I was at lunch in Redzone the other day, enjoying the usual sub-par service, when a group of guys came in and sat at the table next to me.

I did not have to try to listen in on their conversation since they were talking loud enough that anyone within several feet would not have had trouble hearing every word. The thing that puzzled me was that this group was using a particular word.

The word was a derogatory racial term about black people. The people sitting at the table were black and were using this word as a pronoun to describe everything from one of their friends to some people they did not like.

Most of you probably know what word I am talking about. However, my question is, why did this group of guys choose to use a term that was derogatory to their own race? How does this use of such a hate filled word make things any better?

The more I sat and thought about it, I realized that I could not think of many other groups that use derogatory terms about their group to describe themselves or the people in their group. To be completely fair, part of the problem was that the vocabulary of these young men was not very broad, given how much the rest of their conversation consisted of “four letter words” that are also unfit to print.

This summer, I heard a radio program in Nashville discussing this very topic. The host was a black man and someone had used the word to describe him as their friend. He seemed to be just as puzzled by that as I am.

He had many callers on the issue with a wide range of reasons why it was ok for black people to use the word.

One argument was that by using the word it somehow was supposed to steal away the thunder of those who sought to use it in a negative way. Really?

I have to disagree, seeing as I still find that word to be every bit as offensive as it ever has been.

Another caller suggested that it was even comical for black people to use the word. Once again, I completely disagree since I can see no humor in the use of that word.

One caller said that it was part of their heritage or history to use that word for each other. Is that word really connected with any history that any of us today want to be a part of? I don’t think so.

I know the history of that word and I know the hate and bad memories that are connected to it. It is not possible to erase that from our history, but we should learn from it. If we really hope to come together, then we have to acknowledge where things went wrong and try to steer away from those things in the future.

Even though not ceasing to use that word would not solve all the racial problems in our country, it is a step in the right direction at least.

Also, how am I supposed to believe that a word such as this one is so destructive if the people who it typically hurts use it to describe their friends? It weakens the entire argument.

Anyone who says something, in this case a word, is offensive to them and then uses the word themselves is simply a hypocrite.

Simply put, this word is a nasty, hate-filled word with an ugly history. By continuing to use this word so freely we are not in any way making things better and, in fact, are making sure that that ugly part of our history is refreshed with every use of words such as this one.

Brandon Wilson is a junior news/editorial journalism major from Nashville.

The opinions expressed in this commentary do not reflect the opinions of the Herald or the university.