Students talk about use of the 'n-word'

Sophomore Derrick Puckett loved the presentation he attended Monday evening, but the program can only be as good as people make it, he said.\n"People like to say stuff but don't act on it," he said. "Are we going to do something about it? If we talk but don't do anything about it, then it should just stop here."\nIn Wright Formal Lounge Monday evening, a program titled "The 'N-word': UNWRAPPED" sponsored by the CommUNITY Education Program presented the question, "What's so funny about the 'n-word?'" Eric Love, director of diversity education also was present to facilitate discussion.\nThe program aimed to encourage discussion about the "n-word" in comedy and society, said Brittany Gause, a CommUNITY Educator in Collins Living and Learning Center.\nThroughout the discussion, clips from various comedians who used the "n-word," were shown in an attempt to focus on what society makes of the word and its daily use.\n"You are allowed to laugh," Gause said.\nA Chappelle's Show clip was shown where host Dave Chappelle questioned who came up with the word "nigga" and how it was decided.\nAfter the clip was shown, the CommUNITY Educators explained how the "n-word" originated, from the Greek word "necro," meaning dead, and then from "negro," the Spanish word for black. \nIn addition, the presentation detailed how the word can be seen as a term of endearment, or as meaning brother or friend. But the connotation of the word can either be meant as positive or negative. \nFreshman Tiffany Fick said that sometimes, when a person is called something repeatedly, such as being called a "fat kid," the negative term sticks with the person. She related this example to the "n-word."\nAmong other thoughts that circulated discussed how black people use the "n-word" to take power away from the white people who use the words, in a way to "flip the hands of power."\nSophomore Keith Waak, said that the use of the "n-word" is a way to become revolutionized. Similarly, the gay community uses the term "fag" more and more as a way to decentralize the word, he said.\nHowever, not every race can use the word, Waak said. Love said that there is a difference between intercultural communication and intra-culture communication. \nThere are jokes, he said, that are appropriate within a group as opposed to outside the group, where a word like the "n-word" will appear negative. \n"This is never going to go away," sophomore Evan Lewers said. "We are never going to understand the interethnic language whether it is black or Jewish culture. There are going to be people who accept and don't, there is no real reason even if you asked why people use the word, no one really knows."\nFick said that she decided not to say the word at all, and if someone says it to her, she tells them not to say it to her.\nIn addition, senior Todd Hewell said the he is Polish, but he does not want to be called a "Polack" and he doesn't want to use the term against others either.\nAn audience member said that white people with black friends who say the word, may slip up and say the "n-word" because they are around those who say it.\n"Don't get mad if you say it and other people do, if you don't want people to say it, don't say it," the male audience member said. \nFick said she feels the word should not be used period. \n"I am a black educated woman," she said. "And that's what I want to be seen as"