What would MLK think?

I have wondered why it is that black people can get away with saying nigger but white people cannot?  I know that is a sensitive question, but if anyone has an answer, please let me know.

I was riding a city bus that was rather crowded and sitting in the back where usually most of the black people sit (strange, considering the whole Rosa Parks thing) and there were some young black men talking loudly and obnoxiosly saying offensive words and using the word nigger over and over.  I found this offensive on a public bus.  There were children around!  Eventually, me and my big mouth said something to try to quiet them down to no avail.   However, when one of them was apparently offended when he heard another passenger on the bus use the term nigger, I could not believe it!  I mentioned that they had been using the term multiple times for the last 20 minutes or so and I was amazed that this person could be offended.  They tried to explain and I responded rationally.  Eventually what conclusion, if it can be called that, was arrived at was that blacks call each other that in a friendly tone, so it’s all right.  So figuring that using the term in a friendly tone it would be all right, I attempted to use the term in a friendly context.  This offended the two young men and I think a couple of other black females on the bus.  There were other black passengers who did not seem to care, although they were obviously listening.

The anger in one of the individuals rose to the point to where he wanted to fight me when I got off of the bus.  His friend tried to dissuade him from doing that over such a trite thing, and I did not want to fight.  The angry one kept talkinand boasting about how he was going to beat me up and  such, and I was trying to explain that I meant no offense.  I was trying to make a point, but he was not wanting to listen to my explanaition.

When I eventually got off of the bus he tried to follow me off but his friend prevented him.  He apparently got off at a different stop and followed me because he snuck up behind be and hit me in the back of the head.  I promote peace and non-violence most of the time, but I turned around and chased him and when I caught up to him he again expressed his offense about being called a nigger and I told him I tried to explain what I was doing, and he didn’t want to hear it.  Now I look at him as a coward.  I may complain to the city bus mangement or whatever about foul offensive language and such.