Afro engineering

Afro engineering (short for African engineering)[1] or nigger rigging[2] are pejorative terms for shoddy,[3] second-rate workmanship,[4][5] with whatever materials happen to be available.[6] The terms may also convey a fix that is temporary, done quickly, done technically improperly, or done without attention to or care for detail.[7][8][9] They can also be used as verbs to describe the act of doing such work.[2] "Nigger-rigging" originated in the 1950s;[1] the term was euphemized as "afro engineering" in the 1970s.[2][8] The terms have been used in the auto mechanic industry to describe quick makeshift repairs.[10]

The terms, especially "nigger rigging", were generally considered both racist and politically incorrect from the late 20th century onwards.[11][12]

See also

Look up nigger-rig or nigger rig in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. 1 2 Green, Jonathan (2005). Cassell's Dictionary of Slang (2 ed.). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 10, African engineering. ISBN 0-304-36636-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Green, Jonathan (2005). Cassell's Dictionary of Slang (2 ed.). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 1003, nigger rig n.; nigger rig v.; nigger rigged. ISBN 0-304-36636-6.
  3. ↑ Eisiminger, Sterling K. (1991). The Consequence of Error and Other Language Essays. P. Lang. p. 327.
  4. ↑ Aman, Reinhold (2005). Maledicta, Volume 3, Issue 2. Maledicta Press. Maledicta. p. 167, Afro engineering.
  5. ↑ Green, Jonathon (1996). Words Apart: The Language of Prejudice. Kyle Cathie. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-85626-216-3.
  6. ↑ Droney, Damien. "Ironies of Laboratory Work during Ghana's Second Age of Optimism". Cultural Anthropology 29, no. 2 (2014): p. 363–384, Ironic Africa.
  7. ↑ Partridge, Eric (2006). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: J-Z. Taylor & Francis Group. p. 1370, nigger-rig. ISBN 0-415-25938-X.
  8. 1 2 Jackson, Shirley A. (2015). Routledge International Handbook of Race, Class, and Gender. Routledge. Intersections of discourse: Racetalk and class talk. ISBN 978-0-415-63271-3. "... 'I can't even nigger-rig it.' ... 'The proper terminology is Afro-engineering.' Here, blackness is demarcated in a classed way. 'Nigger-rigging' is a quick, temporary fix to a problem, but it is a solution that is second rate to the 'right' way. ... declares that this type of knowledge is racialized and classed in a way that deems it inherently inferior. ¶ ... remarks remain unchallenged. Quite the opposite. ... implies that black ingenuity and innovation as subpar and second rate to white ingenuity and innovation. ... affirms this with his response. By responding indirectly ... consents to this classed usage of the word nigger. Not only does this trivialize whether the slur's usage is inappropriate in the first place, but it equates 'nigger-rigging' with 'Afro-engineering.' ... denotes these terms as synonymous, thus imposing an even more classed meaning to this racial slur."
  9. ↑ Myers, Kristen A. (2005). Racetalk: Racism Hiding in Plain Sight. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. p. 100, Chapter 5. ISBN 0-742-53534-7. "'Nigger-rig' referred to a slipshod method of fixing something. It included cutting corners and sloppy craftsmanship. The term conjured up the coon again—a worker who had no pride in his work, but who just wanted to get done as quickly as possible."
  10. ↑ Poteet, Jim; Poteet, Lewis (1992). Car & Motorcycle Slang. toExcel an imprint of iUniverse.com Inc. p. 14, Afro engineering. ISBN 0-595-01080-6.
  11. ↑ Celock, John (March 9, 2013). "Jim Gile, Kansas County Official, Apologizes For Racist Comment". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  12. ↑ Temple-Raston, Dina (2002). A Death in Texas. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 38. ISBN 0-8050-7277-2.
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