Agreed. Seems like the kid is overly sensitive and looking to deflect responsibility.
Life is tough. .... Be tougher.
By the way, I also think the "N-Word" controversy is not only too convenient a crutch, it manifests a bigger cultural problem. My college roommate and one of my best friends at Yale, (who was african american and grew up in a really rough area of DC) once said to me in a serous conversation:
"I don't get it"
When you asked him about what he "didn't get", he said:
"it's a heinous word. it's demeaning. why are we the only ethnic minority, or any ethnic group in the history of the world that uses it signature racial epithet as some badge of honor? Who does that benefit? Why are we creating false legitimacy? When would you ever hear an asian person use the "*****" word, or a ****** person use the "****" word when referring to someone else. it's just offensive. Trying to make it mean something other than what it is, will be a problem. not just for black people, but for others as well."
this was years ago, before BLM, Kaepernick, and the sea change in african american (and the larger) society.
p.s. after he said this to me, I thought about it, paused for a good minute, looked him straight in the eye, and said: "i feel you, my ninja."
at which point he started to laugh so hard he began to hyperventilate.
