The word "" and WoW

I've gotten used to a lot of words being tossed around in trade, gchat, rchat, and vent. But this one I can't seem to accept. I'm a decade or more older than the average WoW player so maybe it's just a generational thing, but this word to me represents the worst of our culture and I don't want it polluting my eyes and ears.

Unfortunately, I see people using it freely in game, and they don't go away. So I assume it's not a bannable offense.

Someone help me out here. Is this a young-person's thing? Is racism and hate fashionable again? Is this restricted to WoW or pretty common across the internet?

The more progressed the guild, the worse it seems to get. Sigh...