Maybe the 2020 Democratic Platform should read "We accept Bill Maher and his usage of House N*gger".

[SaschaHM]

Then we will see if white liberals/Democrats can gin up enough "pc police hating" rust belters and "house N*gger" aficionados to offset the black and brown allies that are sick of this shit.

[bettyellen]

1. After seeing the LBN thread I'm starting to wonder about this...

[ananda]

2. I'd just rather see ppl not using the N word.

nt

[LBM20]

3. No one is saying it is "acceptable." Some are just saying to consider the context and don't label

people as "racist" over things like a satirical joke gone wrong. Let's please not be as over the top in reactions as Maher may have
been with the joke in the first place. We are all big enough to understand context.

[Les Cowbell]

4. He wasn't using it to demean anyone but hey let's bury him ..

that will help defeat the Trumpistas and racism. Sheesh. So erase one white guy who has stood up for equal rights and against racism to make brown and black people who are supposedly "sick of this shit" feel better for a day while aiding the real perpetrators of racism.

Just a totally ignorant post.

[Goodheart]

5. He didn't use it as a racial slur, wasn't trying to demean anyone.

A greater danger than the one you posit is to start labeling people as things they're not. Credibility is lost.

[SaschaHM]

7. "wasn't using it to demean anyone"

That's sure going to rally black voters. The "house N*gger" guy wasn't trying to hurt anyone.

[Kablooie]

8. It offends many people of all colors therefore it was wrong to use it.

No matter what his intention, it offends many of his audience so it was stupid and wrong to use it.
Just the fact that it's casual part of his vocabulary throws a questionable shadow over his character whether deserved or not.