Roving Camera 12/05/2013

I don’t think we should use it. We’ve come such a long way as a people. We have an African American president. We should reflect the time we’re living in and communicate with each other in a way that builds each other up. India McConnico Homemaker Dorchester

We have young people using it as a term of endearment to describe street love. People are trying to make it into a positive thing. I don’t endorse it, but I understand it has a double meaning. Robert Fester Electrician Dorchester

We’re in 2014. Black people aren’t the only people using the word. White people, Spanish people, people of all nationalities use it on each other. It’s appalling. I don’t like to hear that word. It’s crazy. Katrina Pines Sales Associate South End

It’s all in the context — how you use it. If someone says ‘what’s up my n-----,’ it’s okay. If you say ‘you n-----,’ it’s disrespectful. It’s like the word ‘negro’ in Spanish. Randy Boston Student Dorchester

I’m from Alabama. I don’t like hearing the word at all under any circumstances. It’s degrading. A lot of my family fought and died behind that name. Ellis Core Retired Roxbury

It’s in the public domain. The more we use it, the more it gets used in the public domain. If we don’t want it out there, we have to stop using it. Kenny Bailey Executive Director Jamaica Plain