AN UPDATE: Regarding the thread this morning about the use of the word "Negro" at work

[PatrickforB]

86. Yeah I read a few years ago about someone who used the word 'niggling' in conversation

and ended up branded as a racist.

Now, 'niggling' is actually a word and that word has NOTHING to do with African American or black people.

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as an adjective that refers to things "causing slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety."

One time years ago, I drove three hours to speak at a community college in my state about choosing a career path. I was telling a story and this lady got all offended because I referred to my wife and a lady she had grown up with as 'the girls hashed over old memories, while the husbands (me and the other woman's husband) got to know each other.

She was an older woman, and she took every kind of cogent point I was trying to HELP students with down by calling me on the carpet for about 20 minutes about how my use of the word 'girl' in that context. I said 'bye,' walked out and have refused to EVER speak at that college EVER AGAIN. Hell, if they have to bring in therapy dogs because some innocuous choice of words offended somebody, then I have no place for them because I'm busy.

And heads-up, the corporate culture here in this capitalist utopia we call America has gotten really toxic. HR is sneaky. I got in a wrangle with another employee a couple decades ago and an investigation was made WITHOUT me being able to even respond and I was demoted as a result.

So, when it comes to HR, my trust level in those lizards is BELOW ZERO, and as to our college system, where the hell is the REALITY here? Because if some asshole at work criticizes me for talking about the Negro baseball league if it is ever appropriate in the context of my work, they will be hearing real quick from my lawyer, who is vicious.

There is a lot to be said for the pushback against political correctness and cancel culture. While I do not advocate verbiage that is known to offend people, let's be realistic and cut each other a bit of common-sense slack.