N-word debacle

The n-word debacle refers to a recurring but largely resolved issue in GS that revolved around the usage of the n-word and its variants. The issue largely revolved around the ban of the word and all variants, and the attempts of largely Conq to allow the word again.

Background
The n-word was not banned in GS and most users generally used it in a non serious manner. As per the statistics of the N-word Olympics (more information below), Koe, Conq and Sultan were tied for the most frequent users of the n-word between December of 2019 and mid-June 2020, each using it 8 times in that timespan. Other members such as Vya, Chegg and Quartz also used it, though infrequently.

Pushback
The n-word began seeing a pushback by roughly March of 2020. Several main backers against the usage of the word were Dwwojcik and Arion. The pushback led to Chegg eventually encouraging members to lessen use of the word, though Conq and Koe were the main backers for the word remaining loosely regulated.

Sentiments rose considerably during the wave of protests against police brutality in the United States in mid-2020. Conq and to a lesser extent Koe were already being accused by some members of being racists, which both individuals vehemently denied. During one debate about a man who had been shot by police for snatching a taser, Conq referred to the man involved as 'street scum'. This caused many members to accuse him of racism.

N-word Olympics
The N-word Olympics was started by Conq on the 18th of June 2020. It was essentially a game of who used the hard R n-word the most.

Rules
1. The only utterance that counts is the hard n word. This word begins with the letter n. It is then succeeded by the letter i. A pair of the letter g follows afterwards. The letter e comes next and the word is finally concluded with the letter r.

2. You must not deliberately say the word specified in rule one in order to inflate your point count. It must be said casually in a normal flow of conversation.

Leaderboard

 * 1) Conq - 8
 * 2) Sultan - 8
 * 3) Koe - 8
 * 4) Vya - 7
 * 5) Chegg - 1
 * 6) Quartzes - 1
 * 7) Ahmy - 1
 * 8) Delta - 1

Backlash
The N-word Olympics was met with an incredibly negative reception. Many members began asking why Conq wasn't banned for outright promoting the explicit use of the hard R n-word, not to mention his lighthearted attitude towards the word considering the controversy already surrounding him for his use of the word and suspicions of racism. This game contributed heavily to anti-Conq sentiments, contributing heavily to his and Koe's ban during the July Bannings, following which Chegg proclaimed Conq the winner of the N-word Olympics.

Ban of the word
Immediately after the main post regarding the July Bannings, Chegg announced that henceforth, the n-word would be banned completely. Once Conq would return, he would quietly push for the word to remain allowed, though he would remain silent on the issue for the most part until later.

Presidential promise
On the 26th of August, roughly 2 months after most of the initial controversy, Conq made a sarcastic joke about allowing the n-word to return if he was made head of the server. Conq's Presidential Promise, as this incident is now referred to, garnered a mixed response in the server. Most members saw Conq as merely joking, though Pat, Arion and Psik attempted to use Conq's words as evidence that he still wished to use the n-word and that he should therefore be banned. The aftermath of the incident resulted in Psik leaving the server, and Conq receiving some support from the community.

Continuted debate
By GS7, most opposition to Conq's presence in the server was gone. This caused him to begin pursuing the legalisation of the word once more. He stated that while the hard R should be banned, the regular n-word should be allowed, describing it as a term of "friendship" among black people. Some members also doubted Conq's integrity after he stated that he would be willing to allow Graham to return to GS after his ban if the n-word was allowed again. H

One of Conq's arguments was that his use of the word was always punished, while other members would use the word without punishment. He received some flack after describing punishment against him as akin to George Floyd's death, before Delta settled the debate by muting every single person in the server who had ever used the n-word in the past. By GS8, Conq had ceased attempting to allow the word, though his continued belief that the server was punishing him unfairly contributed to KLM/CLM.

A partial reason for Pit's ban during TLW was his occasional use of the n-word despite moderators telling him to stop.

Current status
The word is banned in GS. Latino continues to use the "soft R" n-word, though nobody really cares.