[TheCoelacanth]

Do you see a lot of Americans complaining about the use of the N-word on the opposite side of the world? I don't think I have ever witnessed that subject come up.

Why would you presume that an American author talking to an audience in America is discussing worldwide social norms rather than American ones?

And I can assure you Ta-Nehisi Coates has spent plenty of time discussing most, if not all, of the alternate subjects you suggested. I'm sure it would dwarf the amount of time he has spent discussing the N-word by a huge margin.

[cfadvan]

Were having this discussion on an international forum, online. People are making blanket statements about language without a scrap of distinction as to background or locale, just “white” and “black” and little else. Further back in this thread appears the phrase, Thanks for your assumption that I am an American, I am not.

So yes, the context I’m examining was very much on the table.

[TheCoelacanth]

We are discussing an event that happened in the US. Social norms in other countries are not pertinent to the discussion. Do you think every single statement needs an explicit geographical qualifier regardless of context?

[cfadvan]

I think you haven’t kept track of the discussion or are intentionally arguing in a very narrow manner to nitpick. I’m not interested.