Living Out Loud with Darian

I'm sure we're all aware of the overwhelming popularity of the social networking site myspace.com . I'm addicted to myspace and I'm constantly checking my messages and updating my profile . Originally I joined the site strictly for entertainment but it has turned into a very valuable networking tool.

So imagine how shocked and offended I was when I learned that someone had taken the myspace concept and created niggaspace , "a place for niggas".

With the current racial climate in our country at a boiling level due to the irresponsible and racist behavior of Seinfeld actor
Michael Richards, the usage of the N word has once again become the topic for heated debates across the country.

What I want to know is why in the hell would anyone create this site much less join? The creator calls himself Tyrone( Tom's black ghetto brother) and he writes this disclaimer on the site:

This site is in no way meant to be racist.

A common endearing term used by many black people is, "nigga" not to be confused with a different and offensive term, "nigger". The word, "nigga" is in rap songs, daily conversations, on TV, etc. yet the word still has so much mixed emotions attached. One of my intentions is for this word to no longer have such mixed emotions. Part of my intention for this site is for the word nigga to embody images of brotherhood, and fraternity rather than images of ignorance and hate.

How great would it be, if the mixed emotions that this word carries along with it, were stripped down to something more positive? Only positive.

Of course there are going to be two sides to this, but just know that intentions are noble. So create an account, and start the revolution!

-Tyrone

Although his intentions may be good it still does not take away from the fact that the history that is attached to the N word is a painful one that conjures up images of lynchings, beatings, fire hoses, dog attacks, and years of Jim Crow after slavery ended.

It's unfortunate that in the black community a word that dehumanized our people for centuries is now considered a term of endearment and is almost an unspoken requirement in hip-hop music if you want a platinum album.

I'm not completely off the hook, I've used the word in conversation before but I must say that it's a word that I'm determined to remove from my vocabulary. We should be focused on uplifting one another and not using the word from "masa's" mouth that was meant to kill our spirit and make us feel inferior.

I can just imagine Tyrone sitting on the front porch with his boys on a Friday, bored, with nothing to do and then all of a sudden he says, "I think I'll create nigga space, after all niggas need a space too". Tyrone we need to talk.