On The N Word
Filed under: TV News > Elizabitch Hasselbeck > Whoopi Goldberg
As you recall from last week, Elizabitch Hasselbeck got very emotional during a debate with Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepard over the use of the controversial N word on The View.
Hasselbeck insisted that the word should not be used to describe anyone or be used by anyone. Whoopi took the position of many stating that only members of the black community are entitled to use the word.
Now steps in actor Taye Diggs, who has his own opinion about the situation and about Hasselbeck.
Diggs says Hasselbeck "doesn’t understand, and, no offense — I don’t think any white person has the right to tell a black person or to even weigh in on subject matter such as that. They don’t know what it’s like to be called that word; they don’t know what it’s like to be black.”
Diggs continued, “They can have an opinion, but… don’t take a word that you created and called me for many, many years, and then me being in my position, have the strength to change what it means in my own culture. Don’t try to take it back now. Now it’s ours. Leave it alone.”
What do U think?
Should everyone stop using that word? Or should it be allowed to be used by only some people?
[Image via WENN.]
If white people can't have an opinion about "The N Word" then men shouldn't have an opinion on abortion. If that's how the logic goes…..
1st
Either everyone or no one should use it. If blacks say it, then I will say it.
"I", as a white person of the 21st century, did not create that word.
"He", as a black person of the 21st century, has probably not been called that word. Or subjected to slavery, as he is trying to suggest.
And I don't think any white person is trying to take that word back, in this situation. Considering the core of this argument is Jesse Jackson saying it. The race card is getting quite the workout this week.
1st
Isn't Taye Diggs married to a white person? So WTF is he talking about?
I think everyone should just get the hell over it…..black people need to stop acting like white people owe them something, we don't owe them shit! And white people need to stop acting like the color of our skin makes us better than black people, it's just not true, everyone is created equally. It sickens me that racism still exists in 2008.
I think if black don't want to be called the n word, than they should stop using it. It's not right, i watched the clip and have Elizabeths back on this.
first?
couldn't have said it better…
To answer your question with my own, what about the Q word as derogatory to gay people? As far as I know, the gay and lesbian community took that word back. Why shouldn't the black people do the same with the N word?
Hasselbeck should plug her mouth with a dick!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone should use this word- so it's not as bad a word. Profiling words is can be just as ignorant as profiling people. And clearly these words will never truelly go away.
EVERYONE SHOULD STOP USING THE N WORD!!!
taye diggs and everyone who uses that logic is a moron period. there's no use in even justifying that.. really?. just shutup.
ME
1st Nigga…. HAHAHA
ahahahha .
i love you perez
hilarious .
first
He's so right
As a young women who is of mixed decent (half black/half white)…. I agree with Taye - you don't see black people getting all upset about the word…why should white people get upset when black people use it?
"OUR WORD" NEWS FLASH PAL, YOU DON"T HAVE YOUR OWN WORD!
we should stop using it. its not a nice word and it's just stupid in the first place. it doesnt make you look smart at all
But here is where he is wrong…I never called him that. No one should use the word.
If any group wants to be accepted by everyone than they should stop excluding themselves by saying things like "us" or "our people" or "our word".
if you want to be treated equal, than why are you allowed to do things that others aren't.
i guess i have no comment
what does "first" mean????
honestly, if its considered such a bad word no one should be able to use it. i know SOME people think that using offensive words that would be used against them is okay but if one person can say it, everyone should be able to. its LAME, okay?
Get rid of the word. Period.
excuse me….WE CREATED? as far as i know my great great great ancestors, from whatever generation thought of the name….I DIDNT nor did anyone from this generation. and taye diggs, are you serious? we dont know what its like to be black? you have a better life than most people of any color! stop playing the race card. the word should just not be used at all, it creates too much controversy.
and ps. im sure elizabeth hasselbeck, nor MOST OF THE WHITE COMMUNITY CALLED YOU PERSONALLY THAT WORD FOR "MANY MANY YEARS"
I think it should stop being used. Period.
Black, white, red, green - no one should use that word.
I still agree with Elizabeth and anybody who thinks it's okay to say needs to go back and watch "ROOTS" because they need a serious wake up call!!!
I have HASSELBACKS back on this one…… this is rediculous…. Black people need to get over slavery….. especially the famous ones…. what hardships have u faced. ur fucking rich so shut the fuck up……
everyone gets all up in arms about the n word, and they say that white people use it in a derogatory way… which i understand in some cases is true, but most people make it seem that they were born in the days where there were slaves and being personally ridiculed… i dont like how cracka can be used… ie. whip"cracka" and not be considered offensive that they use it but if white people even think about telling a black person to not use the n- word it gets all news…
i dont think anyone has the right to tell me what words i can say and what words i cant; words are just that words; what makes a word stand out is the context on which is told.. and i do think black people are right; this is a word that was given to them and if they want to use it, let them.. that doesnt stop me from sleeping… people should focus on IMPORTANT shit, not on what words come out of a person..
just leave it alone!
i wouldn't want someone of some other culture telling me what i can and cannot call my friends and family.
it's my business.
people just need to live their own lives and allow other people to suffer their OWN DAMN CONSEQUENCES!
