Michael Che
I’m sorry, but this is a non-issue. This is a word that is ALWAYS going to lead to discrimination issues. Big deal. There are too many people out there who use this word as part of their daily vocabulary, many of them Black. Usually, it is only offensive if a white person uses it. Micahel Che simply made an off-handed comment that–to be honest, I had to watch the video three times to catch–and the same phrase has probably been used by millions of others, and will continue to be in the future. There was no derogatory intent, as far as I can tell. The people complaining are the ones who have no time for keeping their own business in order because they are too busy trying to control other people’s business. I don’t think anything else even needs to be said on the matter, but I’m sure they won’t ask me. 🙂
SNL would be crazy to let this guy go for something so ridiculous as this. Che is a breath of fresh air on a show that I feel has lost momentum continuously over the last several decades.
Getting back to the issue at hand.
The word itself was made derogatory by the whites. Over the course of history it has been subject to devolvement (is that a word?) In all its originality it simply means black. Period. People should really learn about the meaning and etymology of words before using them or complaining about them. Just because “someone” said it is a bad word, does not make it fact, simply a matter of the lemming effect. Somebody hundreds of years ago used it with contempt in their voice, the other contemptuous bastards thought it sounded good, and it made them feel powerful, so they all began to use it. The slaves, seeing as how they were the ones the slurs were directed to, simply lowered their heads and did as they were told. Had there not been whips and hangings involved, I’m pretty sure those Blacks would have stood up for themselves. But we all know how that went, so the word, a seemingly innoccuous word, became one of the most controversial words in the history of the English language, which I find hysterical because it’s a Latin word to begin with. At any rate…those are just my personal thoughts and I haven’t posted anything  controversial on my blog in a while.
late 17th century (as an adjective): from earlier neger, from French nègre, from Spanish negro ‘black’ (see Negro).
Journey of the Heart 