Perhaps because they realize that words are just words. How we treat one another is all that matters.
But getting butthurt and indirectly offended does give one a motivation to get up in the morning…
Talking is part of “how we treat one another”. It’s entirely reasonable to call out and criticize the usage of racial slurs, even though everyone has the right to use them.
I have not heard the word used conversationally for some time, at least not by anybody under 80.
The most recent time was by a former co-worker who was describing the actions of a third party. (A white woman who thought being married to a black guy gave her license to use it herself.)
I don’t deal with the N word a lot, but some members of my family like to say “colored”. To which I always reply “Hmm, what color were they?”
Lots of non-Americans have a hard time distinguishing between “colored people” and “people of color”. I’ve had to explain on a number of occasions how the latter is OK, but the former isn’t. It’s an easy mistake to make.
My guess is that in the US, there are, sadly, plenty of other slurs to be used instead to denigrate that target population.
Last edited by MyFootsZZZ; Today at 09:05 AM… Reason: My cat walked on my laptop, and posted this rant of mine before I really even started.
I’m going to save that one and use it in the future.
My brother in law does this. He’ll tell a “Norwegian” joke and when I don’t fall on the floor in hysteria he’ll say “aww, come on, it’s not like that. I have a Norwegian friend at the firehouse and he works hard and he’s a good clean family man just like you and me. The jokes not about Norwegians even, it’s just about lazy ignorant people. Just repeat the joke to yourself about Indians or democrats or fat people! It’s funny, I don’t care who you are!”
“Some family are family not worth having.” Tell that to the racist jerks the next time they pull that stupidity at a family get-together.
My former in-laws. I haven’t seen them or spoken to them since shortly after my first husband died.
See, I agree with this to an extent. That’s why my cat’s name is Garby. It’s short for Garbage.
My cat is very happy.
I’ve heard white comedians use the word and I would laugh, (it has to be damn funny though).
The friend to which I was referring wasn’t using it in a way I thought was appropriate.
I guess I’m lucky. I haven’t had a friend, relative or acquaintance use this word in front of me in a long time. I’ve had people say racist things in front of me, but it’s generally more subtle than that. Part of it is that I live in a liberal area. Part of it is that I avoid associating with outright racists. Part of it is that no one in my family uses racial epithets at all.
Several of my white co-workers past the age of 45 routinely use the N-word around me because they assume it’s cool, even after I tell them it’s not cool. Of course the majority of the darker skinned workers at the job aren’t around when it is being said.
I am bigoted as well, I just assume if you’re an old fuck, you’re a racist old fuck, until proven otherwise. I’ve been surprised by too many otherwise kind-seeming old people, friends, relatives, co-workers, who turn around and spew obnoxious racist shit every few days, to assume you don’t have your head up your ass about racial equality.
I don’t look kindly on the supposedly “great” generation that talk a good game about how awesome they were, but spend all their kids’ money on expensive machines that blow up arabs and talk smack about black people all day, every day, suck from the government’s teat with regard to social security and medicare, but consider younger people getting access to medical care “socialism” like the old racist dumbfucks that they are.
Are there good old people? Yes. But most of the time, between spouting racist shit, they talk about how awesome they are, and how horrible this generation is, and they’re fucking wrong.
I agree its a word that should not be used but why dont they stop calling each other that word? Its not racist when non honkys say it but holy shit Al Sharpton will be protesting if one of us white devils say it! Ridiculous!!
Same reason I can criticize my mom but you hell better not.
I think it is somewhat hypocritical, but I weigh that against systemic racial profiling, incarceration, a history of brutal racism and a present containing much in the way of still active racist attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors which severely harm millions of black persons in America, and I think I don’t really care about the double standard of getting to use the N-word or not.
Besides, it’s become more or less culturally acceptable for a white person to use the term, particularly when that person is a comedian who knows what the hell they’re doing. 
Basically, you’ve got to be able to use it in a way that would cause more laughs than boos in a mostly black audience, and at that point, you can get away with it.
Otherwise it has a history that is too disrespectful and harmful that it would be a really good idea if people stopped using it.
Black persons using it (who cares?) is not exactly a real grievance non-blacks have to endure, you see.
The only time it matters to me is when I don’t really sing along with the rap and r+b station on the radio at work, and I wouldn’t know the lyrics anyway.
This reminds me of something that happened several years ago. There’s a newsgroup devoted to food in the Bay Area, and one of the regular participants has views on politics and race that are pretty close to the Nazis (e.g. he often talks about certain groups of people “going up the chimney.”) Someone called him out on using the n-word by saying he wouldn’t dare use it in front of actual black people. Mr. Nazi insisted that he did it all the time, and that no one objected. They decided to settle their disagreement with an experiment: they were to meet at a local BBQ joint in a black neighborhood, where Mr. Nazi would use the n-word. The idea was to see whether anyone objected. Mr. Nazi said he was going to bring a firearm with him, just in case.
Most of the other participants in the newsgroup thought this was really funny. I didn’t. I called the police department of the city where the restaurant was, and told them what these two geniuses were planning. It was a weird phone call, and I wasn’t sure whether the police would believe me, but I got their attention when I told them Mr. Nazi planned to show up with a gun and use the n-word in a crowded place.
The day after the “experiment” was to take place, Mr. Nazi and his challenger disagreed on what had happened. The challenger claimed that he showed up and Mr. Nazi didn’t. Mr. Nazi claimed he showed up, but the restaurant was closed. I suspect Mr. Nazi was telling the truth - that the police told the restaurant management about the planned meeting, and they decided to be closed at the time.
If I wasn’t tired on an epic level, I’d rewrite one of those letters to the editor complaining about how up in our face about it the gays are, and insert the word neo-Nazi instead.
Then, it would be a letter that actually made some goddamned sense. And there would be a reason for the target to feel some sort of shame.
There was this time in boot camp we had a class on Field Sanitation, i.e. dealing with leeches, ticks, and chiggers. One recruit piped up to the DI that he was offended by the DI’s use of the word “chigger”. From then on, the recruit was known as “Cheegro”. Oddly enough, the incident brought the black and white recruits closer. Even the DI smiled at this one.
That makes you a disrespectful jerk. Just because I could get away with criticizing my mother, I would never cause I show some damn respect. Just like blacks, half blacks or quarter blacks should all also show the same level of respect towards each other considering the perspective on the use of the word.