my friend said, "it is never, ever okay for white people to say (n-word)."

[nofurylike]

215. this is about the responsibility of white people who want to be

responsible.

a generous black activist was willing to help me understand this, and i am hoping to impart that onward.

for years, the n-word pretty much vanished from DU, thank goodness! when one OP used it, and no one stopped it at that, that thread soon had 20 uses. the next day, another post used it. the next, another.

that is as i was informed: when we have an 'excuse' to 'get away with' using it, too many jump to use it.

dial-up has made it nearly impossible for me to access this entire thread. i keep trying, and i will keep trying. but please accept my apology for seeming to abandon the thread, and for seeming to take other posters for granted. i will add more as i find it possible to.

thank you all, so very much, for your thoughtful and insightful comments.