re: Please note the word he used to define the problems in his opening post:
Yes, using that word is definitely poor taste. I never use the N word, but then, I rarely curse here, or anywhere.
I think from his point of view he is using that term for whites and blacks, and he sees nothing wrong with it. What he fails to see is that people find that word very offensive and hateful, so he should avoid using it. A suggestion for him is just say it as it is, illiterate.
As far as a person’s history goes in the Zone, I try to start each day as a clean slate (I say try, because I am guilty of not letting a person’s past go when judging them here in the Zone). People can and do change.