If you do not know who Beauton Gilbow is, she is the house mom of SAE on the OU campus. The same Greek organization that has been banned from that university this past week. She was interviewed about that whole ordeal and said "I feel like the rugs been pulled out from under me ya know. This has been my life for the past 15 years and it's tough. I thought they made it up on the bus. I've never heard that song before". Being that Gilbow is an old lady, it would be practical to assume she was sincere with those comments on the incident. However, due to this video of her, it's harder to believe her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qM8vl_lDdY&feature=player_embedded
In this circumstance, being a white old lady works against her. She put out a statement after this video appeared online, saying she was "singing along to a Trinidad [James] song" and stated how "the video must appear in the context of the events that occurred..." Now once she mentioned Trinidad, most people probably are letting out a long "oh" while remembering that infamous line "don't believe me just watch, nigga, nigga, nigga" recited by the rapper. This makes you realize she probably was just reciting lyrics, though I don't hear the song playing in the background, and that doesn't necessarily make it ok.
William Bruce James II is a black SAE member who knows Gilbow as Momma B. When asked if she was being racist in that video his answer was "I believe she thinks she wasn't being racist". Although he continues to say that no one should be using that word, he knows Momma B shouldn't ever say it. White people who say the word don't think they're being racist when they say it. The thing is they are being racist because this word derived from their racist ancestors. This word has been adapted into black culture and still many black people are discomforted by the word. So what in their right mind thinks they're allowed to use it if some black people wouldn't dare say it? Why would they want to? As Andrew Schulz and every white guy on "Guy Code" said "just don't say it, white people. It's just one of those things." And "just one of those things" equates to racial slurs that are still uttered in a hateful tone; so if you prefer not to seem racist, it's best to just refrain from using it. And I want all white people to look at Gilbow as an example. She's an example of what can happen to a white persons image by not being sensitive to that derogative term.
Also, white people need to not question what black people do with the word. There's offensive terms for every race, but we don't use them on a national scale just because it's in a song or joke. It's not a black person's responsibility to answer the question "well if they hate the word so much why do they use it?" This word was invented out of white hate so however black people reinvent the word is their concern.
Whether or not the would should be used at all is another conversation, but when white people use it it's looks bad. The thing is more times then not they are using it to be offensive, as were their elders.
So please, white people, just leave "nigga" alone. There are countless other words in the English language. Leave the hateful one be!
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