Despite the fact that well-educated people use the correct terms in communicating with people of a different race, they still have enough offensive nicknames : Muscovites, Katsapy, Ukrainians, Bulbashs, etc. Although they cannot be compared to such a well-known “insult” in a word, like niggaz. And where did this word come from? Why does it so offend the representatives of the black race? And does it have other meanings? Few people know the answers to these questions. Let's try to understand the topic.
Why can black people be called blacks?
For quite some time now, African Americans have negatively perceived even the neutral word “Negro,” considering it racism. In fact, the semantics of this lexical unit has logical roots. Translated from Spanish, “negro” is “black color”. From time immemorial so-called people of the Negroid race. In journalism, representatives of the capoid race - Bushmen and Hottentots - fell under this definition. And in Russia this term is called black mulatto.
Who are niggas and how did the term evolve?
It is not surprising that such a convenient term is used in scientific vocabulary and many abbreviations. In Spanish-speaking countries, the word "negro" is the only possible designation of black, so the manifestation of political correctness here seems somewhat absurd. In the Netherlands and Flanders, the Dutch word “neger” may be criticized, but not officially politically incorrect. But note that in the dictionaries there is a note that the term is perceived by some individuals as offensive.
In European languages in the 17th century, words with a similar sound appear on the wave of colonialism. So, in Latin, the term "niger" appeared. How to determine who the niggas are and what is wrong with this word? The word “niger” has the same meaning, it’s just an emphasis on the black color of the skin, so there’s nothing offensive here. But after the collapse of colonialism in the second half of the 20th century, the official use of the term sharply decreased, it turned mainly into vulgar speech. Note that in the USA the term was supplanted by the word “black”, and in France - “african”. The terms «nigger», «nigga» remained in the English colloquial dialogue and ironically used by the blacks, and from the lips of Europeans considered insulting and racist.
Why in some countries are black people wary?
In Russia, the situation is somewhat different, because even today representatives of the Negroid race are considered exotic, despite the fact that a stream of African students has poured here from the middle of the last century. Perhaps outdated views are explained by too deep rooting of traditions, a negative perception of mixed marriages and a denial of everything unusual. Concerning our main theme, we note that the majority of black people originated from the Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries, namely, Cuba, Angola and Mozambique, where the word "nigger" or "nigga" is not offensive. In Russian, the term "niggers" and has no negative linguistic coloring, which is not the United States, where it is used as an insulting name black.
In general, the meaning of the word depends on the emotional coloring and context of the phrase. The times of slavery are still fresh in the memory of the black population, when the word "niggas" meant "slaves." Although this fact is not accurate, after all, representatives of all nationalities, with any skin color, fell into slavery. Thus, there is no reliable information about who these niggas are and who was called that word. Nevertheless, dark-skinned inhabitants of the planet seek to remove this term from everyday life, associating it with renegades and outcasts of society. Gradually, the practice of abandoning the use of an offensive nickname is becoming more widespread, and in the United States representatives of the black race are honorably called African-Americans. Latin America also prefers to replace the term niger. The meaning of the word here does not offend the population, but when communicating with residents of other countries, another concept is used - “prieto”. Under the influence of the Spanish Brazilian media support the tendency to use the term "black".
Recently, such a designation of black people as black Africans has been increasingly used. This is especially observed in the Roman-speaking countries of the Mediterranean basin, which are in close contact with the North African countries, where the density of the Arab, Berber and Negro populations is very high. Such a term makes it possible to single out an exclusively Negro element from the mixed population of African countries .
What does the law say?
Not so long ago, the Federal Court considered the topic of the use of the word “Niger” by one African American in relation to another in order to express love and appreciation. The court ruled that the use of such an expression has a negative meaning, regardless of context. The judges tried to determine who the niggas were, and whether the head of the recruitment agency was obliged to pay compensation to his black employee for calling her such a term. The case was decided in favor of the injured party, but double standards were set regarding the use of the word “niggas” . When whites use it, this is an insult, but blacks can harmlessly succumb to each other.
In conclusion, I want to note that Niger is a truly ambiguous word, which, in addition to skin color and nationality, also calls a full-flowing river, the third largest after the Nile and Congo. It is also a state in West Africa. Therefore, remember when you hear the expression “niger”: the meaning of a word can be different, and to understand the phrase, you should focus on the context.