![]() ![]() Where, for a long time, the word held its Merriam-Webster definition (a violent criminal), today things have changed. So I was particularly fascinated to catch this NPR segment wherein Columbia linguistics professor John McWhorter, who often writes about language and race, dove into the dual–and racially charged–meanings of the word. Many black people felt that the use of the word was a not-so-sly way to denigrate the protesters as “niggers”. One of the many things that was interesting to note was the public reaction to the use of the word “thug” to describe the protesters who were involved in the more violent aspects of the protests. ![]() There’s been a lot written on the protests that erupted in Baltimore in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray after his arrest by the Baltimore Police Department (three examples here, here and here). ![]()
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