Seriously - just because we are the land of the free doesn't mean you are obligated to share your opinions about EVERYTHING.
i don't think any one should use that word. Black people saying it and then stopping other people from saying it is not right either.
it think Taye Diggs has a point
The N word is a bad word in general and NO ONE should use it period. White people look like red necks when they use it and black people look unintelligent and ignorant when they use it. It's not a term of endearment like alot of black people claim. It is a word that is heinous it should be treated like the F word. Regular broadcast television choosed to bleep it out, it is offensive and should be removed from EVERYONE'S vocabulary. And by the way, this is a old and stupid debate and keeps being rehashed to keep white and black people having nasty debates that hurt everyone and get us nowhere!
stupid n*ggers
either we all can, or no one can. only some ppl being able to use sorta comes out to the same thing… giving it a propiotary connotation
I think one of the reasons racism won't go away is because african-americans segregate themselves by using words like that and to say no one else can is dumb. NO ONE should use it. It's not like other races put themselves down by saying what's up wetback or white trash.
or anyone whose straight having an opinion on gay rights
I agree with Taye.
What Elizabitch said was just a byproduct of her intense White Guilt. She can have an opinion…but the one she expressed was just ignorant. Whoopi had it right.
or anyone whose straight having an opinion on gay rights for that matter
I think that if blacks can say the n-word then white can say it also. I agree with LizCH, if its ok for them then its ok for me. They want equal rights then so be it…You cant pick and choose what it applies to…IGNORANCE
I believe it is important to teach and embrace the past even for generations to come but I beleive there comes a time when you let go and make the future a better place. If we continue to sterotype the word and who can use it, we are just falling in to past habits.
Thanks
Only ignorant, trashy, retards use the word.
I absolutely agree with Elizabeth. All she was trying to say was that if you want us all to be one culture and one society like they say they do, then why should anyone, black or white, use the word at all, in any kind of sense. Everyone should lay off Elizabeth.
Well if 'white' ppl arent supposed to say the N word, then why should anyone have the right to say this? i dont understand how 'black' ppl have the right to use this and call each other it, if they kick up such a fuss when some other race uses the N word…if you dont like it, then dont say it at all, no matter what race you are…nobody owns a word!
Good lord Taye is soo fine!
So equal rights should only be applied some of the time? This logic makes no sense to me.
I agree; as a white woman I have no idea what it's like to be black and could never comprehend what it's like. I'm sorry, but I don't believe the 'whiteman's' opinion counts at all in this instance. Shut up Elisabeth.
I think we have far too many other things in the world to worry about. I am SICK and TIRED of race!! I am SICK and TIRED of black & white. We all all the same…we were all created by God!!! What happened to the black people happened A LONG FREAKING TIME AGO and all of the black people in the world need to GET OVER IT!!! I'm black, and I feel like this. Taye was not even around when all of that stuff happened. Black people like him is what keeps racism going! Get over it, forget it, it didn't happen to you….it happened to black people that were alive a LONG TIME AGO….people he has never met, and never knew.
I'm so sick of racism. Who cares about the "N" word. White people and black people can use it if they want; but no one should really. It is an offensive word just like it is offensive to white peolple when the black people can't stop blamming the whites of today for something that happened way beyond their time.
I think people need to get off of their high horse and get over it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if black people are allowed to call white people Honky or Whitey then white people should be able to use whatever expression they want also. LIKE I SAID GET OVER IT!!!
WHY DON'T WE WORRY ABOUT SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT LIKE THE WAR IN IRAQ!
if black people can say the N word, then everybody can say the same word…. this is the 21st century… everybody has the same right… the original meaning for the word is pointless in this time and words are not a priviledge or a right of a few…. it's for everybody
I am so tired of hearing discussions on this debate. No one will ever agree.
Please, either everyone can use it or no one can, dont give me this bullshit that because you are black it is somehow ok to say it and white ppl cant, thats just stupid
It's a ridiculous double standard. Blacks bitch and moan about ongoing racism, yet then go ahead and popularize a racist, offensive term. Racism will end when EVERYONE lets it go. And that means blacks too. Same applies to black comedians who can say all sorts of offensive things about white people in their acts, but God forbid, a white performer makes fun of blacks. The King of this stereotype is Jesse Jackson, who luckily for the world is slowly being marginalized to unimportance.
