Why is it that black person can call a white person a derogradory word?
821469
Social Norms at work. Cracker is kind of funny, honkey is funny too, but N*GGER will never be funny, unless spoken by a black man.
77396
as an educated muliracial woman, i am offended by such comments.  i think comments like this are ignorant.\n\ndoes the person who says this mean to say that black is a behavior and that white is a behavior?  and if so, then that means that to be black is to be stupid and loud and to be white is to be intelligent and proper.\n\ndoes the person who says this mean to say that black people can't be smart, and that white people can't listen to rap if they want to?\n\ni think it's a disgusting comment and the people who say it have no imagination.  anyone can be whatever they want to be.
90173
the term african american is one problem.  why use a prefix?  trying to divide us into little groups instead of just all being americans is stupid. Besides, what ties do you have to africa besides ancestors from 600 years ago.  Enough already. the only ignorance is those who cant take a joke, are hurt by words, who are so insecure about their own race they cant live with the fact someone else may have a problem with you.  So what?  - stereo-type?  can you blame anyone for them? open your eyes and you wouldnt and shouldnt wonder why...
393988
its an word that many racial supremacists from the majority group use to defend themselves by going on the offensive and implying that the traditional victims of racism, like blacks, latinos and other minorties are racists also.
815453
As all others have said, I believe it's the connotation when referring to the person.  "Jew" in and of itself is not a derogatory term, but the term has been used in a hateful manner.  Those who persecute the Jewish never say, "you're Jewish!"  They say, "You dirty Jew!" (or something akin).  "Jewish" has never been used in a derogatory fashion, as has "Jew".
859811
It's basically saying "I can but you can't". If you make separate rules for yourself than you are playing the hypocrite. It's the same as when black people use the N word.
103028
Some people say that the use of the n-word by some African-Americans is cullturally a way of removing the power from the word. When black people use it they become desensitized to it and it has less power when a white person uses it. I don't quite believe this is true because in high school I saw several white guys get the s*** beat out of them for using it. \nSo maybe it is a way that some African Americans have taken a small piece of power from whites. Black people can use the n-word but it is off-limits for whites. As society has continued to keep African Americans oppressed, this could be the one way they have to assert some power over whites by taking a word they used to promote hate and essentially banning the use of it by whites in mixed company.\nOne other argument could be that because of systematic racisim still present in society, some black people use the word as a form of self deprication, which illustrates the shame some African Americans have about being black. \nThe main problem with your question is you are generalizing an entire group of people. Not all black people use the n-word, and feel its casual use in society is harming. Some just simply see it as a word, while others could fall into one of the groups mentioned above. The real answer is there is no one answer. Different people use it or don't use it for reasons only they themselves know.
740259
No, they aren't "just bigots" maybe those people who ask think its a double standard and would like to know why blacks can call each nigga's but a white boy can't. Yet blacks can call white people crackers and thats no big deal.
747462
Most black people do not use that word. You hear a few people say that & you group everyone in the category. Calling each other the "N" word is like when female friends call each other the "B" word. It's not a problem until someone outside of their circle tries to do it. Don't try to understand it. Just don't do it. The "N" is not offensive because of the actual word. It was because the person using that word could beat you, scream at you, disrespect you & accuse you of stuff you didn't do. And then they would call you that name while doing it. That's why when a black person hears that words, it triggers a defense mechanism.
833692
Ignorance.  I live in a community with a large black population and I never hear educated blacks use the word.  The whole "term of endearment" is BS.  Why would anyone refer to themselves in a negative way?  Its a learned response from a household that is probably poor and uneducated.  The truth is that there are many such households in our country.
935745
It's not a bad word, just out-of-date -- like Negro.  I think the history of the mulatto experience (especially in the Americas) and the connotation assigned to the word by some of it's users is what upsets people.  As a 'technical mulatta' I'll tell you...I could give a damn.
288037
It is reverse racism, and I do not agree with it. Some white people feel guilty over their ancestors' role in the history and let black people get away with it, and some black people fully exploit the situation. I think no one should use any derogatory terms towards another person. We should all try to let go of the past and move on towards a better tomorrow.
949243
I NEVER use the word, I consider it utterly hateful.  I can't understand why some blacks think it's OK to apply it to one another.
1126039
The sloppy english that is often used by blacks is of a crude, vulgar type. The black people that hate blacks that speak standard english do so because they want to associate vulgarity with the african race, so as to make vulgarity socially permissable. The truth is that vulgarity is more common among blacks, but is certainly not a defining trait, as it would be racist to say so. The black people that insult the clear-speaking blacks are thus simultaneously promoting bad black stereotypes while trying to exploit racial equality.
678309
I'm not black and I think that is very offensive even if it is not directed towards me.It is just an ignorant word that ignorant people use in my opinion.
275714
I guess the same reason why black ppl call each other n*****
508747
Ask the black folk. Besides duh (the) dat (that) woot (would) and a host of other words in the English language they were raised with and will not pronounce, they say nigger pretty much with every breath they take. Watch how they edit the word in my answer. Yet these same people in media will air the word if a black person utters it. The person under me here is a good example of what I mean. Nigger is a no-no for white people for voting reasons. We got to get dem (them) people to vote for Democrats.