Did anyone catch this today? Oprah was talking about the use of the "N" word in Hip-Hop songs and how disgusting she thought it was. Jay-Z was sitting there with egg on his face, looking really stupid and dumb-founded.

I saw it and I completely disagree with Jay Z's justfication of using the word. I don't believe that they took the "power" out of it because if the wrong person says it to them, then it becomes hurtful or provokes anger. Rappers and street people use it in a different way, but it's still the same word.

kitbradley said:

actually I think that's just his face...

His laugh trips me out...he sound like something from Looney Tunes

BklynBabe said:

Tee-hee!!! I think you're right.

godyssey said:

OMG!!!!! Thank you soooo much for this post. I have said the same thing for years. I never understood the whole argument of "We call each other that word to take the power out of it". Or in Jay-Z's words, "we HAVE taken the power out of it". The power HAS NOT been taken out of that word because most Black people I know would get upset if a non-black person called them that word. Until a black person can casually be called that word by the white cashier at the grocery store, or the Indian sales person at the shoe store, or the Hispanic nurse in the hospital, and not get upset about it, that word STILL has power.

I have been in situations where that word was said by a non-black, where the non-black was CLEARLY not meaning it in a derogatory way, and all of the Black people in the room got upset. And said that she meant it in a racist way because she wasn't Black....which was a STUPID argument.

Quite simply, it is a bad habit that many of us do not want to put effort into not saying, so we come up with excuses, regardless of how ridiculous they are, in order to justify continuing the bad habit. That word is poison and cannot be contained.

I hate to preach but my spiritual belief teaches me "Death and life is in the power of the tongue". In my spiritual guide, the Bible, there is example, after example, after example, of God changing people's NAMES. Why would almighty God do something as simple as changing someone's name. He did so because the names people call themselves and the names people allow others to call them, are very important and set's things into motion spiritually. IMO, many of the issues in our community are spiritually connected to calling each other that 'N word', so much over a long period of time. IMO, despite the intention, we have unknowingly spoken into existence the very essence of the meaning of that word over our people.

what's up my negus

godyssey said:

This is a bullshit excuse by Jay-Z if I ever heard one.


He can claim to diminish the power of the word by 'reclaiming' it all he wants, but if some white dude yelled 'Yo n@gga!!", I doubt the impact would be ...erm.. diminished.


I agree with Oprah on this one.

When did Black people start calling themselve the N-word. People would say it mean ignorant. But does that mean all Black people are ignorant. Because the whole Hey "Nigga" What Up "Nigga" just doesn't make sense to me. We just say it now because it been pass down. It now a slang for whatever reason but when a white person say it it reminds us that it's a bad word.

godyssey said:

The man could have at least come up with his own explanation or justification and not "borrow" Richard Pryors.

kitbradley said:

Not in defense of either, but that isn't exactly what happened.

The subject was how rap music has changed racism in America. She said that Jay-Z was quoted (and he expounded a bit on this) that music is what brings people to the clubs. It's not a black or white or whatever club, it's just a club, and if the music is there, then everyone is hearing it. Everyone shares the love of it, even if it's rap.

Oprah address him using the N word in his music. She stated she thought it was wrong. She stated she's a child of the civil rights movement, and the N word invokes pictures in her brain of men being lynched, people beaten, etc.

Jay-Z said that he felt rap music, and the black community presumably, has taken a word that was ugly and had horrible meaning behind it and changed it into a term of endearment, and took the power out of it. He said, "We can't go taking words out of the dictionary, because they'll just put another in there that means the same thing." He had a point, but not every word is as bad as the N word.

Oprah disagreed. There was a bit of back and forth. Oprah said "Well, I disagree. So we agree to disagree." Jay-Z agreed. He wasn't going to try and prove his point of using the N word in his music to Oprah, her audience, or anyone. He's used it, and he will continue to. Oprah will continue to disagree with it, and they did agree to disagree, and they moved on.

The whole thing lasted about 3 minutes at most.

Flowerpower said:

And there are stupid white people in the world that will drop the N word like it's nothing. Then they'll say "Well they call each other that." Yes, AND YOU'RE NOT BLACK EITHER!!!! And most white folks will say "ER" on the end, not "A", like a black person would. Not that EITHER is fine by me, because neither is, to me. Frankly, black people using it only gives white people another excuse to use it. There's still a huge amount of racism in this world, and the N word by blacks or white isn't helping matters.

I don't buy the "taking the power back" bullshit. It's never worked with "bitch", and it sure won't work with the N word. Sure some chicks refer to themselves as a bitch, but it's still no big compliment. Meredith Brooks did her best to make it a regular word, but the fact is, like the N word, it'll always have a negative connotation to it.

I liked Whoopi Goldberg's response to the N word the best: "I'm not one, and I've never met one or know any."

ernestsewell said:

I agreed with you and Whoopi.

ernestsewell said:

im white my self but everyttime someone uses the word , its just a matter of bad taste and disrespect imo. its not a nice word in anyway

im black and I don't use/like the N word that was a horrible word that was used to degrade our ancestors and to see black people calling each other that is just ignorance to me

ernestsewell said:

Imago said:

kitbradley said:

I didn't see it, but any rapper who uses the N word in their "songs" should know that going on the Oprah show is just a set up for criticism. If he looked dumbfounded, that's his bad because he should have prepared himself to defend his use of the offending word. On the other hand, the use of the N word by black Americans is a street thing, naturally it will offend Oprah and others of her ilk. Personally I don't think these "artists" have a right to be offended when a white person calls them the N word when they call themselves the same thing and record it for millions of people of all races to hear.

ernestsewell said:

Here are some clips for reference, folks. Hope they work...

This thread went way off the rails....

It was a good segment...but I was all about the Striesand segment. 67 years old and still looks and sounds flawless!

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

I couldn't find the third segment, I admit I was really looking for Barbara when I found these