Wrong Label

            I am an African American, or at the very least that is my ethnicity on legal documents. My social life, on the other hand, tells an entirely different story. Social media, nowadays, seems to be very lenient when it comes down to incorporating stereotypes and terms associated with said stereotypes in into its various forms, such as television, music, movies, etc. Terms such as “black”, “African”, and especially the infamous “nigga” are now used to identify those who are African American. Although the origins of such terms came from the age of slavery in the U.S., it is astonishing how such a racist term that was created in the 1700s could still be used in modern day society, and be used in such a way that is acceptable to society. Although all of these terms are disrespectful and inappropriate, in some shape or form, they have affected me socially. To have such racist terms and stereotypes be used by and against both adults and teenagers, some of which aren’t even African American, is ignorance in itself. Some African Americans in this day in age, especially high school students, have been affected so much to the pint that they have been conformed to live by these stereotypes. However not all African Americans live by such stereotypes, I included. Call me whatever you want, but at the end of the day I am an African American and should be treated as such.

            The term “nigga” was first used negatively during the age of slavery within the U.S., and is still used negatively to this day as a sort of medium in society. It is a term that can be used in two ways: as a friendly jester or as an insult to an African American. The Boondocks provide an example of the term in use when one of the main characters, named Huey Freeman, describes a conflict between two African Americans as a “nigga moment”. He defines it as a moment where ignorance overwhelms the mind of an otherwise logical African American, causing him to act in a self-destructive manner. To have such a term be defined in such a way as a conflict between two individuals, can define them as arrogant and unprofessional. Due to the high popularity of The Boondocks, many people found it to be more socially acceptable to label African American men and women to be “ignorant”. But this initial thought is false. Being an African American does not label me as ignorant, nor does it make me unprofessional.

            Social media seems to be surprisingly tolerant to the practice of incorporating racial stereotypes to its media. Through music, television, and social networks, the term “nigga” quickly rose to popularity with people quickly knowing the term and use it to some degree in a stereotypical manner. For example, the typical stereotype that African American eat nothing but fried chicken. Some people believe that this stereotype originated from an episode of The Boondocks called “The Fried Chicken Flu”, where there was a scene where a large group of African Americans losing their temper and starting a full scale riot simply because a restaurant ran out of chicken.  This stereotype is entirely inaccurate, because one is making a stereotyping an entire ethnicity to a single food item that anyone can enjoy. Yes we do enjoy having something as delectable to eat as chicken, but that is not necessarily all that we eat. What we choose to have comes from our own individual preferences, not only concerning food, but various other things in the world. Yes I do like to eat chicken, but not to a point as to where that is all I will eat.

            “Nigga” is such a widely acceptable term that the whole world has become adapted to using it. Because of how much the term is used in social media, people everywhere are going to here and learn this word. This has also caused the term, like Ginger, to be a more “poke and play” term to most. However, ironically, most African Americans consider the term to be offensive and racist when a person of a different ethnicity uses the word. Eddie Griffin, a comedian, makes a statement saying that only an African American can use the word “nigga”. His reasoning behind such a statement was that since white people never had to experience slavery from a slaves perspective and have had to endure racial hardships ever since the 1700s, they do not reserve the right to use the term. While I do understand his reason behind his belief, ultimately I would have to agree and disagree with his reason. Simply put it is true that white people never had to experienced slavery or racial segregation from our point of view, but you must also take in account that no African Americans in this day in age has had to go through the  trials and tribulations that our ancestors had to live through. Taking that into consideration, do we even reserve the right to use such vulgar language?

            All and all, ignorance nowadays seems to run through the minds of all people in the world. African Americans have had it rough for the longest time now, and it seems as though we will continue to go through such trials. With racial stereotypes of how African Americans live and what they do floating around, it has become increasingly difficult for an African American to live a normal life without having to conform to the racial stereotypes. Personally I value the fact that I was born in an age where African Americans no longer have to experienced forced labor and racial segregation, but I still feel sympathy for those who have, and I also feel prideful and give respect to those who have fought to make a difference. Having to live with today’s typical stereotypes is merely one of life’s many challenges for each and every one of us. The fact of the matter is, society wants to label all of us and from the womb of said labels it gives births to the stereotypes that come along with it. If you are going to label me, then label me as an African American, not black, African, or even a nigga.