the american anti-nigga

"“The Negro is America's metaphor." - Richard Wright

I've never been one to buy into the whole black people vs. niggas debate, mainly because I refuse to embrace the Western mentality that deems certain people acceptable, and others unacceptable. It's always been my belief that, we're either all black people, or all niggas. And because I know I'm not a nigga, I have to assert that all of those who belong to my racial class must be black people. And the same way certain black people have become educated and have attained a certain amount of economic stability, with the right opportunity, and with hard work, other black people can achieve that same lifestyle. That said, there are many who disagree. Many black people will tell you, "what's truly f*cking up black America are niggas". Now here's where it gets tricky. When white people call us "nigger", the words associated with the term are "lazy, black, dumb, poor"....nigger! Yet, when black people call other black people "nigga", the words associated with the term are, "lazy, ghetto, dumb, trifling, dangerous".....nigga! Hmmm, not so different huh? Well, in 2007, not only are black people still trying to prove they aren't "niggers" to white people, more and more, they are trying to prove they aren't "niggas" to other black people, which has created a brand new "nigga". It's created what I like to call, the American anti-nigga.

I know you're wondering, what exactly is the American anti-nigga. Well, it's simple. An anti-nigga is a black person who has gone out of their way to distinguish themselves from those people America deems as "niggers" or "niggas". The distinctions can be seen through education, dress, economics, social status, zip code, etc. I know you may be thinking, "what black person doesn't do that on some level." And you're right. Just by being the kind of people we want to be, we create distinctions between ourselves, and the kind of people we don't want to be. However, with anti-niggas, there's more to it. Anti-niggas distinguish themselves not only by who they embrace, but who they don't. For instance, whereas people we tend to call "wannabes" or "oreos" embrace whiteness, anti-niggas actually embrace blackness. They just shun what they consider niggas and nigga-isms. Take hip hop for example. An anti-nigga may be a true hip hop head, but the portion of the culture they embrace will be a very specific portion they deem "acceptable". See, anti-niggas have an elevated sense of what their brand of blackness is. And in their eyes, that brand of blackness is specific to a small group of black people, and is in no way inclusive to black people they view as niggas.

As a kid, I grew up across the street from an anti-nigga. She was actually really nice to me, which makes perfect sense now. She was nice to my family and I because (drumroll).....she didn't consider us "niggas". So she'd bake us cookies. She'd get our mail when we were out of town. And sometimes when my parents were working, we'd even stay over her house for a few hours. All in all, she was a great neighbor. But out of all that kindness, what I remember most about her is, she HATED niggas. This lady used to drive like a half an hour to this white supermarket when there were literally two brand new supermarkets within blocks of our house. According to her, "too many niggas be up there", which happens to be a very anti-nigga thing to say. I also remember how she used to favor me over some of my friends on the block. We'd all be out there playing in front of the house, and she'd call me over. "Hey sweetie, tell them little niggas to quit throwing that ball in front of my house." Out of everybody who lived on our block, I think she only found five families "acceptable". Everyone else were "them niggas". Mind you, as a kid, I grew up around the word "nigga", so that part was nothing new. Heard it all the time. But even as a child, I could always tell the difference in the connotation of the word, some people meaning "us niggas", and other people meaning "them niggas". "Them niggas" always stung. It felt like self-racism, or self hate on a whole other level. And that terminology was also a dead give away for an anti-nigga. But over the years, I've also noticed the words have changed. Instead of "them niggas", anti-niggas publicly say things like, "ghetto" or "your people". The words have changed, but the elitist tone in their voices remains the same.

"I love niggas, I love niggas, I love niggas, because niggas are me" - Umar Bin Hassan

To be honest, I actually know a lot of anti-niggas. Some feel their rebellious political stance makes them the best of black folk. I call these people revolutionary anti-niggas. Others hang their elitism on money or education. I call these people bougie anti-niggas. Some think the side of town they were born on makes them better, I call them territorial anti-niggas. While many just believe they are fundmentally better than other black people for no other reason than, they just are. No matter what you call them, what connects them is their belief that certain black people are niggas, and for whatever reason, they aren't. That's a belief I can't help but to consider fundamentally wrong. Yes, there are problems with black people. A lot of problems. But they are OUR problems. All of ours. The same way we all can claim the positive things black people do, we ALL must accept and claim the negative things black people do. And instead of drawing a line in the sand that says, these people who are uneducated, ignorant, poor, who committ crimes, are niggas-- we must say, these people represent the potential to be as great as the greatest black person. So let's help them become that instead of writing them off! To all you anti-niggas out there, I have a better name for you. Try, anti-black. Anti-love. Anti-humanity. No matter how great you think you are, the same ignorance you use to label your own people as niggas, will undoubltedly be used against you by some other race, to label you the EXACT SAME THING! One luv.