A discussion on the "n" word

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by manasecret

(there is always someone that will be offended by any such words).

And the prolifically contextual revelation about a word with racist implications comes out!

From Wikipedia:

Nigger is a pejorative term used to refer to dark-skinned people, mostly those of Black African ancestry. For centuries, it has held negative connotations, and in modern times, in most contexts, it is considered a racial slur

from: http://www.google.com/search?q=defin...ient=firefox-a (I had a chuckle at the first and third definitions)

I think the over-use (especially in Black culture) of the n-word has numbed it down, and people forget that it is still a racist slur. "Fuck" has no racial weight behind its context, so while it is offensive to some people, who fucking cares?

Faggot, Coon, Beaner, Wop, Nigger...can these words really be used in a contextually neutral way?

Presumably, the N-word will be diluted to a point where a majority of the population accepts it as a neutral term. I, however, do not foresee this happening any time soon as it stills carries heavy racial context.

Edit:
I assume this will be brought up....the use of the "n-word" and its social acceptance in black culture is, indeed, a double standard. The fact that 50 Cent can drop the word 200 times on his album, and no one seems to care illustrates this dilution in modern popular culture. The fact is, I still think there is an overwhelming group of Blacks that feel the word is offensive, regardless if the person using it is black. It is a social viewpoint that is hidden away very well.