Alright guys I just kind of noticed something and I'm wondering if it's true but I have no idea how to go about finding the answer myself without searching through the entire history of the world.
The thing I noticed in movies primarily is that men will say "that nigger..." or "that negro..." while the women will generally say "that colored..." etc. Could it be that even back then people considered the "N" word to be somewhat of a curse word like "fuck" or "damn", while saying "colored" was like a less offensive way of saying the same thing like saying "frick" or "darn"
On its face I feel like I'm pretty obviously right here but I'd like to know more specific information about it than yes that's right. I'd like to know something a little more in depth like why it's better or worse to say one or the other and maybe the basis of the slang.
Hi,
Are you asking about the scripts of modern movies? Because if so, it seems to me like the first thing to establish is whether those scripts reflect actual patterns of language use in the slavery and Jim Crow eras. It could just be modern discomfort with women (actors) swearing, or a relic of the idea that because men had/have more power than women, white men were/are more racist than white women. In that case, it would be a fascinating point to raise on /r/AskSocialScience.
Separately, I think, you are also interested in the history of the n-word and how it became so taboo, right?