Uhm, Taye, baby, lissen up. All you dark-skinned folks listen up too.
The peoples that created that word are all DEAD AND GONE….mkay?
Time to get over it…mkay?
As long as you continue to harbor your resentment….you keep racism alive.
You do it to yourself.
End of history lesson.
Double standard……If white people can't say it, then blacks should not say it either.
the n word is keeping the black race black. i never called anyone the n word. why blame me? my family came to this country less than a century ago. IT'S NOT MY FAULT.
furthermore, i'm a jew. if other jews insisted on calling me racial slurs as "a term of endearment" or whatever the hell the n word is to black people, i would still be offended. and no offense taye diggs, i'm pretty sure you never knew anyone personally who was effected by slavery. my grandmother was in the holocaust. i don't sit around and bitch about how much germany fucked up my people. i'm not saying i don't have a right to, but when do you expect to move on? are you going to complain about the struggles forever? WHAT GOOD DOES THAT DO?
I dont think white people have the right to use that word anymore.
I saw Taye do a quick interview and I agree. That word belongs to us now (blk people)
Agreed 100% With Diggs. The word is for their own usage, Every race as atleast one or a couple of words that only their own race can use. Hasslebeck is just being emo about the situation and doesn't know anything about the black community or culture. THe word is free to use.
i am black. i don't care who says it. i only care if there is anger behind the word. or ignorance. talking about something faulty that was created or blah blah blah.
if i hear a white kid walking down the hall listening to headphones saying it…i won't care.
until someone uses it towards me or around me with anger and ignorance, i dont care.
im white but i agree with taye diggs. fuck hasselback
STOP using the N word! Period.
Stop using the F word and the C word! Oh and the B word!
No matter how you phrase it..a derogatory word is derogatory!
Just stop HATE for that matter….but good luck!
If the Niggas dont stop using the N word, I wont either. Simple.
First, abortion and the n word are two completely different situations that can't really be compared. Second, there is a really great documentary about this called "The N Word". I highly recommend it for everyone but especially if you're interested in this.
should all murderers be put in jail, or just some of them? i dont care who made the word, its obviously disrespectful, so lets eradicate it, and move the fuck on.
WOOOORD!!
i agree. Fuck Elizabeth HasselBITCH. Fucking CUNT.
Members of the black community are entitled to reclaim a word that has such a tradition of hate and reestablish it among themselves as a means of empowerment. It is wrong for a white person to say this word, considering its history.
WHAT THE FUCK??? TRY AND TAKE IT BACK???? I DIDNT OWN SLAVES, I HAVE NEVER CALLED SOMEONE THE N-WORD, AND I AN OFFENDED THAT ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE PUT IN THAT CATERGORY!! WHAT A RACIST STATEMENT!!
No one should use it. period.
GET OVER ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we didnt call you that for many many many years…someone else did, and they didnt call YOU that!!!!
that is fucking annoying..LET IT GO!!!!!!!!
Freedom of speech, ya'll.
Re: LizCH –
Umm men shouldn't have an opinion on abortion. No uterus? No right to comment!
EVERYONE should use WHATEVER words they want! This is suchh an ignorant thing! GET OVER IT!
I like to say n*gger. I'm white. So f*ck you!
Everyone should stop using the word, because no matter how hard they try to "change the meaning", everyone is always going to know what it meant in the past. The real issue here isn't black or white, its parents not raising their kids to be respectful of others. Both white, and black parents are doing awful jobs at raising their kids now a days… its sickening.
This is just ridiculous. Elisabeth wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings, she was just saying that the nword is unnecessary. If it was so degrading back then why even use it now? I'm so sick of the black race pulling the race card at every chance. I don't believe in slavery, but a lot of these people don't know what it was like back then and i think it's disrespectful to their own race to compare themselves to their ancestors. Do you thing that they would approve? I don't think so. People can be so ignorant sometimes. White people don't go around saying racial slurs about themselves. I don't think anyone should use the word period. Put it up on a shelf and stop contradicting everything when it is used.
i am a latina and i believe that the n - word should not be used by anyone, b/c back in the day it was used to make a black person feel like they were lower then the white man. and now it is very common to hear among the blacks themselves, just because u add ga to the end of the word doesnt mean it takes the real meaning away from it, think what u want but by saying that word ur degrading urself.
Get over it!!! I didn't own you…my parents didn't own you. You can't own a word and if its such a disgraceful word to use then why in the world would you want to say it to anyone. If i get called cracker (which the black people nicknamed us) or honky or whatever you don't see us getting all bent out of shape over it. Just don't use the word at all. I'm part american indian and irish….don't bitch to me about what your ancestors went through. It's horrible ya but at least they let you live…
He's completely right!
