Why is it ok for a black person to call another a nigga but if a white says it to a black people get offended.
551346
because when they say it they are joking but other times it can be viewed as racism
1020606
Many people are instantly offended when this question is asked, even in the most respectful way from a curious mind.  So now instead of getting information on your question people are attacking you for asking the question.  This is why this question and the word in fact remains a taboo, because most people will not talk about it openly with another race and automatically take offense to the inquiry.  \n\nI don't know why any race would refer to themselves with an offensive word or term.  But in the same sense a word only has the power to offend you when you allow it.  And in reference to this word it carries so much meaning historically, and not in a good sense, that Americans as a culture should make the decision to omit the word from our vocabularies.
859811
It's basically saying "I can but you can't". If you make separate rules for yourself than you are playing the hypocrite. It's the same as when black people use the N word.
418553
Why can I call my girlfriend ugly, or an idiot, and she thinks it funny, but if someone else says it she'd probably be offended and cry?\n\nAh, probably because the ways it's said, the meaning behind it, the sharing of feeling behind it.\n\nI think a black person is right to be offended when a person of ANY other race says that.  If they wish to use that term as a word of kinship and sharing amongst themselves, great.. but from anyone else it still is truly a word of disrespect.
353476
The answer is that it is not ok. An average black person is as racist as a KKK member, and their language, attitudes, and actions are remarkably similar. Black people find strength and affirmation in their own racial identity by being offensive to people whom they perceive as the eternal aggressors, which is completely false. Africans, Arabs, and Asians pillaged and enslaved Europe without pity or cessation for hundreds of years.
331971
In this day of age, white people can be made fun in the public eye but black people can't be made fun of because they claim prejudce. Poking fun is harmless in most circumstances. Like on the Kings of Comedy, they make fun of white all the time, but if the Kings were white men making jokes about blacks, they'd be sued. It's not fair. \nTo your question: it all depends on the person. I don't know who's more racist and I don't care. Other white ppl may not care, blacks may not care either or Hispanics or anyone. It depends on the person and maturity level.
186350
alright people listen up..i've read a couple of the responses to this question and i came to this conclusion.  the word "nigger" only has negitive meaning because we give it this meaning,  not to say it is ever accepable to use this word for it's originally intended purpose(to degrade, insult and characterize based on skin color)it's not "your" word if your black just like cracker isn't a white people only word.  THEY ARE JUST WORDS and until our society can get passed these words of ignorance there will always be problems with race.  i'm a "nigger" & a "cracker" and so are all of us.  so i urge all of you to quit using these old words and lets think of a word that discribes us all...\n.....maybe something like "human"\n\nP.S. I think its real funny that the word nigger won't show up on the board but "cracker" will.(thats a double standard)
992850
The "n" word is derogatory. People may use it as a term of endearment because they are ignorant - which further supports the fact that the "n" word is derogatory and negative in meaning. Those who choose to use it are foolish and fool themselves into thinking that it's a cool thing to say. For all of the hundreds of years of abuse that black people endured, it seems to me to be a slap in the face our black ancestors, for people, especially blacks, to now support the use of the word amongst themselves.
678309
I'm not black and I think that is very offensive even if it is not directed towards me.It is just an ignorant word that ignorant people use in my opinion.
794230
Yup, they surely are mastah, but not as quickly as you.\n\nWhich "black people" are you looking at?  The constant parade of crackheads, welfare, ghetto, perpetually incarated streoptypical black person as portrayed by our great media or are you looking at the fastest growing middle class in Americanada?\n\nAre you looking at Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and Barak Obama?\n\nAs far as the so called "N" word is concerned, black people can call each other whatever they want in whatever manner they want just as other people and cultures refer to each other using outwardly negative terms but between friends is understood as something else.  \n\nDon't get me wrong, a black person using the "N" word for the same reason and effect as anyone else is just as wrong.  The difference is in who can use a term such as the "N" word in a neutral or positive way.  If you happen to be white, and your name happens to Eminem, and your close friends happen to be Dr Dre, 50 cents, and the rest of the "posse" then you can do it because the understanding exists that the intent is not to wound.  And it's all about the intent.\n\nNow if you happen to be just an acquaintance or it's a first time intro, then I would not suggest greeting a black person with, "what's up my n*gga?" you might get in a bit of trouble.\n\nNow judging from the conversations I have had with my friends, some white people are not mad about black people using the "N" word, they are mad that they cannot liberally use it.  They cannot parse that the word could be anything but a derogatory slur...or maybe they can and feel that they can wiled the power of the word judiciously.  \n\nI still say what I have always said, I invite any person who is not black to use the word at their discretion when speaking to black people.  As you're walking down the street, feel free to say, "hello N*gger, nice day isn't it?"
