News Analysis

Pimp My Space

Race-centered Web site reveals stereotypes, double standards

By Christopher Page
From the February 2007 Print Edition

            With the success of MySpace and Facebook, online community sites have been growing in popularity. While most of them are open to anyone with computer access and an e-mail address, some of them are targeted to a specific audience. One such site is Niggaspace.com, which was created for black people.

            Other social networking Web sites have targeted black people before. The question becomes are they racist? Most existing sites do not consider a member’s race beyond a descriptive value. Why is there a need to bring race in as the defining feature of a site? If this site is designed for black people, does this mean other existing Web sites exclude or harass them? There has been little if any outcry of NiggaSpace as racist. However, if a similar site such as whitespace.com were started, it would presumably be cited as a bastion of exclusion. This is a double standard based purely on race. 

The best way to describe the Web site is a MySpace for black people. The elements of the site are tailored to the hip hop culture. For example, a member’s dating status can be set to player or even pimp. A member can also describe his or her body type as “bootylicious.” While I am not a linguist, the majority of the text written by members of the site looks like Ebonics. I think this does more harm then good for the black community. The site tends to support and reinforces multiple negative stereotypes such as being focused on having sex and being illiterate. Its existence also subtly encourages a separation of people based on their race.

From what I discovered, the members of NiggaSpace are not racist. There were only a handful of white people I saw in the online system. While some wanted to interact with people peacefully, a few of them were there only to argue and stir up trouble. There was even a group for “Whites Only” with three members. 

            As for the controversial name of the site, it is explained by the creator who goes by “Tyrone.”

            He says, “This site is in no way meant to be racist.” ”A common endearing term used by many black people is ‘nigga,’ not to be confused with a different and offensive term, ‘n—.’ The word, ‘nigga’ is in rap songs, daily conversations, on TV, etc. yet the word still has so much mixed emotions attached. One of my intentions is for this word to no longer have such mixed emotions. Part of my intention for this site is for the word nigga to embody images of brotherhood, and fraternity rather than images of ignorance and hate.”

 In a poll that was taken within the site, members were almost evenly split on whether or not to change the site’s name. For now the name will remain unchanged.

 The Web site is trying to enforce its no racism policy. Some offensive user names and member profiles have been deleted. However I ran across a few groups that have not yet been purged. There are a few white power groups but none of them have more then three members. However the racism is not one sided; there was also a Black Power group. From its profile: “We iz beleivin in’dat cracker ass white racists is inferrior ta’us niggaz, das whaa we gutta rape der white wimminz cuz dey sa’beutifuls and intelligent and make dem kinda babiz. Owa motto iss: Kill da white man’n rape hiz wimminz!” This group and its creator were deleted after a few days. This looks like the stupidity of a handful of people and not the feelings of many members, however the average grammar and spelling styles in other members’ profiles aren’t any better.

            I was wondering if there were other sites like this for other races. I surfed the Web and found asianspace.co.uk. At first the site looked very similar to NiggaSpace. They both use an almost identical layout template. Then I started perusing the various parts. It was quiet compared to NiggaSpace. I don’t know if it is because of the difference in site design and appeal, location (Asian Space was based in the UK), or the different behaviors of the members. 

NiggaSpace looks to be focused on meeting people and having sex. Turn ons and turn offs are listed prominently on a member’s profile. In contrast Asian Space has none of this emphasis. The closest it has is a feature where you can tell a member you have a crush on him or her. In NiggaSpace there are dozens of groups based on physical appearance or sexual attraction. Asian Space has only five groups on the entire site.

Not to be outdone, there is also an Arab Space.

 All these sites were started on their own. It was not a grand controller of the Internet who forced them into a different place, but the intention of the site’s creators and members to be in a separate community where their own race reigned supreme. Every time this kind of self-segregation has been done by white people, it has been rightly called racism.

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