It should also be clarified:


- Books by Mark Twain and Joseph Conrad, amongst others, do indeed contain the word Nigger, and they should never be changed for various reasons to do with the books historical and literary value and authenticity.

- however, to state that all people, including black people, were comfortable with use of this word is not a supportable assertion.

The authors referred to above were white, and for them the word nigger may have tripped off the tongue easily as that was the culture of the day - though to credit Twain and Conrad with so little subtlety or sense of irony would be unwise.

But more importantly, just because a black character in a book written by a white man were comfortable with the word nigger it does not follow that black people of the day were comfortable with hearing it, or with using it except in the most ironic sense.

If you were black, your name wasn't John, or Fred, or Bill, it was "nigger" or "boy".

And if you heard your "name" being called, it meant one of two things.

1. Hurry up, there's a job to do.
2. Prepare to be subjected to a horrendous assault and possibly murder.

"how many roads must a man walk down - before you can call him a man" ...

... or even by his name.


The idea that Black people were comfortable being called Nigger at any point in history is just plain idealistic fantasy.