The N-Word (with Special Guest Dr. Neal Lester!)

Could the “N-word”—not the actual epithet, but the euphemism itself—be problematic? A longtime listener brought up this question on the Sauce Speakeasy, our Discord channel (for Patrons only!), posing the question; what does the use of the euphemism achieve when used in a culture built on structural racism? So we went to an expert to hash it out: Dr. Neal Lester, professor, author, public speaker—who researches, writes about, lectures and teaches classes about the history of the N-word and what sets it apart from probably every single other word in the English language.