"You's Still My Nigga!"

In response to the recent Michael Richards (Kramer) rant and similar situations regarding the misuse of the word "nigga" as well as instances when Blacks have been penalized for their reactions to non-blacks using the word, on 27 Nov, Jesse Jackson called a press conference to challenge Blacks (particularly in entertainment) to abandon use of the term.

I was listening today to Jesse Jackson, Paul Mooney, Dr. ? (I'm still searching for his name) and Michael Dyson on The Michael Eric Dyson Show passionately debate the pros & cons of the use of the term "nigga," and I must say, I found myself agreeing with each of them. The award for the most rhetorical flare, however, goes to Rev. Jackson. In response to Dyson's contention that through a stroke of linguistic genious Blacks have transformed "nigga" from a term of degredation to a term of endearment (noting how in private King is reported to have referred to Young--both pictured above--as "young nigga"), Jackson asserted that with Black students being expelled for retaliating against white students using the word and a black cafeteria worker recently losing her job for slapping a white student for calling her a "nigger bitch," "endearment loses to endangerment" (that man can turn a phrase, can't he? Go 'head, Jesse!). Rev. Jackson's argument is that right, wrong or indifferent the free public use of "nigga" is coming back to bite predominantly Black people. It's hard to gainsay that conclusion.

The other men made equally salient arguements, though none counterfactual to Jackson's. Dyson is leary of infantilizing white folks by exempting them from the responsibility of knowing they have no right under any circumstance to use "nigga" ever. Furthermore, if we were to abandon use of the word, Dyson would insist, it should not be because Michael Richards, a white man, lost his mind. Dr. ? questioned the wisdom of prominant Black leaders (Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cornel West, Bill Cosby) expending useful social/political capital on an issue of such dubious prospective gain. Whereas Mooney profoundly questioned what does it say about Blacks that we would find it so difficult to walk away from anything with such a self-destructive history.

What can I say? I agree with all that. Is there any way to heed it all?