Racism regarding the n-word is something I've been heavily interested in due to personal experiences from years ago that till this day makes me cringe, uncomfortable and ashamed of how 13yo me used to be. Thread incoming: https://twitter.com/themojocarter/status/1247065742526353408

I have a few 'theories' as to why people use the n-word, the main 2 will be about ignorance so let's start off with those (English is not my native language so my apologies for any grammatical mistakes)

Theory 1: ignorance (on purpose)
Before we start off i want to say that ignorance is never an excuse for racist behavior.

When a person is ignorant on purpose it means they know that what they're doing/saying is considered racist.

A lot of times these people use the sames excuses:
1. I don't say it to black people, only my non-black friends
2. It's just a word, if they can say it so can i
3. I'm not racist, i have black friends
4. My black friends told me it's okay for me to say it.

All of these excuses are straight up shit. I don't care if your black friends told you they don't mind you using it, it's still a racial slur. No matter the how you use it.

If you are purposefully ignorant you are automatically being racist period. Even if you do not use the n-word in a degrading/insulting manner. You know the history behind it, you know the meaning, you know you shouldn't be using it and depsite all of that you still keep using it.

Theory 2: ignorance (innocent)
This type of ignorance does not automatically make you racist however your actions are still considered racist.

When alot of well known people talk about their past regarding the n-word they mention were they grew up and the people around them.

50% of the time it's being used as an excuse however the other 50% it's a genuine reason. I'm gonna be doing something that I'm honestly not comfortable with but i feel like this it's a good way to give people an understanding on why people use the excuse of 'where i grew up'.

Personal story: i grew up always watching movies with Will Smith, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence playing in them. The n-word was something i heard quite often during some of their movies. It was always used as a way to greet someone or in a similar way as calling someone bro...

Or homie or buddy. My cousin and his friends also used the n-word when greeting eachother or calling eachother. This automatically made me at a young age believe that the n-word was just another way of saying bro/homie/sis

(Btw: as a kid it never clicked to me that almost all people around me who used the n-word were black people)

At age 12 to 14 i also started using the n-word with my small friend group. I had easy access to the internet at the time but i never felt the need to look up the meaning of the n-word because like i already mentioned, i thought it was another way of saying bro.

However my ignorance regarding the n-word very quickly changed when one day i was shopping with my -around that time- best friend and a friend of hers we met along the way. My best friend was black and her friend was white. I casually said the n-word and the white guy gave me a..

Weird look. My best friend then told him we always use it. Because the white friend gave me a weird look that day i went onto google and did a quick search. Once i finally educated myself on the meaning of the word i immediately stopped using it and apologized to my best friend.

Was what i did/said racist despite the circumstances? Definitely. Was i myself an actual racist on purpose? No.

What I'm trying to say with my story is that people can learn from their mistakes and change. However if you genuinely want to show that you've changed you have to proof it. An apology in wich you still kinda hide what you did doesn't work. You have to own it and just give us...

The unfiltered truth, somethinge Jeffree Star did not do in his apology video. He tried his best not to mention the use of the n-word
(I do however believe that he was being genuine in his apology, but then again there's more stuff recently popping up about him)

Wich brings us to the final part of this thread:

Flat out RACISM

I don't have to explain this one at all. When you use racial slurs for comedy purposes (Shane Dawson, hi blackface how are ya?) Or you use racial slurs to insult someone you're being racist. Examples:

Everyone has said/done things in the past that they aren't proud of. Who we were 2 years ago is not who we currently are. Homophobia can be cured, transphobia can be cured. Racism can be cured. The problem with people who had a racist past is that most of the time they don't

Actively show that they've changed. They think putting out an apology is enough. If you want us to believe that you've truly changed you should show it.

'Our problem is your problem'

Okay this thread is kinda all over the place and it probably doesn't really make any sense but I've really enjoyed making it because despite me being a white-passing Asian i have also experienced discrimination and Racism (although not directly towards me) and the worst thing...

Of all is that what I've experienced is only 10% of what black people experience every single day.

Segregation was not that crazy long ago and there is still a lot of racism in this world. If none of use actively do something about it nothing's gonna change.

That was it. Big thanks to everyone who read thru all of it wich is probably only gonna be 2 people