So You Want to Talk About Race

Chapter 9 focuses on the power of words, specifically, the n-word, a term with a long history of oppression. Derived from the Latin noun niger (black), the n-word was eventually attached to slaves in the US. By 1700, it was used predominantly as an expression of hate toward Black people. Oluo argues that the word remains problematic because the effects of this history are still with us. The n-word dehumanizes people of color by conjuring slavery and lynchings. By contrast, the pejorative “cracker” does not hold the same power because it is not rooted in a history of racial oppression.

White people, no matter how well-meaning, cannot use the n-word without also invoking its history and reinforcing their privilege. Oluo argues that those who do so are jumping the gun: “A lot of people want to skip ahead to the finish line of racial harmony […] to a place where all wounds are healed and the past is laid to rest” (141). However, words only lose their power when their impact is no longer felt. Using racially taboo language should remain off-limits to White people so long as the impact of systemic racism continues to threaten the lives of Black people.