter. So you decide is the debate really worth it when black on black crime is at an all time high. While we are playing the word game with each other there are more major concerns that need to be dealt with and I would tell this to the good Rev himself.

Brian says:

Also if thats the case we need to criticize that hair Al Sharpton has. Who is he pretending to be with all that silky smoothness. (LOL) just a joke.

Brian says:

Also there is a depth to our psyches that we don’t understand which allows us subconsciously to figure these things out so when this generation says we feel its okay to say it there is a reason. We figured the above defintion out without even knowing the language and I believe that to be the case.

Brian says:

IN response to You can’t get all obtusely liberal and provide advocacy for a quadruple murderer by shotgun named Tookie (One victim was even shot in the face) If you check the facts of that particular situation there was another set up involved in that case where a white man got off early because he blamed his crime on Tookie Williams. I don’t care no man who has truly reformed himself, maintains innocence for 20 plus years.

Duane says:

In the arabic language the word nigger is pronounced Nijjar(N-I-J-J-A-R) which was taken from the Nuwaupic word Zen-ge the word comes from Egyptian dialect (a najaar), meaning, drum roll please, Carpenter.

Make sure you remember all of that “history” the next time some white racist calls you a nigger.

VB says:

(LOL ) I got a feelin’ that the “history” gonna go flyin’ out of the window along with the racist if that happens! (LOL some more)

SKG says:

What many Blacks are failing to realize is that the N-word has developed a different context over the years: Niggers are ignorant and their behavior shows it; Black -Americans excerise better judgement in their actions and always keep the needs of the race as a whole in mind when representing us in th world. I applaude artists like McGruder (and others) for taking a stand on the issue.

Duane says:

So should whites be forgiven when they use the word when talking about us?

Brian says:

What many Blacks are failing to realize is that the N-word has developed a different context over the years: Niggers are ignorant and their behavior shows it; Black -Americans excerise better judgement in their actions I think it ignorant to divide us into little groups when we are perceived as one by those around us whether highly educated or whatever because if you look at the word ignorance all of us can be put in that boat for ignoring where we come from and even down to religous principals we adopted which are out of line with our original African principles and also to call us Black is just the same as saying Nigger(which was used by lets call them “visitors” in Pre-Apartheid Africa to communicate with natives). Also I ahve had whites say the word in a negative manner and a positive manner in my prescence and for me to react stupidly would be as Dave Chapelle says another when keeping it real goes wrong situation. We defeat their demeaning of us when we claim our own identity no matter the negative connotations. I think the brother or whoever above is guilty of racism when he says Niggers are this and Black Americans are that. COME ON MAN GET YOUR MIND RIGHT AND STOP HATING YOUR PEOPLE THE WAY THEY WANTED US TO ALL ALONG.. AS stated before though until we get our minds right it will be niggers are this and black americans are that. I say how backwards and reverse racist that is. “So should whites be forgiven when they use the word when talking about us?” It breaks down to a fundamental reality and if you understand the word and where it comes from then it has no effect on you

Brian says:

ALSO THE LAST TIME I CHECKED THE DICTIONARY THE WORD BLACK HAS A HOST OF NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS BUT YET WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO CALL US BLACK AND WE CALL EACH OTHER BLACK WHEN THE LAST TIME I CHECKED MY SKIN IS BROWN but once again UNTIL WE GET OUR MINDS RIGHT…

Brian says:

THe point I am trying to make is that we are fighting so many empty battles and the use of the N word is just another one of them. This ties back into the Willie Lynch Letter and how to make a slave. We are a slave to these words when so many of us need to fight for truer inequalities against humanity. Slavery and racism are crimes against humanity and not just us.

Duane says:

So should whites be forgiven when they use the word when they (both past and present) refer to us?

I guess we were wrong to consider this an insult.

Brian says:

The definition and the way they used it as hate does not match. I’m saying we need to be stronger its not something to accept but there is an origin and the origin was not based around the white defintion of the word

Duane says:

The definition and the way they used it as hate does not match.

Says who? There were plenty of whites back in the day who would refer to their most loyal workers as “my good niggahs”. There were also plenty of blacks who did not have a problem with it.

Stupid = Stupid

Dumb = Dumb

Nigger = Nigger

There is just no way around it , dawg. You can’t embrace the same word as your own while at the same time condemn whites from using it. That is called hypocrisy.

I remember when J-Lo used it in a song (not derogatory–if that’s possible). Black folks raised hell about it. I even remember seeing some folks went as far as to throw beans and rice at one of her public appearances.

Eminem went though something similar.

Yeah, hypocrisy!

I so wish I could take you to a retirement center somewhere in the south where there are many blacks who actually lived through the days when “nigger” was an insult. You would get cussed out of the building.

Until you are ready to fully address how Arab Muslims contribute to the genocide against dark-skinned Africans in Darfur, I suggest you leave Arabic “history” out of this discussion.

Brian says:

You have to understand who were the original Arabs brother go way back to original Africa research and what I was saying is the origin of the word does not match the hate they tied to it. Also the dialects I spoke about predate the arabs you see today Im talking back before we were enslaved thats the Africa we ignore and don’t know about so when they throw these word games at us we get caught up and end up defending a word that means nothing either way. And also I have grandparents just like you but unlike them I embrace our original truth and birth in Africa . You cant say Im being hypocritical when you are not familar with the origins of the word. Plus how can you defend the degradation within that word and have a blog called the “black informant” look up the word black and tell me that defines us. NO it doesnt to me its worse than nigger , nigger is just more emotionally charged. Well guess what the same folks who call us niggers call us black and gain my skin is brown who speaks to that racism nobody because we are too busy worrying about whitefolks calling us niggers to even pay attention . The whole of the point is we are wasting our time being all sensitive about a word that meanc carpenter and thats the reality it doesnt mean ignorant it means carpenter. We still are letting them define our existence and its crazy. I was watching Jeff Johnsons thirty minute documentary on the word and we are soo ignorant nowadays that a yuoung brother was speaking about how latin folks call each other nigga and this brother had the nerve to say I thought that was us. Thats besides the point but I wanted to show how caught up in these words we are when we should be teaching our kids the truth about it all .

Brian says:

Plus the truth of the origin says the word comes from egyptian dialect WHO WERE THE ORIGINAL EGYPTIANS ?

Duane says:

Peace out, my carpenter