Hey, average white guy here to talk n word. I myself have been guilty of using it, but usually not as a racial slur. Around some of my buddies I may drop a "nig gga" please, or a "this guy is a jerk" but will not even be referring to a person of color. It's almost as if our generation has heard it so much through song and movies, that we, as an entire generation of all colors, have picked it up as slang. Does it say something about the times that the word doesn't really have its derogatory meaning anymore(except in white trash circles) or am I alone in this? Words often can change meaning over time, why can't this one? If we use it and water it down, wouldn't it lose its power? Am I being delusional, or a closet racist, or am I being real and rational?
Edit:the "jerk" was n word with a more pronounced "r"