Funeral for a Friend

Well thats it then.
The NAACP buried the N-word the other day, so thats it. Its gone now. Mourn that long-standing noun that has been the heart of so much comedy and tragedy over the past 400 years. Wow, 4 centuries. You had a good run. I mean "honky" barely lasted ten years! Honky-tonk made short work of that word. Cracker's hanging in there but it has to hold up til the year 2355 to even be a contender. So, racists everywhere! We can't hear you anymore. It'll be like those 'dropped call' commercials. You'll be ranting like you always do and then...silence. So find a new outlet buddy.
Seriously, though. Is this how we deal with our problems now? We pretend they die and that makes everything alright? I mean, I've probably used the word more in my lifetime than Strom Thurman ever did. I like it. I miss it, being in a predominantly non-diverse portion of the state. What gives the NAACP the right? Especially coming from an organization that still uses the word "Colored". Hypocrites. And what spelling of the word now lies in the cold cold ground? The dreaded 'er' version or the 'ends in a' one? Is Nucca out of bounds? And what does the headstone say? I mean, how can you kill a word and then put NIGGER on a slab of stone for all eternity? So many questions.
I always thought you took control of a word, not pull an ostrich move and bury our collective and multi-colored (sorry) heads in the proverbial sand. I know that words have power, but so do we, don't we? And can you kill a word thats in someone's heart? Was the NAACP right? Is it Dave Chapelle circa 2005 or is it Back-to-Africa Dave?
Maybe its time to put it to rest. Maybe there's too much stigma attached to the word...
Nigga. pleaz!