Wargamer said:
My take on this is very, very simple; if ****** is offensive, it's offensive whoever uses it.
Really? Let's see how well your logic holds in other situations.
So if I let my hypothetical wife address me as "darling", does that mean I must not be offended if you call me such?
Or for that matter, if Michelle Obama calls her husband "my love", does that mean that every reporter in the Press Room is similarly allowed to address the President with that?
Or if I call my (again hypothetical) adult daughter "princess", does that mean she wouldn't have a right to be offended if her coworkers started calling her that as well?
Here's my own take on this:
You only get to call me "darling" if you're in a romantic relationship with me.
Better address Obama as "Mr President" even if his wife would call him with a more tender name.
Parents/grandparents are allowed to call their daughters/granddaughters "princess". Nobody else is.
And if you aren't black, don't casually use the word "******". Except in talking about how it oughtn't be used.