if you have to choose between saying "tiger" (or whatever word you've learned) and the n word, and you choose the n word, you're being tribal
I was taught it as the 'n' word, and I didn't realise until 3 years ago.
It's not tribal unless you carry tribal intent.
Words only have as much purpose as the meaning we give them. At the end of the day, they're just sounds we use to express ideas. Same goes for chinks, cigarettes, starfish, forget and every other "bad" word. They're just sounds, and every individual will give them separate meaning.
And ultimately, whatever happened to 'sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me'?
People found out you can get sympathy and money from suing other people so long as you pretend like those words actually hurt you.
