Sometimes, these terms initially may have benign or even beneficial connotations, then come to have controversial or negative connotations (e.g. consider the
shifts in racial connotations from the term «Negro» to «Black» to «African American,» or the
shifts from «boyfriend» to «significant other» to «domestic partner,» or even the
shifts from «stewardess» to «
flight attendant,» or from «waiter» to «server» (
as in the annoying, «Hi, I'm Bob.