> From time to time certain words accumulate enough baggage that they need to be retired from polite conversation. The problem is that's not universally the ca

> From time to time certain words accumulate enough baggage that they need to be retired from polite conversation. The problem is that's not universally the case. Outside of North America the word is not offensive or pejorative. While it's definitely offensive in the North American English, without knowing the author's origin, it's wrong to dismiss it completely out of hand. American culture is not the sole arbitrator of what is offensive. Edit: And after googling around, the Author lives in Vancouver -- so the usage can be considered offensive.