The Meanings of Words

I could not agree more with Naylor about language being subjective. We use words according to how we want them to be interpreted and how we have interpreted and interacted with them in the past.

I cannot remember the first time I heard the word n****r, but I do recall when I came to the understanding what that meant and how offensive it was. I was in seventh grade, and had my first biracial friend. My father, being the redneck he is, asked my mother if the dad was the "n" word or the mom. My mother told him that he was under no circumstances to ever say that in front of me again, seeing how she did not want me to repeat it. I being the curious kid that I was looked it up in the dictionary and when its definition didn't satisfy me, I asked my 17 year old sister who gladly filled me in. I was appauled that my father could feel that way about another person for no reason except the color of their skin.

It is so interesting that that word is acceptable in African American communities, but so not acceptable for caucasions to say.