“This n—-.”
“That n—-.”
“My n—–.”
The notorious noun peppered the words of a group of Hispanic teens on the city bus. It’s a word I’ve heard countless times: from the rowdy kids on the corner, from my grandma as she dismissed a sketchy passerby, from a Black college president deriding the pettiness of naysayers. I’ve used the term myself from time to time, especially when referencing a certain ex.
In all honesty, Blacks in my generation have adopted the n-word like an ugly step-sister–someone we can tease, mock and deride all day long, but won’t dare let anyone else utter a word against. We dress her up, gave her a quick makeover by dropping the ‘er,’ adding an ‘a’ and supplanting the ‘g’s with ‘c’s’ and voila: She’s ours. (more…)
