Why isn't the "N" word an issue in other countries?

Most of you sound incredibly ignorant and backwards. I can't believe how lame some of the comments are.

You are talking about the word knigurr. And you are talking about it as if you never knew the word was a vile derogatory slur that includes an understanding that Afro-Americans are inferior, stupid, lazy & shiftless people. And all other negative associations the word carries, going back to early colonial times.

So, when used in it's usual context, it is a racist term of bigotry, assumed superiority, disrespect and sometimes hatred. If you're an American and didn't know this, then what planet are you from?

Kathy, the wealthy businessman you are talking about is Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA team, the Los Angeles Clippers. Any American who owns a TV, radio, or has access to the internet or who actually reads a newspaper once in a while and does not know about Sterling and the offensive things he said....is truly ignorant beyond belief.

Well. It's not considered particularly acceptable in the UK, though it's a fairly recent change. Back in the 1950s the N word was quite common. I remember when I was in primary school in the late 60s one of my friends was mildly discouraged from using the word. Back in the early 70s there was a tv sitcom called "Love Thy Neighbour" where a black couple moved in next door to a white couple, and the white man frequently referred to his neighbours as "***-nogs" - though it's been said for decades that they could never make that sitcom now!

Edit: Good grief, Yahoo won't even let you use the first three letters of the N word, even hyphenated. I wonder if it will let through the countries Niger and Nigeria?

The power of a word is given to it by the culture. The N word has no power in Australia in fact we have facilities called N oval, people called N Brown (sportsmen ).....Australians take something Americans find offensive and turn it into a item of ridicule. So e N word has no power here at all.

EDIT:@Marvin....I don't understand. the original question only asked why is the word not an issue in other countries...where does a specific American personality come into it? Or do you mean my reference to N Brown? He is a famous Australian AFL player....and is the primary reason we can use the N word to name streets, buildings and places of entertainment over here

It is an issue in Canada. It's not used because it's considered a rather stupid, racist world.

The businessman isn't losing his assets. He's selling it and will reap the profit. If you say stupid, racist things, that's fine. Go ahead. But don't expect people to sit idly by and keep quiet. If he had the right to say it, we have the right to criticis him.

Read George Orwell's 1984, The similarities between todays reality and his long ago written book is astounding and scary as F.

Short answer you control the language you control thought and opinion..if a WORD can be societally banned and forgotten?....And it is just the one word for the moment, others are soon to follow..strange times.

“It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”

― George Orwell, 1984

Because it is not a regionally mispronounced version of the Spanish word for black, look that up because if I type it it will just say *****. After blacks were freed in the south people who now knew of their mispronunciation of the word continued to mispronounce it now but for the purpose that it was derogatory

This is a fairly recent phenomenon in Western countries. When I was a child it was normal to call a black person a n.... or a darkie. Nothing was meant by this. Italians (who ran most of the cafes and chipshops) were called tallies.

Orwell was right,as is ORU,quoting him.

We are ruled by immigrants in more than just speech.

That famous thin ended wedge is well and truly hammered in now.

Blacks feel so disenfranchised that they feel they have to over-dramatize everything. I can't say that they don't have cause. Even after years of throwing money at the issue of racism nothing has changed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6GKmDGHqE

Because the word "******" is an American slang word. In other countries they can use the word "*****" or whatever the language dictates.

I dont know if you mean the perjorative "******" which is typically in the American south. That is also banned.