I did not know what a wigga was.
WIGGA - "WHITE NIGGA"
BY
DAVID ARTHUR WALTERS
February 2, 2004
The term "nigger" is tabu to me, so much so that certain blacks who respect my feelings and who are privileged to use the offensive term as a term of endearment or otherwise, have apologized to me for pronouncing it in my presence. Wherefore it is with great trepidation that I spell it out today. It seems to be in print a lot and on the tip of many tongues during this Black History Month, a month that seems to accentuated the color line in Kansas City and its surrounds - the historical scene of terrible crimes against humanity along racial lines.
I do not know how I would feel if someone called me "nigger." I would probably consider it an insult. Maybe I would eventually get used to the epithet or even take pride in it. Diverse peoples have from time to time proudly adopted the demeaning names given to them by their enemies: for example, Enemy, Rattlesnake, Helmet Head, Dirty Dog, and so on.
Everyone knows very well that the term "nigger" is from the Latin, niger, meaning "black." I believe the color black is beautiful, yet I find nothing inherently wrong with using the word "Negro" or fundamentally right about using the word "black" in its stead. Incidentally, there are many black whites in Brazil - a little bit of white makes a person officially white; and there are black Caucasians in India. As for "African-American", many Americans resent being hyphenated. Besides, Africans are not all alike - Africa has many peoples and nations. Nor are all Africans black: St. Augustine, for example, was most likely a Berber, and Hannibal was probably of Semitic descent.
Of course it is the intention behind the use of a word that counts in these sensitive matters. Denigrating racial slurs are not appreciated by the persons to whom they are directed. In any case, people will think as they will, and if a word becomes tabu they have a bad habit of substituting another word to express themselves.
Much to Donald Trump's puzzlement, his rap-tycoon friend, the so-called "king of Phat," has affectionately called him a "nigga." What does that mean? Who knows? Maybe I will be a white nigga someday.
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interesting
never stop writing!
m
In my 33 years of working with Blacks in higher education, I often heard the word bandied about as both derogatory and affectionate. I didn't use it myself even while others were using it and often asking me rather embarrassing questions about how I perceived things from my white privileged background. I did find that the Blacks discriminated greatly among themselves and that light-skinned Blacks seemed to rise to higher positions and education over their darker brothers/sisters. The best complement given me was when they would call me, Brother.
I come from the north where it is quite common for call girls and women, gals. There are even clubs like the Gingham Gals that are named by the women in them. However, at work while working with two women on a database program where I interacted on how to improve it and make it work better for them, I would often say things like, "You gals …" And think nothing of it. Then, one day, one of the girls, they don't find that term, told me that I was insulting them. Apparently, that was a derogatory term that white men used to describe black female slaves. When I found out I was careful never to use the term again.
Ron