>The ferocity of this word is
>still there. Imagine being in
>public place with a mix
>of cultures, and you (in
>cosmopolitan mode) hearing a pair
>of brothers toss "nigga" back
>and forth. Whether or not
>you condone it...doesn't the room
>seem a little more tense?

When you walk into a room of white people and cough loudly dont you feel that same tension? Again I dispute the idea that we should conduct ourselves in a fashion that is somehow approved of by the people around us.

Why should I live by how they see me- Fuck who they think we are they have a hard enough time admitting who they are to themselves.

>I'm not saying that Black isn't
>prevalent. But Black is a
>color...it has no historical reference.
>The question remains...why endear "nigger"
>when it was used so
>maliciously?? Are we still trying
>to erase the scars?

I beg to differ- I dont think alot of you realize that the ternm Black extended way beyond any signifier of race or color. It was a movement, evoking terms like Nation time, and Black Power, and Black Pride- it brought us such movements as the Black panther party and had james tellin us to say it loud - "IM BLACK AND IM PROUD", "Black is Beautiful". Anybody remember the afro pics with teh Black fist- how bout the one where the handles were red BLACK and green.

Please understand that there is a great deal of history signified by the term Black. The Black nationalist flag itself is Red Black and Green- certainly you're all aware of what the Black stands for.


K