I don't want to get too far off topic here, but I think the reason it is inappropriate now is that it has transformed from a word into a slur, which unfortunately happens over time sometimes. It basically means then that even people who use the word for its original intent are now using it as a slur, or at least perceived to be doing that. It's why things get cringey sometimes when talking to your parents or grandparents. I know we had a great word for a bundle of firewood or female dog 100 years ago, but it has evolved. A word's meaning isn't frozen in time and will evolve as the culture evolves.