Which is why it was such a surprise when one of my classmates called me a nigger in fifth grade. — It happened, as I suppose these things can, for no reason. The class was briefly unattended, working on a project and talking. One girl was needling a boy. Let’s call the girl Dora and let’s call the boy Prentice because those names are quaint and if we’re going to use pseudonyms, they ought to bring joy. So Dora says, “You know, another word for ‘Prentice’ is ‘nerd,’ ” or something equally toothless. I don’t really remember the quote so much as I remember thinking, This utopia is terrible at
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