108516
I'm black and I see nothing wrong with being proud to be white or black.  You should be proud of who you are.  But yes, it is a double standard in society.  I think that if more whites did not worry about being politically correct and say what you feel, sooner or later blacks would just "get over it".  But since we rarely hear whites show their pride, it's received the wrong way.  Any type of racial double standards are based on our own ignorance.
12904
a derogatory word becomes offensive only when it is intended to be offensive.  This is why, I believe, "nigger" can be used by african-americans, but not by whites.  This is why my african-american student Antoine could call my white student Grace "my nigger", but Grace would have a more difficult time calling Antoine "my nigger"\nIt's all about context, connotations, and sensitivity (or insensitivity) to feelings.\nThis is also why this program turned the "n" word into a series of asterisks, rather than allowing my original post to go unedited.  The word is too commonly used in an offensive way, so even though I'm not trying to be offensive, it still won't let me use the word.
575009
Calling someone names who offends you is just a way of admitting that you are less intelligent then that person.  This seems to be the common attack lately of the intellectually lazy and morally corrupt.  No matter how crackpot their idea, they claim that because it came from them they have some sort of divine right to be correct all the time.  Just ignore them, they will go away when they see something shiny or decide to be offended by the next thing that talk radio tells them to be offended by.
561719
Because most of the are afraid to get their ass kicked!!! If you say that word around a black person and you are white you will get beat the hell up that is why they don't say in front of us!!!! That word holds a hurtful meaning and a terrible pain of a past that we as African Americans had. It was made up to make us feel less and made to be less. It is very disrespectful to use that word around blacks if you are white, alot of people know this and use it when blacks are not around knowing that it is sensitive and hurtful to us but then claim to love and enjoy our company.. most of the time I have a sixth sense to racism and will know if someone is really not feeling me...\n\n\nI just came back and read what Bronson wrote and you have a serious problem, You can not blame everything on the other races.Let me drop some real knowledge on your ass.. I see that you wrote that blacks in your neighborhood hate whites okay well the door swings both ways just leave each other alone, all that mess you wrote about Jews and MLK you have to be out your mind!!! Martin Luther King Jr. was for the civil rights of black people thus called the civil rights movement. He was not a racist and did not hate whites, hell they even marched with him. So where do you get off saying this mess? You sound like you are rasict Bronson and you need to get some serious help, yes ANY race is wrong if you use rascist words and act as if you are better than others. But keep it real europeans(whites) took africans from their home land, pushed the indains out and took land from the hispanic people, placed japense in camps. So if you really want to place the blame look at what your anestors have done and what some people are still doing. Don't point the blame until you know... now I love everybody if you are good to me but you must know the TRUTH so you will be set free. Take care Bronson....
601154
You don't say specifically in what ways you might be over-reacting but I'm assuming your offended by the perceived racial connotations of their statements. Have you asked what they mean when they say this to you? \nAnyway, if the statements are intended to imply some racial slant then yes, you have every right to be offended.
312212
Your question is a strange one. Are you asking because you want to get in on calling blacks niggers?\n\nI can only tell you why it's not ok for me. First, the word is offensive and was created and used by bigots as a means to express their hatred toward blacks and destroy their esteem. The person using it is assuming a position of superiority over the person that they are directing it to. Second, there is no way to use the word nigger lovingly. To use it is to tell the other person that they are subhuman, the lowest, dirtiest, most worthless piece of crap that you have ever laid eyes on. There is no racial slur that can compete with it.\n\nTo use it as a white person is to subscribe to hatred. To use it as a black person shows profound ignorance (of the history and meaning of the word). Imagine kids who were born to a single mother. She resents the kids and calls them bastards all the time and beats them. Then one day the kids all get out of this bad situation and grow up to have kids of their own, and grandkids, and so on. Three generations later, all of the members of this big, extended family refer to each other as "bastard".  They adopted the hateful slur that was used by their oppressor in order to destroy their esteem to define themselves - anyone in their right mind would think that they were crazy.\n\nIf you hate black people, think they are scum, and believe you are superior to them, by all means, use the word nigger.
950581
yes it is hypocrisy. you are right.some say that we took the word from whites to take the control of our identity as black americans.i use the word.i use those other words too.this is the real killer, in private there are still white folks that call blacks, the n-word.and there are black folks that call white people, whatever it is we say in private.i think that he is lucky that the black folks in the audience did kick his azz.i'm not saying any of those words are right all i know is we have to live with people and sometimes people say the craziest things.i would not stand up in a room full of white people and say derogatory things, because i would not want the shoe to be on the other foot. and im with you his career is totally over.