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Open Poetry #50
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The N Word
| Open Poetry #50 |
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The N Word |
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Lori Grosser Rhoden Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202Fair to middlin' of nowhere 
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The N Word is alive and well. It flies out of the mouths of our youth, who think they soften the blow by changing that r to an a. Like a change of vowel can change their history of degradation. The N word is alive and well. It lives in the hearts of too many whites who believe they are superior by breeding. Silly how they assume they had a hand in choosing the skin that they were born in. These days they must be thinking that those N Words are getting uppity again and all the N Word lovers are butting in. “Shoot ‘em all, the N Words and all that’s with them.” Too bad that N Word has stolen their sight so they can’t see that ship has sailed. LGR(C)6/7/20 |
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Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL |
I don't know if it's any worse here than anywhere else, but I live in the south and I've heard it since birth. Sadly, I don't think such ridiculousness will ever change, but that doesn't mean that people should back down from fighting for it. It occurred to me that I should clarify that I'm talking about the use of the word. "Maybe that's the way I should go Straight into the mouth of the unknown" Shinedown [This message has been edited by Temptress (06-08-2020 07:49 PM).] |
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Lori Grosser Rhoden Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202Fair to middlin' of nowhere |
For me that word is the culmination of slavery, bigotry and oppression. It makes me cringe. ~L |
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Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL |
Me too, Lori. It's disgusting.
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Paul Wilson
since 2002-07-07
Posts 4711United States |
Lori...I wonder how whites would feel if the rolls were reversed. Enough said...Paul ~~To share my poems with you is to share my heart with you~~ |
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Lori Grosser Rhoden Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202Fair to middlin' of nowhere |
Paul, I think you are on to something.I have always felt bigotry was based on fear. I think that fear of role reversal is deep seated and ingrained into the subconscious. ~L |
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CarolineToo Junior Member
since 2018-07-22
Posts 17Florida |
Raised in the south by a mama & daddy who didn't allow the N word to be used in our house or anywhere else. We were brought up that we ain't better than anybody else and nobody else is better than us, we're all equal no matter what color we are or where we came from. Had one of us used a racial slur we'd have had a bar of soap all up in our mouth, and Daddy would have had his belt ready. My mama did not abide that talk from anyone. |
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Lori Grosser Rhoden Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202Fair to middlin' of nowhere |
Caroline Too, It was like a swear word at my house if heard, When I was older and learned about slavery and the Civil Rights I understood why. ~L |
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Michael
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666California |
Lori, I am very happy to see awareness coming to this issue, I hope it proves to be the source of the change needed that is long overdue. In high school I learned of Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat on the bus. In my head, I convinced myself that such segregative practices were ancient history. Soon afterwards, I came to see how wrong that assessment was. While visiting a friend in Mississippi some years later, I walked up behind a person of color in line at the grocery store. She stepped aside so I could get in front of her. Of course I did not, but that’s not the point. That she thought she had to at all I found utterly shocking. That was my eye-opener. In this life, I have seen many cases of segregation and racism, and the people who purport them feel more and more powerful when congregated into groups…but you are so right in bringing up this one particular term. This term, when used in a household directly influences a child. Not sure where this little story fits in here but I feel the need to speak it. This happened while I and my siblings were still very young kids and our parents were in a bowling league. We spent those nights romping the entire bowling alley as if our parents owned it. I remember playing at the bowling bowl racks one night. While I was there I looked up and there was a little boy there, a person of color, prolly about my age, about 6 or 7 feet away from me. We made eye contact for 4 or 5 seconds, neither of us saying a word. Then he dropped his eyes, turned around and walked away. More went through my mind in those few seconds than I could ever put to paper. I remember my first emotion being an “oh crap!” type of fear. This was the first person of color I had ever seen, and I “knew” they were bad and that they would hurt you. How this belief had already been instilled in me at this age I have no idea, especially when I had never even seen one before, but it was there. I remember assessing him, trying to determine age, and specific differences in myself him and finding very few. We both had on dirty pants and t-shirts, we about the same height, and held the same tentative demeanor. I remember the depth of his eyes. He was searching mine as well. I wanted to speak and I believe he did too but neither of us did. As he walked away alone, as I stood there alone, I remember the instant regret and shame I felt. I could have made a friend and didn’t, the point whether we ever would see each other past that night being 100% inconsequential. I had heard the term “prejudice” before but that was the night I actually understood what it was and how it affects people. That is where my shame came from, trying to imagine what that boy must have thought of me as he walked away…that I was too good to ask him to play with me, my more than evident fear of him. Would I be the reason he grew up thinking white people think they are better? The one thing I am sure is he feared me just as much as I feared him, and that's pretty damn sad. After that I took note of every prejudice statement in our house, in our school, on t.v. The lines ran deep and most people, even Christians who think they are above it, are affected. We had plenty offered us in our own home, sadly. :/ So long as we are brought up to fear cultural differences, we don’t stand a chance Michael |
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