I am sickened by this, and just wish I were surprised as well. I read up on the Boston Globe reporting on this until I ran into their paywall-- and have to echo the words of a NAACP official, whose quote in effect was- this is something deeper. Not only did the people in question feel they had the right to use racially offensive language, but they felt safe in doing so, in the company of their peers. They felt safe enough, that nobody would rat them out to security, and that their comments would be generally acceptable to those around them. There was a further observation on the Mayor's comment that "we're better than this," sounding more like an appeal than a statement of fact. That kind of behavior goes well beyond a couple of drunk dudes spouting off. But, I guess, according to some, we've had a black President by now, so we don't have to worry about those kinds of things anymore. Sickened. Disgusted. But not surprised.