I feel like there are so many sides to using the n-word. In the episode of Boston Public I can see the controversy because of the very diverse student body. It doesn't affect us in the same way here in Superior, but I think that if a white person stepped into a person of a different race and vice versa, the people using the n-word would change their mind. Although this is not possible, I wish it was because then everybody could see how it is living in somebody else's shoes and see that the n-word is different to different people.
I think how the word is used is what it is all about. Using it in a positive way is okay to me, but a negative way is horrible. I think in the next generation the n-word will completely change to being a slang word meaning friends or buddies. What parents tell their kids is, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This is one of the toughest sayings to be able to believe in because words are the strongest thing you can use against a person. Using your words is one of the most powerful thing you can use against somebody.
I think that saying the word in a positive connotation could be a good way of getting rid of the negative, but I don't think this generation is ready for that yet because kids are still taught that it is a very bad word to say even though it can be used in a good way. The controversy over words will never go away, but the government can't take away our freedom of speech.
