Racial slur

A racial slur is a word or phrase that is intended as a derogatory reference towards a specific race or ethnicity. Such terms are considered offensive by most people and are usually spoken to illicit a specific reaction or to demonstrate one's personal disapproval of another race or culture. Any ethnic group is subject to racial slurs, but it seems to occur the most frequently in the African American and Jewish cultures. Other ethnic groups that have been prone to racial slurs include people from Muslim cultures and faith, Latinos, Asians and Hindus.

In film

 * Pulp Fiction: The N word is used multiple times throughout the course of the film by several characters. It is used by the characters of Jules Winnfield and Marsellus Wallace as a general self-referential term. It is used mostly however by Jimmie Dimmick, alluding to the notion that he is racist, which is odd, considering he is married to a black woman.


 * Shining, The: In the original 1980 film The Shining, the character of Delbert Grady's ghost uses a racial slur when speaking to Jack Torrance to describe a black man named Dick Hallorann. He indicates how troublesome Hallorann's presence would be and encourages Torrance to do something about it.