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This word originated during the American slave era and was created through a combination of negro, the Latin word for black, and Nigeria where certain slaves hailed from. Due to illiteracy being rampant during that period in America, foreign words were misspelled, mispronounced, and changed due to the slang of different areas, these words morphed into the commonly known word today. It is now mostly used by the very race that claims to abhor its use by other races. It’s a “I can say it, but you can’t” situation. The reality is the word is kept in the modern vernacular due to it being used so commonly in music such as rap, and Hollywood stars in movies and such. The modern spelling variation, nigga, is used instead of the historical version with members of the black race claiming its somehow more acceptable, but in reality it is no different. Young people from other races use the modern variation regularly because they feel it’s a part of pop culture and perfectly okay to say. Mix those attitudes with the casual use of racist terms like pinky, cracker or “cracka”, that are used as a derogatory towards whites, and it creates an environment of ignorance where young people just don’t understand the history or pain these words can cause. Until personal responsibility wins out over ignorance and self entitlement, these words will continue to be used.
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