They call it, the N-word.  It is the scarlet letter of modern culture in the English-speaking world.  Everyone in colonial New England knew what the "A" stood for, and we all know what the "N" signifies: nigger.  Saying it out loud, even behind closed doors, has gotten people fired, has ruined careers and, in doing so, has adversely affected innocent people – for example, employees of the offender, whose jobs disappeared when the offending employer lost his contract. What makes this even more surreal is the fact that black people themselves, against whom the N-word is considered to be an unforgivable pejorative, use it prolifically, and without penalty. When challenged on this point, racialist speakers often declare that black people can use the N-word because they "own it."  They insist that non-black people do not own the N-word and therefore are not allowed to appropriate it. This state of affairs...(Read Full Post)