I'm surprised nobody thought about the fact that Erb might, in fact be black himself, in which case the n word would be absolutely fine and dandy.
That's something I can never get my head round - a white person uses the n word, and all hell breaks loose, people are calling for resignations, heads on sticks, apologies, castration (delete as appropriate). A black person uses it, and it's grounds for a platinum record, because it's edgy. White people are allowed to listen to and even buy said record (thus propagating the word further into the public's consciousness), but woe betide if they utter the lyrics in public. If we're to live in a colour-free world, *either* there has to be a ban across the board (especially in the media) of the word, or everybody should be able to use it equally to the point where it's no longer edgy and therefore has no "coolness" attached to it. The more we draw attention to a word (by getting up in arms every time it's used), the more we ingrain racism in our society by making us question the reasons we're up in arms about it. What amuses me is the fact that where I live now (Spain), and where I grew up (UK), black people deal with this word on a daily basis, and just get on with their lives. It's white people that are driving the media frenzy and angry mobs every time it gets used.
@Riddle: The menopause is hot in most cultures, I believe. It's all part of going through the "change". Like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, but the ugliness coefficient is reversed.
"I'm heading to university next year, and I've purchased a MacBook. I'm also taking my four year old desktop, just in case I'm left with no computers when the MacBook is being repaired or whatnot. With only two USB ports on a MacBook, I want a Bluetooth mouse. Budget is about $100, and of course, it needs OS X support. Thanks for the help!"
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So I can have an electric doobie of course. Thanks science.