A battle is underway to make the word “thug” a racial epithet, comparable to (or even worse than) the n-word.  When the president of the United States (“thugs who tore up the place”), the governor of Maryland (“Our city of Baltimore to be taken over by thugs”), and the mayor of Baltimore (“The thugs who only want to incite violence”) all used the word “thugs” to describe rioters and looters in Baltimore, they set off the latest battle over control of the words we are allowed to use. The mayor of Baltimore, who would not apologize for using the expression “space to destroy” in describing her policy toward demonstrators, did promptly apologize in a tweet for using the word “thugs.” I wanted to clarify my comments on "thugs." When you speak out of frustration and anger, one can say things in a way that you don't mean. She reiterated her apology: “We don’t...(Read Full Post)