Language Responsibility

Because the English language is such an amalgamation of constructions, vocabulary, and syntax, I find that many comedians use what people may normally take for granted as comedic material. Louis C.K. is one, and in a stand-up act he began talking about the phrase "the 'N' word". Louis said that if someone says "the 'N' word" instead of "nigger" it is a cop-out since it shifts the responsibility to the listener. Everyone knows what "the 'N' word" is referring to, and I know that I personally replace every euphemism and censorship to the intended word when I hear it. "Darn" becomes "damn"; "fudge" becomes "fuck"; "the 'N' word" becomes "nigger". I, and Louis C.K. know why people say these words, but Louis has a specific problem with it because it is almost as if the persons intentions are that "if you are saying 'nigger', then you are the racist". And in reality, when someone is talking about the word "nigger" and says "the 'N' word", their meaning isn't to belittle a race of people, so why is saying "nigger" in that situation still negative? In fact, when someone says "the 'N' word", since most people are going to know which word they are referring to, why is "the 'N' word" better than just admitting that you mean "nigger"? Louis will tell you why! It's because saying "the 'N' word" is an attempt to take the responsibility away from the speaker. And that's what all euphemisms do. They don't actually mean anything except that they are a replacement for a more obscene word.

That is, unless you have grown up in Siberia or Antarctica and have honestly never heard anything other than "darn", "geez", or "gadzooks".