Board Thread:General Wiki Discussion/@comment-24881871-20141004223618/@comment-10950063-20141005053402

Ecuinach wrote: With all due respect Guy, maybe you should "grow up". Meanings of a lot of these words are not as offensive as they once were considered, particularly "nigger", or more commonly, "Nigga". It's evolved from a word of hate to slang for friend or buddy. It is people like you who hold it back as a word of hate. Now, obviously, if it IS used hatefully, the user should be punished accordingly. While a lot of users may be immature, leniency breeds maturity. Note I say leniency, not freedom. There shall still be guidelines and limits, but going overboard on strictness just breeds resentment and rebellion. Are you white Ecuinach? If so, how about you start going around to black people and use "nigger" or "nigga." It should be okay, right? It does mean friend after all and I'm sure they'll understand.

See, this is why this is so stupid to me. You guys like to talk about this shit like you're making changes, but you're not. Most of you are white teenagers saying this shit in a chat room that averages 20 people. How about you apply this shit to the real world first? If you're so right, walk around saying it. Then you can come into your little clubhouse and use it in secret.

I'm not holding it back. It's a history of systematic oppression, lynching, torture, mutilation and murder. It has a history that runs very deep and still runs. Emmett Till, 14-years-old was called a nigger. They beat him, gouged out his eyes, shot him in the head, tied a cotton gin fan around his neck and threw him in a river. That was 1955. Only 59 years ago. James Byrd, Jr. was called a nigger. He was beaten, pissed on, then dragged behind a truck until his body fell apart. That was 1989. The word has been used hatefully much longer than it's been "evolved."

Leniancy breeds maturity? You're basing that on. . .what? Trollpasta chat must be the most mature place on Earth by your reckoning.

Let me be clear, the words don't offend me. What offends me is little kids who whine because they don't get to say them in some corner of the internet when they wouldn't dream of saying them to the people who would actually be offended by them.

Don't worry Ecuinach, I'll grow up. I'll start saying "nigga" to my black boss and co-workers and friends, because it's word and it exists and I should be able to say it because it's there. I'll also ignore the centuries of history the word represents, because fuck it history is stupid and it's gone anyway.