It appears as though your comments are an oft handed way of endorsing Barkley and Wilbon’s actions. Webster will agree with you that words are not static. After-all its definition of the n-word has changed numerous of times over the years, thus adding to all the confusion and misunderstandings about the pejorative term.

Albeit, man can change the definition of a word on a whim, he cannot change the history behind the word for it is indeed STATIC. If by chance you or anyone else have the ability by some sort of miracle to obliterate the wrongs done against our ancestors all in the name of the n-word, restore life to those dehumanized, murdered, butchered, slaughtered, honor to the dishonored, property to those who have been wronged and force the scales of human and divine justice to recover their equilibrium then and ONLY then perhaps the n-word can be embraced and used endearingly. Unless you can accomplish such a task the n-word will eternally remain to be an immoral obscenity no matter whose lips it flows from.

First I have argued time and time again that words are static. They don’t have a fixed meaning. Idiomatic expressions specific to cultural and sub-cultural groups occur all the time. If you study linguistics you see how adaptable words are to culture.

Words are symbols they have no meaning out of the symbol (IE representations of thoughts and feels) that they represent and the shared meaning that they hold between two people.

For example, we know in English that Jesus represents something different than in spanish even though it is spelled the same when transliterated.

My point is that for folks to say Black folks use of the word as a subcultural idiomatic expression based upon shared group identity and White folks use of the word based upon American history and them being part of the “Out Group” are just being silly.

I can dig folks that don’t like the word and I respect that. But I need a better argument from you than “it is the same word as nigger” because the linguistic use of it is not.

I couldn’t have said it better.

Black Unity means financial independence and happiness

With all due respect the white man and no one else has a word equivalent to the n-word. The rest of you may have a word equal to say coon, jigaboo,sambo, porch monkey, etc. but not the word n**ger. Three hundred years of dehumanization, having your women brutally rape while you as the husband may have to stand by and watch while your woman is being raped, that is if you want to go on breathing helps to qualify to have a word equal to the n-word. This along with brutal and severe beatings leaving slivers of skin hanging from your body while kerosene is poured over the open wounds, mutilations (ears cut off, eyes gouged out, teeth yanked out, fingers and toes cut off, legs amputated, castrations, disemboweling)all of this being done because you have been categorized as a n**ger,and there is much more; but just so you know these are the qualifications it would take for another word to be equal to the n-word.

And that is just the physical abuse, we have not covered the mental abuse that was even worse; which is why to this very day you are witnessing many Blacks who have been unable to overcome that 18th century slave mentality of seeing themselves as the n-word. So once again, white people and no other people have a word equivalent to the n-word.

If you believe or think in terms that something CAN’T be done, you will be proven to be right, on the other hand if you believe or think in terms that something CAN be done you will also be proven to be right. You are of the opinion that Black users of the n-word CAN’T stop. If we all thought like you without question you would be proven to be right. Thank goodness we all don’t think like you.