One Word

Isn’t it amazing how powerful one word can be? One, correctly used, word has the power to ruin your day and lower your self-esteem. We are taught, growing up, that sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt us. That is one of the biggest lies ever told to us by our parents. Words hurt like hell. Talk show host have made entire careers based on bring people onto their shows who had been hurt by the words people used against them while growing up. Words scar your emotional psyche and live with you forever (ask you local psychologist or physiatrist). Words have power!

Below is a list of, one word, epithet that people have used to put other people down through out time. (This is all I could come up with off the top of my head. Can you think of any others?)

Nigger.Bitch.Ho.Ape.AssHole.Dickhead.Punk.Fag.Queer.Chink.Coconut.Oreo.Coon.Banana.Jigaboo.Cracker.Cunt.Prick.Mick.Monkey.Pickaninny.Redneck.Spic,Wetback.Spook.Dike.Peckerwood.Gringo.Pig.Moke.Blackie.Nappy.Motherfucker.Whitey.Fish.Breeder.Beaner.Brillohead.Buckwheat.Dawg.Cuz.Fatass.Hog.Geek.Nerd.Gook.Jap.Jungle-Bunny.Cow.Retard.Dummy.Stupid.Dumbass.Bastard.Rice-Paddy.Nappy-neck.Shadow.Slantey-eye’d.Cottonpicker.Wanker.WAP.Wigger.Wegro.

This posting came to me while I was sleeping, prior to going to work Friday night. I actually woke up with tears in my eyes, but I could not remember the exact details of the dream. All I know is that it was disturbing enough to wake me from my slumber and prompt me to write the posting. You might have notice that among the list of hurtful epithets I have shown the words “Cuz” and “Dawg”. Cuz and Dawg? Those are not hurtful words. Those are terms of endearment that one black person uses to great another. Yeah, right.

Okay, here is my theory. And is just my theory, so don’t go jumping down my throat, although I would appreciate comments on it. Here goes…some of you may be old enough to remember when black men use to address each other as brothers, when they greeted one another in the streets. Sometime down the line it became trendy to address one another as “Cuz” (short for Cousin). How interesting that such a close term as brother, for who could be closer to you than your brother, was broken down to a more distant relative such as a cousin. Than later still the term “Dawg” was worked into the vernacular.

Dawg? Really? Are you kidding me?

So we went from being each others brothers to cousins to Dawgs (Dog, a mangy, animal in the streets). Is there any wonder that black on black crime became so prevalent in our communities? It’s like we began to unconsciously deprogram ourselves from being close knit family units, living the dream, to seeing each other as four legged animals that we can take or leave. Is there any wonder how we got back to Nigger, the most degrading term that a white person could call us? A term that use to be a fighting word.
It is my contention that growing up you would never have contemplated killing your brother, but maybe you could fathom knocking off your cousin, if you had too (I mean if push came to shove…it’s not like he’s your brother). But who would think twice about killing a dog, you see them as road kill all the time one place or another…and a nigger…well hell, can I get a rope?

Just a thought. You know me, I just have…..
One Man’s Opinion. Peace, my brothers and sisters.