How do you guys feel about the use of the N-Word in GTA V?

As a European I find it very peculiar, that the average Caucasian American cringes, when ever they hear the N-word. But that it's common practice within the Afro American society. You would think that if they find so offensive, they wouldn't use it themselves.

I'm not black and don't know how people from that background or part of the world behave in real life so I have no real opinion on it

The N-word only bothers white people who want to fake outrage so they can seem socially conscious and important.

African Americans took the word back, thus stripping it of its power, and they have used it to replace the word "brother."

It's their word now to use as they see fit.

So stop faking outrage over the N-word and find something better to do with your time.

Except that they consider only black people have the right to use it and get all outraged when white people use it.
so no the power hasn't been taken power is taken away when its no longer used.

@BluRayHiDef: A little mixed I guess. I don't think it's used inappropriately or overly unrealistically considering the characters. They make it very explicit that the way that it's used has different meanings. One of the FIB agents calls someone that and it's very obviously meant to be an insult but when Franklin or Lamar uses it, it's very much used in the same way that one might say "brother". And I'm not really against that.

To be fair, I do also think that at least some consideration was put in to the use of the word as a symbol of economic class and education level. This isn't really all that different from how Michael or Trevor spell things terribly when they send text messages.

I feel like the N word is just a word like any other swear word now. Even black people I have known don't take offense to me saying it if I joke with them. We are way past that time.

I use it everyday so I'm pretty used to it.

I didn't care in truth, but Franklin and Lamar were 2 of the few characters I liked in the game.

The word has no affect on me unless someone says it to my face. Then it is what it is.

Why are people afraid to type nigger? It's just a word. Grow some hair on your chest for Christ sake and lets get back to system wars material stuff. No one should user the word but at the same time sites shouldn't ban it either. What are we children. I hate when website (moderate) you or what ever for saying a sensitive word. It's a load of crap. Makes me want to start a gamer site that does not hold back what people want to say.

It was fine. I love Lamar's liberal use of the word.

That's the thing, typing "n-word" is really no different, everyone knows what you mean and how you mean it in its own context, and even people say it in their head when reading the 'cover-up' word. so yeah, I agree, just say it if you're gonna say something that means it.

Doesn't bother me at all, I hear it quite often and use it quite often everyday.

Though I do get annoyed when Rockstar uses the word just to use it.

White people don't get angry if u call them white, Asians dont get angry if u call them brown or small eyes.. Why black people get angry if u call them black?

Media being media basically. Dunno why you go into GTA thinking you're gonna get clean vocabulary.

... and equal rights for women.

My take on the matter is that Americans are too sensitive. I had an american friend in Italy spending holidays with me. We were at a pastry shop and there were some choco pastries called "Obama"

She was almost shocked, saying that in the USA such thing wouldn't be possible and that would be considered offensive.

So, the same thing applies when you guys get shocked by the n-word, and I think you should really take it easy, cause no one is offending you.

When I call a white, pale person "mozzarella", they won't get offended, it's the same exact thing. So, please, stop playing the victims.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest

Nuff said.

Out of the 5 black people I regularly interacts with at work (2 male, 3 female), 5 of them say drop n-bombs very frequently. We work in the food area of a hospital. They say them loudly and without caution to small children.

One of my really good friends (black) uses it very frequently.

4 out of 4 of the black kids that rode on my school bus three years ago (middle school students, where my hs and its equivalent ms were connected) said the n word every day multiple times within the 10 minutes I was with them.

I am pretty sure every black rapper uses it in every song.

I hear it used in (non-Tyler Perry) movies with multiple black people very often.

Coming from someone who is not racist and has multiple friends who are black, black people tend to use the n word frequently. GTA did nothing wrong. Black actors, black characters. Nothing wrong with it, besides the fact that it is a degrading word, it is a word often used by black people.

Wtf is up with all the "GTAV Racist?" threads?

@aia89 said:

My take on the matter is that Americans are too sensitive. I had an american friend in Italy spending holidays with me. We were at a pastry shop and there were some choco pastries called "Obama"

She was almost shocked, saying that in the USA such thing wouldn't be possible and that would be considered offensive.

So, the same thing applies when you guys get shocked by the n-word, and I think you should really take it easy, cause no one is offending you.

When I call a white, pale person "mozzarella", they won't get offended, it's the same exact thing. So, please, stop playing the victims.

In Sweden there's a pastry literally called niggerball. Or used to be I guess, evolved society happened sometime during the 90's. Don't know what the origin story of the name is, but somehow I doubt it wasn't malicious and racist initially. But from whenever in the dark ages that occurred, the name stopped carrying any real meaning to the population in general as the name was passed to new generations. It was no longer meant to be offensive or anything, it was just the name of a thing. But of course that doesn't stop it from still actually being offensive, racist and malicious. People who didn't grow up here don't know the backstory for the stupid name. They just hear "niggerball" and go like "The ****?", like you might've done, and things become all awkward and alienating from there. And it's just a pastry name, I think our culture can survive changing it in the name of greater good. Now they're chocolate balls, which is still pretty sexy.

Anyway, calling someone mozzarella and calling someone a nigger, is not the exact same thing, at all. The ****? Maybe I read it wrong. I am pretty tired.

What the hell are we even talking about in this thread anyway? Was it about games at some point?

It doesn't bother me.

I love it

Honestly, it doesn't offend me at all. The dialogue represents only a certain aspect of Black culture, and shouldn't be seen by anyone as definitive of how all of us talk. It's just like how Trevor talks, he certainly doesn't sound like all White people, it's just the type of character that fits with this game. Franklin and Lamar are the same: great characters for a game about "running the streets".

@WilliamRLBaker: Changing the definition of the word is power. Otherwise it still exists for whites to use against them. The word is never going away. What can change is who uses it and for what purposes. If blacks stopped saying it, whites would pick it up again, so what's the point?

i use it all the time but by god i bought the getto boys albums and i am going to sing along with them so there.

I feel it's not really used that much to make that much difference.

Nope. It's part of the gangster culture in which these characters were portrayed in. It'd be silly if it were any other way.

I dont really care. Real african american use it too and i dont care.

The tv show Boondocks has been a terrible influence on me. Nyaaaaaagaaah!