The power of words

Nigger.

One word.

It carries such power.

It can offend a whole race.

It is a trigger to a memory of years of hate and anguish.

I listen to a lot of rap music.

They use the word. A lot.

The majority of artists in rap music are black.

So, why do they use a word that carries such hate?

Because they have changed the nature of the word.

They have taken everything bad about the word, and made it something good.

A nigger is a friend.

Listen to any number of rap albums to see what I’m saying.

People give words power.

But, the people also have the power to change how a word is used.

How can a black man be offended by being called a nigger, if there is no power in it.

It’s like firing an empty gun.

Nigger is the one of the most powerful words in the history of language.

Perhaps, no longer.