The N-Word: Past Meaning and Contemporary Questions One thing we
have discussed in class has captured my attention due to recent
events on campus. We have talked about the evolution of morality
and the evolution of language as separate entities, but we have
not discussed the evolution, or lack thereof, of tabooed words.
But have these words themselves evolved, or have we just evolved
around their static position? I would like to specifically look
at the word “nigger”. I am going to focus on the evolution of
the word, or our evolution around the word, and discuss whether
its meaning comes from the evolution of the word itself, or
whether it has remained the same, hurtful word throughout the
history of the United States. I would finally like to study how
contemporary university events relate to the potential un-
evolution of this word, how staff and students have dealt with
the complexity and heaviness of the word, and how we as students
can promote safe college spaces through the understanding of its
“evolution