Seems to stem from three things IMHO, the fact that many Americans are not aware of the pronunciation of Niger (nee-jair) , that there is a country of the same name and the fact that it looks to some, uncomfortably like another more unpleasant word?
As a general rule, people from different countries of origin tend to pronounce words differently. That is normal. The rest of your blanket presumptions stem from the reading of a single article containing the viewpoints of two people.
In any case, NONE of this has anything to do with the original topic of this thread. If you wish to discuss PC issues or parse the flaws of "Americans", please start your own thread in an appropriate forum. Thank You.
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Please stay on topic as far as possible. If you want to discuss a different subject, start a new thread - don't hijack someone else’s thread. Hint: If your comments don't match the title of the thread, you are probably off topic.