Wow, and you think I am the sensitive one...
But please tell me, how has that word been redefined?
It is, and always has been a derogatory term. When did that change?
Black people, mostly men, have always used the word nigg*r among each other in a non-derogatory way, sort of synonymously with, "brother."
Sometime in the 1990's, when using the word in that fraternal way, they started changing the "er" at the end to "a," and calling each other, "nigga."
Does it seem to you like the 50,000+ white people screaming, "my nigga," in this video are using it in a derogatory way?
No, right? That was 1999.
Since then, the non-derogatory use of the word, "nigga," has spread to other cultures.
Where I live, if you go to a watch a high school football practice, this is what you will hear:
Blacks use the word nigga
constantly among each other. The meaning can change depending on the context and their tone of voice, but it's basically just a way of addressing each other. It's used more or less the same way you would use dude, man or bro. "My nigga" means my friend, my boy, my homie, my brother, etc.
Most Latins also use the word nigga among each other, almost as much as blacks but not quite. They use it the same way as blacks.
Blacks and Latins use the word back and forth between each other, but not as frequently as they use it among each other. Blacks call Latins nigga a little more often than the other way around, but they do use it inter-racially.
Latins never call black players nigga in a derogatory way, as a slur. Even if they say something like, "you a b*tch ass nigga," it's only the b*tch ass part that's supposed to be derogatory.
If there are no blacks around, a lot of white players call each other nigga too, in the same fraternal way as the others.
If there are Latins and whites together but no blacks, they call each other nigga fairly liberally.
Blacks sometimes call white players nigga, and when they do, the white players are appreciative. They take it as a compliment. It means they are accepted.
If a black player says to a white one, "you a REAL nigga," he walks away beaming.
Whites are hesitant to call blacks nigga, though. That's the least common inter-racial use of the word.
A white will address a black as nigga only if the black does it first, and even then, whites do it sparingly. But "nigga" is never used by whites as a derogatory racial slur.
Ironically, without the "er" on the end, the modified version of the word has basically come full circle from the original. Blacks used to feel insulted when called that by whites, and now whites feel respected when called that by blacks.
With all that said, Latins and whites do occasionally use the original version of the word, with the "er" ending, as a derogatory slur toward blacks. It's mainly when they are talking sh*t about certain black players who are not around at the time. If they want to be insulting to their faces, they use other, non-racial pejorative words.
Hope that answers your question.
