your neighbor may not have individual power, but his statements still carry more weight than the opposite. there’s a reason (most) white people would never dream of saying the n word, and that there’s no equivalent for the other way around, and it’s because there’s an inherent power dynamic baked into that word and its origins
I agree with you, but I’m not arguing about the relative weight/ power/emotional damage etc. of one racist word against another. Those words are still racist independently of who holds the power.
your neighbor may not have individual power, but his statements still carry more weight than the opposite. there’s a reason (most) white people would never dream of saying the n word, and that there’s no equivalent for the other way around, and it’s because there’s an inherent power dynamic baked into that word and its origins
I agree with you, but I’m not arguing about the relative weight/ power/emotional damage etc. of one racist word against another. Those words are still racist independently of who holds the power.