Last night while nosing around the video store I live above, this documentary nearly jumped off the shelf at me. Typically I spend 20 or 30 minutes poking through the aisles at Spindle trying to decide what to rent, and yet The N Word was a quick and easy rental to make.
"Divided We Stand," reads the subtitle, which accurately sums up the opinions offered in the film. The directors interview many contemporary black academics, actors and musicians to get their take on just what the word has come to mean, what should be done about it, and what the implications are for society as a whole. The film features Samuel L. Jackson, Talib Kweli, Michael Rappaport, Geroge Carlin, and more.
There's also some exceptional poetry performances interspersed throughout the interviews, the best of which is Saul Williams performing energetically and encouragingly toward the end of the film. His piece stretches on for nearly 4 or 5 minutes, and it's fantastic. Some of the other poems included are by the likes of Carl Sandburg and Langston Hughes--great stuff here.
But this isn't a movie about poetry. No, it's about the word nigger.
Perhaps the most interesting thing, for me, is when the directors get to interviews with younger, high-school aged kids. White high-school kids. They all, with no trace of apprehension, use the word and defend it's usage among non-blacks, something which is fascinating to me because it is completely foreign, yet reflects an almost complete paradigm shift in the way we see the word itself.
I've been called "Nigga" before by black friends, yet despite the endearing tone it's something that's hard for me to grapple with, simply because the weight of racism and slavery behind it. Yet it comes completely natural for many of the younger generation to spit out as if it were, "What's up man. What's up pimp. Whatup player," and so on.
It's odd to think that I am only a few years removed from that kind of usage--had I been born in 1988 or 1990 I would probably be tossing it around to my friends: "Hey nigga, what's up?" Or maybe I wouldn't. But it seems like a lot of kids today are comfortable with that usage, due to the ubiquity of hip-hop music and culture.
For me, however, the word still carries a sting to it. Simply hearing it said can cause me to blanch, regardless of whether it is said in a friendly way or not. This is particularly troubling for me, as I'm someone who uses words on a daily basis to make a living, and who truly feels that words are, as George Carlin says, "Just words! It's all about context." What I'm saying is that I shouldn't be so uptight. It's not the word, but the meaning behind it that matters, right?
Right. But I think I'll stick to my current usage pattern which is to omit it from any type of speech except that in which I am singing aloud to rap music.
And even then maybe I should drop it.
Ah well.
Another interesting thought offered by some of the academics interviewed is that the euphemism "The N Word" is actually worse than the use of the word "nigger," precisely because it is explicitly covering up the past in what amounts to a cute, simple phrase. As one older man interviewed says, "How soon until the word 'lynch' becomes 'The L Word.'"
Lots to think about here.
The documentary certainly provides plenty of food for thought, but importantly leaves the viewer to decide for herself how they will apply the word in their life, how they will let it affect them, and just what it means when someone says it. Go pick it up.
brett at 12:38 PM on November 14, 2006 | Permalink
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