[Lyndonx]

Whats your view?

[Retrodiction]

Nah, I disagree with double-standards of any kind. It's actually racist to believe it's acceptable for black people to say it but not anybody else. It's granting a right to one race but to no others. In any other domain this kind of racial inequality would rightly be condemned in the most vicious fashion.

[G8D]

Personally I think that it's just a word however there can be no double standards.

If some black guy wants to use it among his black friends but would throw a hissy at a white person using it in the same context (whether to him or to another) then that's just not ok.

I can accept that some people may be offended by the word (especially if used aggressively/racially) BUT that must apply to all people using it equally.

[Spaz Man]

It's "acceptable" but it's incredibly stupid and hypocritical. Casual racism will always exist when a few stupid black people make fun of one another without thinking.

[pinda.college]

Totally dependent on the context the word is being used in my opinion. The majority of the time when a black person greets another black person by using the n word, it is does not have any derogatory or racist connotations assocaiated with it (even though that's how the word was used when it was first developed.) Should they be allowed? Well as someone who beleives in a social democratic society, I beleive everyone should be allowed to say what they want as long as they do not offend anyone.

[prayforbetterdays]

whats Louis my ****** ? what gucci my killer !

[-Maz-]

Reminds me of something I heard a few days back.
A girl of about 16 was asking a boy who was clearly still in primary school "what's wrong with being called a ******? Being called a ******'s nice". Then the proceeded to convince him that being called a ******'s a "good" thing.

I guess it really won't make sense for anyone on the outside looking in, because that scenario i witnessed was a real eye opener

[Dirac Delta Function]

I was watching some recent advert on TV where some scrawny little white guy takes his car to a body shop to get done up. He is portrayed as being intimidated by the black guys.

I think this sort of thing needs to stop, both the portrayal of the white guy as being a cowering little wimp before the black guy, and the black guy as being a thuggish brute.

[Jingers]

Black people don't call themselves ******* (er). They call each other ****** (a).

This is why you do not understand. There is a clear difference.

[Hopple]

(Original post by Lyndonx)
Whats your view?

No, either you stamp a bad word out or you water down its offensive meaning by using it loads and ignoring any offence caused.

[internet tough guy]

The most important thing with insults as with most things is context and intention. So yes they should be allowed to use the n-word, not that we could stop anyone from using whatever words they feel like.

[Banishingboredom]

If they want to reclaim a word as their own then nobody has any right to stop them.

[Norton1]

(Original post by Jingers)
Black people don't call themselves *******. They call each other ******.

This is why you do not understand. There is a clear difference.

Well, not all black people agree with that.

But to be honest I wouldn't even involve myself in this debate, to me it seems a little uncomfortable for a load of white people to discuss what they should and shouldn't be allowed to call black people.

[R4INBOW]

Depends on the context

[Hopple]

(Original post by Banishingboredom)
If they want to reclaim a word as their own then nobody has any right to stop them.

"They", "Them"? Why the division?

[SquaredCircle]

It is not helpful to the racial equality movement but it's much less harmful than a person of another race saying it

[SquaredCircle]

(Original post by Hopple)
"They", "Them"? Why the division?

Because when discussing issues surrounding race, not diving by race makes discussion very difficult

[Jingers]

(Original post by Norton1)
Well, not all black people agree with that.

But to be honest I wouldn't even involve myself in this debate, to me it seems a little uncomfortable for a load of white people to discuss what they should and shouldn't be allowed to call black people.

Are you saying that black people call each other ******?

[Banishingboredom]

(Original post by Hopple)
"They", "Them"? Why the division?

This video should explain everything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw

[Norton1]

(Original post by Jingers)
Are you saying that black people call each other ******?

Know what? I'm not even going to involve myself to this extent. All I know is I wouldn't be calling anyone anything in that ballpark. I'd even be careful of using the word niggardly where it could be taken amiss.