[tarheeljks]

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All,

FWIW, I've actually come across a bunch of people, generally older people in the South, who use the word and aren't really racist at all. That's just the word they use to describe black people, just like I use black and not African-American.

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not worth much to me b/c it's a habit that stuck from a time when the word was used in a derogatory fashion. they may not mean it maliciously, but they have to have some sense of social awareness. yes language is dynamic, but whenever that word exits a person's mouth (white, black, or w/e) the negative connotation will remain, as it should imo. just b/c someone isn't racist does not make it ok say the n-word b/c "they don't mean it in a bad way." why can't you say black/african american, why would you feel the need to use a word w/such a negative connotation? (using the general you)