When I was growing up and it wasn’t a criminal act to insult people, I was taught that “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”. I was taught that it was not appropriate to react to name calling physically, but it was appropriate if someone physically attacked me.
You and I must be of the same generation. I grew up in the 30s and lived in a really, really mixed neighborhood. In fact our house was next door to a black Baptist church. The whole neighborhood rocked to the church services on the weekends. We had black friends on our football, basketball and base ball so called neighborhood teams. I tanned so dark like black that once a lady in her yard in a distance part of town told the team they should not play with niggers. As children of all cultures we and our parents had the same life struggles and learned to work and live together. That world changed and I suspect there are various causes not directed to making the USA the flower of our Founders.