Niggardly: Controversy in Language and Racial Relations
In actuality, niggardly means stingy or tightfisted. “What a niggardly person-- he'd rather save the crumbs from his sandwich than feed it to the pigeons.” Or to put it in a wisecrack manner: “That man is so niggardly, he wouldn't even pay attention.” The etymology of the word niggardly isn't even from the same league as the other 'n-word.' The n-word can be traced from the latin word niger which means 'black.' Niggardly on the other hand, originates from the old Norse word nigla meaning “petty; making a fuss over unimportant matters.” However, despite the irrelevance of one word from the other, phonetic similarities prevail, especially when incorrectly interpreted.
The word first drew attention when a white man named David Howard used the term 'niggardly' to describe a situation with the budget in a public report. A black colleague member interpreted the word as an indirect racist slight and filed a complaint against Mr. Howard,. Due to the controversy this minor detail created, Howard resorted to resigning from his post, as aid to then Washington D.C. Mayor, a black man named Anthony Williams.
This incident was the beginning of a series of unfortunate events all centered towards the incorrect impression the word has on black people, whether the speaker is being willfully ambiguous about it or merely using the word as the modifier that it really is.
Another incident led to the public reprimand of an elementary teacher, named Stephanie Bell, who used the word 'niggardly' to explain the characteristics of literary characters. She was told to be undergo sensitivity training for her mistake. Granted, she apologized for her alleged insensitivity, but she remained steadfast in her opinion that children shouldn't remain ignorant of the word, because when they encounter the word in the future, they should know what they are reading.
As the word generated more controversy, its usage fluctuated from those who use if for ambiguous, malicious intent, to those who politely decline from using it in the company of black people. Some defend the continued use of the word, accusing the blacks of being hypersensitive and censoring language for a “niggardly” cause. Others, like the Dallas Daily Newspapers, banned the use of the word, to avoid complaints from black readers.
Public defense of a word is tantamount to being careful in using it. It is fine if we see no wrong in using the word 'niggardly' in a sentence, even in front of blacks, but truth be told, we'd rather avoid getting into trouble.