Take the word “homo,” for example– the Greek prefix meaning “the same” (dictionary.com). Yet today, the word “homo” by itself most often refers to homosexuality. And even when the teacher says “homogeneous” in freshmen biology class, at least 10 kids snicker. The word has taken the meaning of its connotation, not its origin.

So you see, terms like “holocaust” truly refer to the unspeakable genocide of millions of Jews, Catholics, gypsies, and other minority groups. Holocaust does not refer to some glorified sacrifice, unless, perhaps, you are Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Our language does not come from the dictionary, it comes from what society perceives the meanings of words to be. Unless you plan on talking to no one but yourself, defining words by their origins will not get you very far.

But to be fair, I think your thoughts on “retard” and “the N-word” are dead on. We do need to clean up our language, and setting a different standard for each race is polarizing and counterproductive.

With that said, I think this article would have been more effective if it hadn’t focused, rather unrealistically, on students’ every misuse of a word (particularly in reference to the words ‘handicap’ and ‘holocaust’ which are generally acceptable unless they’re used in a blatantly inappropriate context). For better or for worse, the English language is ever-changing. Presently, it’s probably best to focus on combating the use of words that are “actively” offensive. Origins are interesting, but why not write an article tackling the source of the problem? Wouldn’t that be more constructive?

However, I can at least appreciate that you’re thinking in the right direction.

P.S.
-Shockingly offensive lyrics aren’t limited to rap songs, and I’m a bit reluctant to believe that you have the authority to speak on behalf of rap artists.
-I think you may have profiled the wrong ‘c’-word, considering its prevalent usage and pertinence to this topic.