Jack Durish's answer to Would being suspended from a public school for calling a black classmate...

I agree, but I also believe that we have turned being offended into an art. Any word spoken with a certain emphasis in a certain context can be offensive. Yiddish is a wonderful language for demonstrating this concept. "Meshuga"generally means crazy or foolish, but may used as a term of endearment or an incitement to fight and almost anything in between depending upon context and emphasis. The funny part is that you'll know which even though you don't speak the language. Yiddish is that expressive. The dreaded "N-word" is used by blacks in the same way as meshuga is used among Jews. The only difference is that non-Jews may use meshuga without retribution. Don't expect the same result if you use the N-word and aren't black...