NBA: Where "Racially charged" tweets happen?

Matt Barnes, known instigator and enforcer in the NBA, got into a shoving match during a game between his LA Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Serge Ibaka and Blake Griffin got into a tussle and Barnes got involved to protect Griffin, as he often does. He was summarily ejected from the game. After being ejected from last night's games, Matt Barnes sent out a tweet.

 RT @Matt_Barnes22 I love my teammates like family, but I'm DONE standing up for these niggas! All this shit does is cost me money..

As you can see, the tweet contained the N-word, and has been described in some form or fashion as "racially charged" by some writers. This characterization is inaccurate and represents an oversimplification of a word with nuanced use. 

Admittedly, the N-word in its various forms has a long and sordid history in this country. For many, use of the N-word is closely related to slavery, lynchings and other demeaning treatment of black persons in the US. This treatment and associated use of the N-word isn't simply historic. It is still used today, often as a venomous term. 

However, the N-word is also just as often used in a neutral term, laced with with no more racial vitriol than the word "dude". For example, rap music features the word prominently in that light. More importantly the word is used on basketball courts across the country including those in the National Basketball Association.  Listening closely to telecasts, especially local ones will reveal lots of use of the N-word on the court, where players use the word to describe their opponents, their teammates and themselves. Most importantly, context will often differentiate between the word's alternatively demeaning and neutral meanings. 

Barnes's tweet does not have any obvious racial intonations other than the mere use of the word. This should be differentiated from the other recent media story concerning the use of the word. Richie Incognito was caught using the word in a voicemail to his teammate Jonathan Martin. In this case, Incognito uses the phrase "half-nigger" to refer to Martin.  The phrase seems to refer to Martin's racial identity. Barnes's tweet refers to his teammates in a haphazard way, some of which are white or black. 

Matt Barnes isn't using the word to demean his teammates and his use of the N-word doesn't appear to reference their race in way. Yet, media reports are describing it as racially inflammatory. For some people, context will never matter and given the word's history, it will always be a racist term, regardless of how it is used. However, the horse is way out of the barn on this issue, and people should appreciate the fact that in 2013, the N-word has a nuanced use. Sometimes the N-word isn't a charged term at all.