by T.A. Niles

Created on: April 26, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Shortly after the Michael Richards "n-word" uproar, I read a column in the News-Press (a Fort Myers, Florida daily) by Leonard Pitts, a Miami Herald columnist of African descent, entitled: "Richards wakes black people to N-word hate." In the column Pitts asserts that if you are "black" and you use the word "nigger" or "nigga" that means you hate yourself and, of course, every other person of African descent. In addition, in reference to the word "nigger," he writes, "...this word still hates us." Can a word hate? In any event, he was responding to the incident where Michael Richards, former stand-up comic wannabe, laced his response to hecklers with the word "nigger." I had intended to script a short, comical, tongue in cheek response to this entire episode, but reading this column prompted me to

take it just a tad further.

In this response, I'll address three elements of Mr. Pitts' column that I find questionable: 1) His contention that if you are of African descent and use the terms "nigger" or "nigga," then you hate yourself and the entire group of people who are of African descent; 2) the use of his access to the public forum to demean those who hold a perspective different from his, in a manner similar to those who use the term "nigger" in attempts to demean people of African descent; and 3) his use of the socially acceptable and disingenuous "N-word" substitute for the term "nigger."

Regarding the self hatred element, I don't use the terms "nigger" in public discourse because I know that it would be offensive to others, and I would have no reason to use it in private, unless it was to refer to someone else's use of the term. I don't use the term "nigga," because I don't happen to move in circles where that term is used as a matter of course. Were I a part, and/or interacting with members, of a culture wherein the term "nigga" is used affectionately, or as a term equivalent to "person," I would have no problem using the term.

I don't think I would hate myself or anyone else anymore than I do now if I did use the term. It seems rather absurd to me to contend that merely using a word that represents a derogatory manner of referring to a group to which you ostensibly belong constitutes self-hatred. But then, I'm sure Mr. Pitts and I have different definitions of hatred. It seems to me more "hateful" to try to force your interpretations of a word on others as opposed to accepting their interpretations of the same word.

There are many who hold a perspective different

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