This isn't The Block in Redfern.

Well, they can call me a Gub.

Here's something - in the original example, of using the term in NYC, if
the speaker was African American, it would probably not be of any
newsworthiness. And that in and of itself is racist, is it not?

Me? I've got close friends who are black, white, gay, disabled (even
Noddy) - hell I've even got a cousin who won numerous gold medals at the
Sydney special Olypics) and I use all sorts of such words around them.
I'd be being a racist if I didn't, because in the context I use them in,
if I were to speak differently around my friends, it would be totally
disingenuous and promot the idea that people really are different
because of skin colour or other physical or mental attribute or
disability. which is manifestly ridiculous. Furthermore, it would be to
suggest that somehow nobody from another culture is adult or 'tough'
enough to handle ridiculous commentary. Is anyone seriously going to
suggest that an indigenous Australian 'needs' 'wants' (or any variation
thereof) special consideration or treatment or acceptance to get by?
Bullshit to that, by and large anyone worth being a friend with is
strong enough to stand on their own feet and cheerfully say 'get f.cked'
to any bullshit abuse.

On which note, the only thing I've got against the movement for
reconciliation and the official 'sorry' from govco is not that it's
undeserved, but that it's bloody insulting to suggest that indigenous
Australians aren't capable of standing tall without some condescending
and probably transparent apology. It shouldn't be 'thanks for finally
saying sorry' it should be 'f.ck you and the horse you rode into town
on, we don't need your bullshit patronising crap to stand tall'.  

Just because some take offense to something doesn't mean it's inherently
offensive. Once apon a time one would be considered offensive if even
joking about the possibility of evolution, or that the world was flat.

I'm not 'proud' of being white, I'm not ashamed either (though that
seems to be a rarity). For the very simple fact that the colour of my
skin has nothing to do with my character or my heart.

Yes but the word is "negro" and it's Spanish.
--
Knob
("Nigger" is just how "negro" sounds after semi-literate southern-Americans
have slurred it)

More likely it's a Southern (American) corruption of "negro." Try
saying the word with your mouth half closed ansd try to really slur
your speech. and you will probably see what I mean.

That's correct. The reason the word draws such indignation from Africans
against whites who use it, is because it symbolises their slavery at the
hands of whites, even tho during that period, black co-conspirators were
also guilty of helping round-up their own people for the slave-ships.

OTOH, Black men use the word amongst themselves as a put-down, both in jest
and not..but that;s their preroggative.

Jason

As Gonesailing said, it is a corruption of the word negro,which is French
for black.
If you watch Roots, the best dramatization of the American slave period I've
seen, the southern accent pronounced negro as nee-gr, which then turned into
nee-ger then nigger.