That Word

Yea, that one.

Don’t say it. Just don’t.

Dear White People:

You’re not allowed to say it.

You know what I’m talking about.

“That” word.

The one that makes us recoil in horror.

The one that triggers us to every painful instance going back to when we learned of “that” word, often very early in childhood.

The word that you may casually throw around, amongst your friends, over a beer or cocktail.

“It’s descriptive,” you explain, when confronted.

“Black people say it all the time. Why can’t I?”

“I didn’t realize that it was wrong to say it.”

Or, in the more recent form, you’ve offered apologies, citing your ignorance to what that word means, and how it makes us — Black people — feel.

But we’re onto you.

We know that you’re well aware that “that word” is a weapon, one used to remind us that in spite of all of our gains, we’re still relegated to a position that is beneath you, both figuratively and literally (#RIPGeorgeFloyd).

We get it.

You want to maintain your position of power and control.

You want to continue the White Privilege that you’ve enjoyed since you were a child.

Damn!

Why do these Black Lives Matter/Social Justice Warriors have to ruin things all the time?

We’ve told you time and time again that you are not allowed to use that word — ever.

And yet you use it with impunity. Apparently a tearful, faux mea culpa is all you need to offer to extricate yourself from the latest instance of your supposedly accidental utterances.

“My bad. Sorry!”

That’s basically the gist of your response when called out for your use of the dreaded word.

You feign ignorance, but we’re not buying it.

And you feign ignorance, but we’re not buying it.

We know that you know.

We know that you’re well aware of the power that this word yields.

We know that you use it like kryptonite to Superman, pulling it out when needed, perhaps when you’re feeling particularly fragile or insecure.

You see, there’s always someone who you can push further down to build yourself up.

It’s easy. Just say it.

Watch the object of your annoyance wilt into a painful shell of themselves. Or perhaps they’ll stand tall, dying inside from the pain.

No worries, though. You will have achieved your goal: subordination of one who had the audacity to feel, perhaps, that they were equal to you.

Good thing you put them in their place.

But I’m here to tell you — again — that you have no right to use this word.

Ever.

And yes, I get that it provides you this momentary feeling of power over one who has been subjugated well beyond their chronological years. The recipient of your verbal assault have ancestors who bore the physical and psychological brunt of the ugliness that created that word in the first place.

But we’re not talking about history. We’re talking about the here and now.

And unfortunately, in this “here and now,” that word still exists.

So if it’s not abundantly clear, I’ll try my best to make it as obvious and understandable as possible.

You are not allowed to use that word.

You shouldn’t EVER use that word.

Don’t EVER utter that word…again.