This is so ignorant. If that word had such negative connotation for so long, why in the hell do blacks insist on calling each other the N word now? I don't buy the whole argument of "you made up this word and used it negatively toward us for so many years blah blah blah, now we've taken it back blah blah blah" Does Taye Diggs know how ignorant he sounds? Elisabeth Hasselbeck has this one right!
I don't think that the "N" word has ever been truly converted to mean something that it used to. Taye Diggs and Whoopi saying that they have changed the meaning and made it their own and now it's okay to use it is wishful thinking. The word is something of the past and had a negative connotation. You can't change those feelings and associations so it should be done away with completely.
I don't think it's right to say that one race "owns" any kind of word. Period.
Not sure about you, but I DIDN'T come up with the word, nor do I USE the word to talk about black people. I get so damn tired of having black people say that white people use this term for them. Yes SOME do, just like SOME black people call white people a honkey or cracker or whatever else you can think of (but that's ok of course) but a majority of us do not use the "N" word. Give it up already. GDAMN. Times have changed. You have a black man running for office - let it go. NO ONE should be using the N WORD. I don't care who the hell you are.
I don't think anyone should use it! And this is coming from a black woman. I have NEVER used that word in my life. And I agree with Elizabeth. Why use a word amongst yourself, if it was created to bring your people down. I find it VERY offensive!
No one has the right to say it. It's demeaning for anyone to call someone that, even if it is a black person talking to another black person. Oh, and as far as it being "hard" being black, it doesn't mean they should be allowed to call each other an old name for slaves. They didn't go through slavery so why are they still acting as if they have? Get over it. It happened ages ago and they don't know the first thing about being slaves. There's no reason for black people to be calling each other it.
Re: LizCH – What? The N word was used to degrade blacks. We didn't have a choice or couldn't speak up when it was used to humiliate and demean. As far as the abortion goes, a man can present his opinion as much as he likes, but at the end of the day, it's the woman's choice. Please refrain from apeaking on subjects you know NOTHING about. Dumb ASS!!!!!!
The 'N' word is bad no matter who uses it. And Jesse Jackson happened to attend a funeral for the 'N' word not long ago in Detroit that the NAACP held. In addition to that he also got on people in the entertainment industry for using. He is a big fat hypocrite and is only jealous that Obama is successful as the first black presidential nominee and not him.
I don't like when anyone uses that word PERIOD. But if you're ignorant than the shoe fits regardless of the color of one's skin!
I hate to see black people use the "N" word cuz then white teens use it thinkin it's OK. Also, it originally was only demeaning, so why would u want to lower yourself to that? It's the same for women… why call yourself "bitches" mockingly– it is still a derogatory term. People can do what they want with the language but these words still have the derogatory meanings.
Seriously, we need to stop traveling back in time and move forward. Yes, there is still racism, hate crimes, etc. It goes in all directions. White to Black, Black to white, hispanic to white, white to asian - - If we stay in the past and keep this "we can use this word but you can't" "you don't understand, my people were slaves" etc. mentality, we are never going to completely "erase the color lines" - - - in my opinion, words like that are hateful and should not be used. BUT if you are going to use it? don't get so offended when others do to! That is being a hypocrite.
I understand what Taye is saying about it being a word only appropriate for black people. I live in a predominantly black neighborhood and I often hear my neighbors using the word "fag." How is that ok? The answer: it isn't. My feelings are that if you don't want to be called by a derogatory name, don't use them at all. People need to grow the hell up.
Re: mama – Of course "mama" agrees with Taye…The N word is a bad word in general and NO ONE should use it period. White people look like red necks when they use it and black people look unintelligent and ignorant when they use it. It's not a term of endearment like alot of black people claim. It is a word that is heinous it should be treated like the F word. Regular broadcast television choosed to bleep it out, it is offensive and should be removed from EVERYONE'S vocabulary. And by the way, this is a old and stupid debate and keeps being rehashed to keep white and black people having nasty debates that hurt everyone and get us nowhere!
Did I mention I'm white…and you n*ggers aren't!
That's just retarded. They think they can call white people derogatory names and call EACH OTHER derogatory names, yet white people can't? WTF?? Where's their logic in that???
I think that slavery ended years ago, and what happened to black people then was horrific, however, that was then and this is now. I think that the word for one thing, should be looked up in the dictionary ( it says nothing of the color of your skin). I also think that black people should take more pride in themselves and not refer to themselves as the N word. I mean if you do not respect your own race WHO WILL?
If black people don't want others saying it, then don't say it themselves to pave the way and set an example. But, they better not think that they can continue to say it publicly and in pop culture and then control what others do. The world doesn't work that way. Practice what you preach or shut up and stop complaining!