Bo in Ky: the word "darkies" appears many times in this thread, and in others. Suely the context of a word is what determines whether it is offensive, not just the word itself. I have heard the word used many many times in my life, sometimes offensively, sometimes not; and on the maore awkward occasions(such as those we are discussing here) when one group of people find it offensive, and one group doesnt. This is not a problem with an easy solution.