Interesting. Why then do you suppose they were comfortable using that word around you? My experience in the U.S. Army taught me that racism is not limited by geography or skin color.
I don't know. I guess because I was white? I suppose I could have protested, maybe it's a character flaw that I didn't. It was a commonly-used word in private circles in the south. I know this isn't limited to the south, but it's just what I noticed. I found it odd that a fellow officer would throw that word out so casually. But you're right, there's plenty of racism to go around. Old-school Boston Irish are not the most tolerant bunch either. I fall in that demographic, but I don't use racial slurs. Now calling someone a fag or homo is a different story. That is so commom in the military it isn't even funny. I'm guilty of it too. We do it as a joke though. I call my best friends "fags", "homos" , "Meat Gazers", you name it. It's akin to Black guys calling themselves the "n" word in casual conversation. They do it all the time like a term of endearment.