Lee
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Post by Lee on Nov 27, 2007 20:39:06 GMT
If someone calls me a "dumb frog" you know what I would say?
"Ribbit"
And walk on. The person who attempted offense will probably stand there open mouthed, wondering what the hell just happened. ;D
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Post by illgrace on Nov 27, 2007 21:46:39 GMT
I think that's easy to say, but what about the 100th time you hear it?
Right, one from 'the vaults'.
My father was French Canadian. When he moved to the West Coast, he got a job in the Vancouver School system. At first, he was teaching business and French. Now, heed the irony here: he was told by the Superintendent of schools that if he wanted to get ahead in the system, he'd better lose the French accent. He started out eating in the staff room, but he either ate alone or someone would say " I'll go eat with the frog". So he always ate in his classroom.
Now my mother BEGGED him to teach his kids French. He said " I will never have my children exposed to the kind of prejudice I've been through: they are 'English' now". Luckily, he 'slipped' back into French so we picked up a lot ;D.
And yes, this wouldn't happen now. It was a long time ago ( in some ways) and language laws and civil rights have changed. But it seared his soul at the time. I didn't find out until I was going through his papers after he died he was Metis as well. No wonder he didn't let that little gem slip, although I did wonder why the French he and his family spoke was slightly different to other French Canadians I knew.
As for 'Indian giver', it means a cheat, pure and simple. What's so hard about substituting another word, like renege? Besides, here there are so many people from India, was well as First Nations People, it would be rather confusing and to say the least!.
No, I don't think it's that hard to find acceptable substitutes. It's just a kind of laziness for many people: they go with what they are used to. But change is not that hard, so I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
Illgrace
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Lee
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Post by Lee on Nov 27, 2007 22:29:00 GMT
[quote author=illgrace board=tactics thread=1195315297
As for 'Indian giver', it means a cheat, pure and simple.
[/quote]
I always thought it meant, quite literally, someone who gives a gift and then takes it away again.
I've never heard the term "renege".
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Post by illgrace on Nov 27, 2007 22:39:19 GMT
Main Entry: re·nege Listen to the pronunciation of renege Listen to the pronunciation of renege Pronunciation: \ri-ˈneg also -ˈnāg, -ˈnig; rē-\ Function: verb Inflected Form(s): re·neged; re·neg·ing Etymology: Medieval Latin renegare Date: 1548 transitive verb: deny, renounce intransitive verb 1obsolete : to make a denial 2: revoke 3: to go back on a promise or commitment
— re·neg·er noun
Illgrace - now you have! ( you don't play bridge, do you?  ) |
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Lee
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Post by Lee on Nov 28, 2007 19:15:23 GMT
Oh, I have heard it as a verb, but not as a noun. I've never heard anyone called a "renege" (and honestly, I was hearing it in my head as "ren-eh-jay"...hence my further confusion.)
Nope...never played bridge. Is that a card game?
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Post by saramacha on Dec 5, 2007 17:18:03 GMT
I find this really interesting as I used to live in the Uk at a time when the IRA were still active, i was equally bothered by the "plastic paddy" lot, (british of irish extraction who were what we call at home Armchair Terrorists ie they cheer on the IRA but from a safe distance, never facing up to what they actually were and did) and the bigots who openly in work bullied me and another Irish girl mercilessly for being Irish. We once asked HR to deal with it and it was made clear to us that our careers would suffer not the bullies. The other girl left and went home and tbh the minute the econmy here took off in the nineties I left as well and the way I was treated was a huge part of that. i come from *Dork, there is a hugr tradition there of real freedom fighters, men and women who died so I could be free but who would not plant a bomb on a street to kill kids no they fought in the streets against a better armed army. All war is dirty and noone can say you fight a war with clean hands but there is imo a difference between trying to fight a clean war and deliberately choosing to fight as terrorists and the difference is choosing to disregard civilian lifes and innocent lives. I know it's not ever absolutely clear cut but I think for most people there is a reasonably clear difference. just to add, the "silent supporters" of the IRA were dispicable I met lots who knew nothing about Irish history just a load of cliches and they trotted them out to explain why they gave money to fundraisers etc, and most had never been in ireland and certainly not NI. Can i also say though i was searched loads of times coming into the UK I never objected, of course I was a target I was Irish the IRA are Irish, I can't understand blaming the security forces for obvious choices lol I think that racial profiling at airports etc is necessary. Certainly noone of my peers in ireland were left with emotional scars from it lol SO having said all that on forums I think people can be very oversensitive I remember a whole fight over some silly joke about various european nations and their good and bad points. as a rule of thumb I think that people should say what they think and the rest of us have the right to reply. but you need a well moderated board for that. *CORK  |
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Post by illgrace on Dec 5, 2007 19:30:27 GMT
Oddly enough, saramacha, I think if there was any board people could 'take it' it would be one like this. There is probably not a person here who has not had to suck up ignorance, hate or bigotry at some time or other and also, who doesn't know the difference between ignorance and malice. Indeed, I think that's one of the functions of such a place is to alert people to the difference. Those who wish to 'convert' you rarely would be openly bigoted; it would defeat their purpose. Therefore, places like this can be useful as a 'translator' , if you see what I mean. Trust me, If I was that soooonnnssiiiitive , I'd be a melted ice-lolly on the floor years ago. ;D Illgrace ( Yes, the Dr. is available. Yes, you are speaking to her *jerk* ) |
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Post by saramacha on Dec 14, 2007 17:22:07 GMT
oh i do see what you mean! I think it's important to have some peoepl willing to "translate"  I think the racists groups have a field day now as take the grey areas which are hard to debate (immigration is a classic example) and they say things that sound reasonable, and are what a lot of people are afraid of but feel they can't say (eg, are too many immigrants being allowed in? not in itself racist but peopel feel they can't ask that without being labelled racists, the right wing groups play up to this and pretend to "tackle" issues people want talked about...) PS I work in an all male office - people think I'm the secretary pss I just realized in my last post I said I am from DORK!! cork, i'm from cork |
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Post by Sue V on Jan 4, 2008 0:52:04 GMT
and yet, 'indian giver' is especially egregious, because of the lie it repeats, since the whites were the ones taking things back...
-sue
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suev
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Post by suev on Jan 4, 2008 1:01:30 GMT
(i'm suevanhattum@hotmail.com)
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Post by uzaxiqaqoge on Aug 4, 2019 3:36:20 GMT
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Post by gejakaxaaryae on Aug 4, 2019 6:10:25 GMT
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Post by iyotacanule on Nov 15, 2019 2:22:15 GMT
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)
I think the racists groups have a field day now as take the grey areas which are hard to debate (immigration is a classic example) and they say things that sound reasonable, and are what a lot of people are afraid of but feel they can't say (eg, are too many immigrants being allowed in? not in itself racist but peopel feel they can't ask that without being labelled racists, the right wing groups play up to this and pretend to "tackle" issues people want talked about...)