Quote Originally Posted by zenga View Post
25y ago I went to a catholic school. Back then there were still a lot of mission posts in Africa. The nuns themselves referred to the blacks as 'the little niggers' (in my language then, negerkes). It was not meant disrespectful in any way. Until years later some goof decided that all the blacks are offended by using the word 'neger' (nigger). So all in a sudden we could no longer refer to our black friends the way we described them for over 200 years, and a way that never caused a single problem.
Now that's fascinating. Definitely illustrates the wide gulf between perceptions based on historical context. Not having a similar experience with non-native cultures, I'll grant you the point.