That P.C. nonsense with words annoys me. I mean, if you choose to start a discussion on the word (which stales did not), you should have the guts to say what it is you're referring to. I once saw a whole interview with a lady on CNN who worked to help African women who were forced to undergo what she glossed over as 'gen'mulation' (genital mutilation). She could not bring herself to utter that against which she fought.
Some years ago an American girl told me about a bar fight that broke out when one Australian 'pulled out the n-word'. With no idea that the fight was with black American marines, I was at a loss to fill in the blank. 'You know' breathed this pint-sized white girl. 'Oh, right: nigger' I replied. 'Yes' she squirmed back. I wonder if she would have ventured to purchase the book to the word?
I really enjoy hip-hop music and have had many friends over the years who have chosen to call themselves 'nigga'. The kind of school I went to in Bonn, kids jokingly called African kids this, and other terms were used in reverse. We were all a mixed bag (ca. 80 nations) and words like 'Kaffir' were used around the South Africans, just as 'Kraut' and 'Kartoffel' were around Germans.
I understand that the racial slurs have a far more profound legacy in America, which is sad - I guess some scars can't be erased.
