A non-derogatory word for black male, used by blacks and whites alike (even in mixed company), prevalent in the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, I heard it constantly and it was used and received with the same sort of attitude as one might use "dude" today, except for the distinguishing fact that it did indeed refer to race, without being racist.

A moment that is generally agreed to have had a significant influence on pop culture and everyday life. While the term was coined by Rose McGowan in context of the #MeToo movement, and is mostly associated with the K-pop community, the phenomenon is universal and a basic component of how culture works.

Real world events such as social/political movements, the election of a new U.S. President, major catastrophes and disasters, as well as entertainment such as movies, music and TV, can all function as cultural resets. Notable cultural resets in relatively recent memory include:

* The Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964
* The Watergate scandal of 1974
* The release of Nevermind by Nirvana in 1991
* The September 11, 2001 attacks
* The election and inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009
* The COVID-19 pandemic

This is definitely not a derogatory reference to blacks. With the 3rdMarDiv on Okinawa in the 60s, it was used back and forth between blacks as well as between blacks and whites. If it were derogatory, I would have gotten my ass whupped many times. Beyond Okinawa, in VN and later in Yokosuka, the term was prevalent and used in a non-pejorative manner. The term splib was used to identify blacks or African Americans in a non-insulting way.

At North Texas State University, 1964, splib was the common word for black African Americans used by the jazz crowd. Gray, or gray dude, referred to whites on a similar level. These were in common usage among many civil rights activists as well.

I did not perceive it as derogatory at the time, more a hip code-word among the jivers (those speaking jive-talk).

When I was a military brat in Germany in the 60s, splib was the accepted use for blacks, it was not derogatory at all. On the other side of the coin, 'chuck' indeed was the term for whites, and you even heard 'chuck white' to describe someone who was white.

An African-American who acts like a fool publicly.