There are some things that I am almost embarrassed to admit exist on the internet but, I can’t deny that they do. A new website called, get this, niggaspace.com, was launched a short while back.

By name alone, it is already sparking controversy.

It is modeled after the popular MySpace.com and its slogan is, “A place fo’ niggas”.

What’s even more interesting is that, on a recent radio interview, the site’s proprietor, “Tyrone”, refused to identify his race. Now, he may be black (still no pass from me) but, my suspicions are aroused.

However, Dr. Francis Cress Welsing, author of The Isis Papers (a must-read, in my opinion) provides some great perspective on this issue:

When it is used by black people, it is an indication that they do not understand the system of racism/white supremacy, according to Welsing, where the word evolved from.

Welsing compared Black people calling themselves “niggas” to the Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological response to being held captive. As a defensive mechanism, the captives develop loyalty for their captors, according to Welsing. This is parallel to the relationship between Blacks and Whites, Welsing said.

“It is essential for Black people to understand the system that is oppressing them,” Welsing said.

Needless to say, while the site has some 10,000 members, I will not be one of them.

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