----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Land" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 5:19 PM Subject: Offensive Colloquialisms
> Howdy, > > In my last post, I almost wrote that God could "keep Her cotton-pickin' > hands" off my child, but went with the intentionally-misspelled > "god-done hands" instead, because it suddenly occurred to me that the > colloquialism "cotton-pickin'" is probably racist. Not really! Remember that sharecroppers were pikkin cotton too! When you pick cotton, the cotton fibers cut your fingers and make them bleed. This would immediately identify you to anyone as a bottom rung worker. It would also stereotype you as a low class type that might also be a thief. The term "cotton picking hands" actually refers to someone who is not trustworthy enough to be touching *my* stuff. > > I'm sure the everyone here will claim that they've always known that and > what the hell is wrong with me, but... > Duh! Duh! Duh! </Blatant Carlos Mencia Reference> <G> > What other "colorful, home-spun, innocent"-seeming colloquialisms (man, > that's hard to type) do you suppose we use that are actually offensive? > Good question! I know there are a few "Geeks" in here, so I would start there with the epithets. >From there you find such as Dutch courage and Dutch treat and even Yankee. (Yankee was originally Jack Cheese, an epithet against the cheese eating Dutch of New York that somehow got turned around and applied to the English descendents) I myself find the term "Ebonics" minorly offensive, even considering its source. xponent Wordless Bastard Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
