[mrsmel]

That’s true, but app 20 years ago a man was still hounded from his job for saying it, even though he said it in context.

[Verginius Rufus]

If we are thinking of the same case, the man in question managed to keep his job because he was gay. Gay trumps black.

Obviously the facts of the matter (the actual origin of the word "niggardly") don't matter--it's whether someone is offended because the word is perceived to be racist.