REUTERS

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City symbolically banned use of the word nigger on Wednesday, the latest step in a campaign that hopes to expunge the most vile of racial slurs from hip hop music and television.

The City Council unanimously declared a moratorium that carries no penalty but aims to stop youth from casually using the word, considered by most Americans to be the most offensive in the English language.

The New York City measure follows similar resolutions this month by the New York state assembly and state senate, and supporters of the ban are taking their campaign to The Recording Academy, asking it not to nominate musicians for Grammy awards if they use the word in their lyrics.

Many rap artists and young New Yorkers toss the word around as a term of endearment or as a substitute for black, angering some black leaders who consider those who use it as ignorant of the word's hate-filled history in slavery and segregation.

"This could be the beginning of a movement," councilman Albert Vann said.

Councilman Leroy Comrie, a sponsor of the moratorium, said the campaign against the word has gained strength since comedian Michael Richards spewed it in a racially charged tirade in Los Angeles. The Laugh Factory club where Richards performed has since banned comedians from using the word there and the former "Seinfeld" television star has apologized.

"The Michael Richards incident really brought it to another level. It has forced people to express their outrage. Many people had been seething quietly," Comrie said. Comrie also asked TV network Black Entertainment Television to stop using the word in its shows. Representatives of BET did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Grammy spokesman said he doubted the academy's 11,000 voting members would support any measure that might censor artists. "They are not going to be supportive of something that excludes someone simply because they are using a word that is offensive," said Ron Roecker, vice president of communication for the Recording Academy.

The city resolution calling for the moratorium traces the etymology of the word from the Latin "niger," meaning black, to its first documented written use in 1786 as a term slave masters used to label their African slaves.

Use of the word by blacks exploded with the rise of rap music in recent years, and some black comedians like Chris Rock continue to use it in their routines.

"What, is there a fine? Am I going to get a ticket?" Rock mocked in a Reuters interview when asked about the City Council move. "Do judges say, '10 years, nigger!"' Rock said politicians were trying to divert attention from real problems: "Enough real bad things happen in this city to worry about how I am going to use the word."

Well, tell me what exactly do you want me to explain and clarify, and I will do so to the best of my abilities. Instead, all you do is just !@#$%^&*] at me because I decided to post my opinion, naturally nothing's going to get explained.

I don't know what you need to clarify. You said I didn't let you clarify/explain your thoughts. I can only respond to what is posted on the board.

On topic: I'm not a big fan of the N-word. Or the F-word. Or the other F-word. In any context. Anytime.

In response to the actual banning:

Nice idea, but rather insignificant when it comes to broader racial issues because these days, racial slurs don't come outright.

I don't understand how the city can do this without violating the 1st Ammendment.

As horrible as the word is to say, isn't it an American's right to say it? If words like faggot, b*tch, spick, chink, honkey, cracker, towel-head, etc. aren't being banned, why is that word?

I don't understand how the city can do this without violating the 1st Ammendment.

As horrible as the word is to say, isn't it an American's right to say it? If words like faggot, b*tch, spick, chink, honkey, cracker, towel-head, etc. aren't being banned, why is that word?

It's not enforceable, so in essence it means absolutely nothing.

Sure it's their right to say it. Why they'd want to say it is beyond me. The reason why it's being "banned" is two-fold. One to tell the community to stop using it so that the white community won't (like that's REALLY going to happen ), the second is to work harder for racial equality . Now, keep in mind, it's taken the US this long to even somewhat acknowledge that there's a race relations issue between the black and white community. Getting the other minority groups involved would REALLY send them in a tailspin.

It's not enforceable, so in essence it means absolutely nothing.

Sure it's their right to say it. Why they'd want to say it is beyond me. The reason why it's being "banned" is two-fold. One to tell the community to stop using it so that the white community won't (like that's REALLY going to happen ), the second is to work harder for racial equality . Now, keep in mind, it's taken the US this long to even somewhat acknowledge that there's a race relations issue between the black and white community. Getting the other minority groups involved would REALLY send them in a tailspin.

You keep saying that the reason is to make it so that the white community doesn't use the word. No one needs to say it, black or white. Not all white people desire to use the word. It's just hypocritical for blacks to tell whites not to say it one minute, and then walk down the street and greet a friend by saying, "What's up, my nigga?" And don't even give me the shpil about there's a difference between "-er" and "-a." I don't buy that garbage. The word is the word. Period.

You keep saying that the reason is to make it so that the white community doesn't use the word. No one needs to say it, black or white. Not all white people desire to use the word. It's just hypocritical for blacks to tell whites not to say it one minute, and then walk down the street and greet a friend by saying, "What's up, my nigga?" And don't even give me the shpil about there's a difference between "-er" and "-a." I don't buy that garbage. The word is the word. Period.

1. I hate it when anyone uses it, period. I don't buy the "-er" vs. "-a" either. I do not use it, nor do I care to use it.

2. That being said, the gist is that if the black community gets its act together internally, that in turn will tell the white community to stop doing it too. The problem is that the the white community is going to do whatever it wants regardless of what the black community does because the use of the word is just one small detail of an over all bigger problem. What good is it when one white person stops using the n-word, but then turns around to attend a party in blackface or says something like "Oh, well you're not REALLY black"? The mentality is still there and banning the use of the n-word isn't going to change that.