The n-word: Who can Say it, who shouldn’t, and why is important by Jabari Asim analyzes the historical and cultural background of the n-word. It introduces these studies by detailing the African American threat to white dominance and the end goal of “large-scale black exportation.” The founding fathers had initially removed them from the threshold of social hierarchy, and the Declaration of Independence. Web Du Bois outlines the divide between whites and blacks through the “color line”, and the concept that white people “depended not simply on economic exploitation but on a racial folklore grounded on centuries of instinct, habit, and thought and implemented by the conditioned reflex of the visible color.” The book details this idea of folklore, and how the n-word enhanced these ideas of white supremacy and black inferiority. The power of the n-word is describe as the “war of words” as it is the motive of white supremacy, enabled race disparities to emerge, and has continued this battle to this day. The word is the center of all volatile exchanges, and it conveys it through such a uniquely strong force. According to henry Lloyd, “history is condensed in the catchwords of the people,” and this highlights the n-word and it’s role in the language of both white and black people historically speaking. Words like “coon” and “buck” have been replaced by more politically correct works like “inner city” and culturally disadvantaged”, however, the n-word is continually used to enforce the idea of white supremacy. It is also interesting to analyze that younger African Americans still use the word in order to describe themselves. The book questions whether they are removing the word’s power to harm, or giving into to the word.
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