But words CAN be hurtful. I really don't believe in the whole "sticks and stones" thing. It's true that some people have a thicker skin than others (and arguably we should all get thicker skins), but you can't just take a loaded word, erase all its negative connotations, and then use it as a term of endearment on someone you don't know and expect to get a positive response. That's just not rational. It's like a white person saying, "Okay, nigger now means someone I really care about, because I said so," and then calling a black person that.

I mean, it's kind of like, "that's nice for you, but other people may not feel the same way."