During the 2008 US subprime crisis, I asked a banker acquaintance what it was all about. 'The banks handed out mortgages to all sorts of people who couldn't keep up with their payments, such as niggers and the like.' I shut my eyes to exorcise the N word that, conjured out of its censored captivity, loomed in the air like an evil genie.
'Please,' I said. 'Never, ever, use that word you just used. The correct term is 'African American', or just 'Black' if you prefer.' He raised his eyebrows in perplexity, as if to say, 'You mightn't call a spade a spade, but a digging implement, but it'll remain what it is.'
