Young Mr. Dressler — I, as a nowhere-near-millenial, “woke,” elder Black woman, I appreciated your extremely-conservative-raised-Millenial-white-male effort to enlighten!

However, let me offer that, as you stated, “the meaning of words change” (brings to mind my recent viewing of “Ronnie Cheng Destroys America” on Netflix. Both hilarious and telling! In it he says, “Black folk are the only people able to own their racial slurs — and we are). Check it out.

While I love every.damned.thing Ijeoma Oluo writes, like this excerpt from the article you referenced in your piece…

Thug is the word that says a thousand words. Thug sheds no light on the accuser, only the accused. Thug instantly condemns. Thug is a word that says “You. You deserved this. You are a menace who must be stopped. You are a danger to good people everywhere...” Thug removes the accuser from criticism, and reduces racist violence to a shootout in an old western. It’s the good guys versus the bad guys.

…I gotta say, THE sage, Tupac Shakur described the change best (yeah, I’m old but, I’ve, got two sons 36 & 39 and I can immediately answer the question, “Where were you when Tupac was murdered?” And trust me, it wasn’t home!):

THUG LIFE = The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody!

He flips Ijeoma’s thinking on its head, flooding light on the accuser, instantly condemning, while saying, “Not only does your ass deserve alla this, you are a menace who must be stopped. You are a danger to good people everywhere. Rather than removing the accuser from criticism, he lays the blame squarely where it belongs!

You say:

“The olive branch that I ask for is in all white people dropping “thug.”

Not looking for an olive branch. However, I’d just apprecitate y’all watching that damned movie, “The Hate You Give,” and asking yourselves whether or not you see yourselves. And if you do — what the hell are you willing to do to NOT to be that guy. Yeah, I‘m lookin’ at you Michael McGee who, “apparently has no idea where the word THUG came from…” — had the uninformed hubris to post this:

This article is poorly researched, and apparently Dressler has no idea where the word THUG came from, or who are the CEO’s behind the degenerate Music Industry, promotting this “THUG LIFE” and THUG CULTURE among our youth..

SMDH…