===an insult or a term of pride according to who uses it.===
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Indeed ~ and there are many such, esp ones with any political or ideological overtone.

An interesting fairly recent [ca last 20 years] such development has been the defiant adoption by some of the black community of "nigger" as a term of pride: think of that hip-hop group of late 80s-90s, Niggaz With Attitude.

~Michael~