Wigger

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This article is about the English stereotype. For the Turkic people, see Uyghur.

A Wigger (alternatives: Wigga, Whigger ) is a stereotype of a Caucasian person who emulates phrases, mannerisms, and fashion commonly and stereotypically associated with Black, Caribbean, or hip-hop cultures. The stereotype of the wigger usually involves a young Caucasian person who generally knows little about the culture they are appropriating, with the exception of the music, style, and slang associated with that culture.

The term is a portmanteau combining the words "white" and "nigger", or "wannabe" and "nigger" and is thus generally considered offensive<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>. It has historically been used in a derogatory manner, though a recent minority has begun to use it as a self-identifer.

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Interpretations of the stereotype

According to James Toback, the director of Black and White, the 1950s incarnation of this concept, the white Negro, rejected his or her own "white culture", whereas the contemporary wigger embodies it:

The wiggers are the central white culture; there is no white culture that they’re countering anymore. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

This interpretation may be strengthened by the adoption of US black culture by young British Asians, who are now often the second generation to be born in the UK and therefore somewhat distant from the culture of their migrant grandparent's original country, yet do not identify fully with 'British' culture either. As a minority group, hip-hop music and ghetto culture provide a theme to identify with, although the British Asian population has faced quite different problems than those of the black population in the United States.

However, a 2004 report produced by marketing agency TRBI in the UK argues that white youth's infatuation with black culture is a form of rebellion:

... today many mainstream adults find black music and culture inaccessible and shocking. Hip-hop culture represents a genuinely rebellious voice. <ref name=Guardian1>Template:Cite news</ref>

Responses to the wigger stereotype vary. Some so-called wiggers are derided for being affluent white youths who "[try] a little bit too hard" <ref name=MSNBC1>Template:Cite news</ref> to adopt an identity at odds with their privileged upbringings. Others regard the merging of black culture into the mainstream of "white culture" as an inevitable consequence of the hold black music and urban culture have on popular culture in the West. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Celebrities and media characterization

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  • In his song "The Way I Am", Eminem describes the characterizations of him as a wigger. He claims they come from "cocky Caucasians" who think he is "some wigger who just tries to be black cause I talk with an accent, and grab on my balls." <ref>[2]</ref> Note the use of "Caucasians", suggesting that these accusations come mainly from the white community, rather than the black community.
  • The 1999 film "White Boyz" is the story of 3 rural white teens best described as wiggers.
  • The 2003 film Malibu's Most Wanted offers another satirical take on the wigger stereotype. The movie's main character, Brad Gluckman (played by Jamie Kennedy), is an upper class white male raised in Malibu, but he feels much more connected to African-American culture. [3]
  • The Canadian comedy/mockumentary Trailer Park Boys features a character named J-Roc, a white rapper who almost always speaks in ebonics. His most common phrase is "Nawmsayin'?" ("Know what I'm saying?") In the episode "Who's the Microphone Assassin?" fellow park inhabitant Sara points out that people forget J-Roc is white.
  • Chicago rapper Marz, who is of Croatian descent, is a self proclaimed wigger. In his lyrics he is sometimes quoted as saying "I'm a wigger with an attitude", and has an Internet-released single called "Wigger Crown", which features such lyrics as "If 50 Cent can go after Jigga and Nas/ I'ma go after the wigger crown/ ya'll gone feel me now". The song is clearly stating that Marz thinks he will take Eminem's place as most prominent Caucasian rapper.
  • WWE Champion John Cena, who is fast becoming one of the industry's most controversial men, is considered a wigger. He rose to prominence by rapping during shows, and released his own album, You Can't See Me. He also wears what is considered a generic Hip-hop attire of baseball cap, basketball shirt, short jeans (as opposed to traditional wrestling tights), and sneakers. It is partly because of this (and also partly because of his questionable work-rate) that he gets possibly the most reaction out of every wrestler in the WWE today.
  • In the 1989 song "No One's Leaving," Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell sings: "Whites call each other brother and sis/Count me in 'cause I been missed," aptly describing the search for identity that often compels white youth to adopt stereotypical black mannerisms. In the same song, Farrell describes himself as a "white dread," invoking the image of an Afro-Caribbean "Rasta."
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References

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See also

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External links

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