Is it now socially acceptable to utter the N-word in polite company?

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Or is it still an emotionally-charged epithet inclined to inflame passions. Does it depend on whether the user is African-American? And is there a difference between "nigger" and "nigga"? These are the sort of questions addressed in The N-Word, a compelling documentary by Todd Larkins which takes a serious look at one of the most controversial and corrosive words in the English lexicon. (Released today!)

To his credit, the director allows dozens of people, both luminaries and Average Joes, to weigh-in on the incendiary subject, some of whom freely admit that they have already incorporated the epithet into their everyday lexicon. In general, it appears that age plays a part in whether one is offended, with older folks like jazz legend Quincy Jones, shrink Dr. Alvin Poussaint, wordsmith John McWhorter, and social commentator Stanley Crouch saying that there remains some unfortunate cultural baggage undeniably attached to it.

At the other extreme, we find the Hip-Hop Generation led by rap mogul Russell Simmons arguing that "Being a nigger is a good paying job," and indicating that it’s too late to put the genie back into the bottle. Considerable support is supplied for this contention, such as scenes showing how numerous non-blacks have adopted the N-word as a term of endearment.

Nonetheless, it is the African-American elders and intellectuals who ultimately make the more persuasive case, here, such as Crouch who dismisses the distinction between "nigger" and "nigga" as nonsensical. He goes on to criticize gangsta rap’s embrace of the slur, since "the fact that perhaps 100 black people have become millionaires through denigrating material doesn’t outweigh the negative impact it has had on American society and the image of black people."