By Miles Jaye
James Baldwin declared “I Am NOT Your Negro.” He credited the word niggah to White people and suggested the term was devised to satisfy their need for such a word or type. In a 1968 interview, Baldwin told talk show host Dick Cavett and his guest, Paul Weiss, a philosophy professor, “The years I lived in Paris did one thing for me…it released me from a particular social terror that is not the paranoia of my own mind, but a real social danger that is visible on the face of every cop, every boss, everybody.” A particular social terror? A real social danger? Could this be White niggahs?
After watching the assault on the Capitol for the twentieth time, it occurred to me that what I was witnessing were actions typically credited to Black people—niggahs, but these were White people. Niggahs are known to riot, loot, and vandalize property, but these were White folk. Was I watching White niggahs tearing up the Capitol? I decided to take a trip down the proverbial rabbit hole to see if I could find out more about it. White niggahs—that is…if there really is such a thing.
Comedian Chris Rock tells a joke suggesting there are two types of Black people, Blacks and niggahs. “Every time Black people get together to have some fun, niggahs eff it up.” Hilarious, and perhaps true to an extent, however, wholly unfair and a disservice to African Americans. After returning from a tour of the Motherland, Richard Pryor announced, somewhat emotionally, there are no niggahs in Africa. That may also be only partially true. Certainly, to the extent that human beings inhabit the Motherland, there is very likely some niggerishness going on.
At any rate, Pryor was so moved by the experience he pledged to stop using the term. I would offer this for consideration. Perhaps niggah is a condition, a reaction to conditions, a state of mind, rather than a group or individual. There is no niggah; there is only niggah mood or attitude—a behavior—nigganess, niggarish. That explained much of what I saw watching the insurrection. Those niggahs were pissed that someone stole their election and threatened to steal their country and they weren’t having it. They were willing to burn the place down or blow it up before they let it be ripped from their grasp. Sound familiar? In the early hours of the riot, newscasters used terms such as protesters, and demonstrators. As the evening wore on, I could sense they were aching to say; “Look at those niggahs.”
The behavior of the mob perfectly matched any riot or riotous behavior I had ever seen. Looting and vandalism is not exclusive to Black people, it’s universal. Vandals, by the way, were early Germanic people. At any rate, revisit protests from around the world, China, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, S. America, and notice what they all have in common—niggahness. Ever see a soccer stadium riot? Once we understand and accept that there are niggahs everywhere, we’ll find ourselves far less sensitive to the mere sound of the word. Someone tricked us into taking ownership of it—don’t.
When an individual reacts violently or lashes out angrily, and seemingly irrationally, the behavior should be characterized as niggarish with no association to race, creed, nationality or color. It doesn’t make them niggahs, just mad, fed up, angry with their circumstances. Road rage is not a Black thing, but it is niggarish. I admittedly have been guilty of overreacting, behaving in a far less than thoughtful manner, using far less than sophisticated language, but I’m not now, nor will I ever be a niggah. That was worth the trip down the rabbit hole. I’m satisfied now knowing there are White niggahs! Now let’s make it official.
Track them niggahs down and lock their a…up. We burn down a convenience store and a cop car and the National Guard is deployed. Them, (yes, I said them) niggahs, brought guns and pipe bombs, and were ready to start a war and you couldn’t find a dozen cops standing side by side. I suppose White Supremacy extends to their niggahs too.
We’ll talk about them niggahs scaling the walls, hand over hand, like Ninja or Dracula or the Devil himself next time. I think I’ll call it… Demonocracy.
That’s what’s on my mind!
Website: www.milesjaye.net
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