The other day, watching the movie "Coach Carter" (Samuel Jackson starring), the players were told off for using this term among themselves.

So I was just wondering how bad it sounds...

In Brazil, Sidney, "negro" is OK, right, acceptable.... but "preto" (which would be the color "black") NO WAY!!! never!! racist awful lgg. The same goes with "pretinha", "neguinha", both are very very inappropriate (unless in a caring way between lovers, very close people...)

by the way, yup, I´m black... in Brazil, most would say I´m "moreno" because I´m not so dark-skinned. It´s like "tanned". On my birth certificate it says "pardo", which to me is a color of envelopes we buy around here.