Well, as a lifelong resident of Northeast, I think it might be a good idea to weigh in...
I have never, NEVER in 23 years of life heard somebody who lives in Northeast use the term "Nordeast." I don't find it derogatory, but akin to people who use "The Strip" to talk about Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles. In other words, they're trying to use the "in" phrase, but in so doing co-opts a word used most often by outsiders. So no, I don't think it's an offensive term (although I'm not Eastern European, so I could be wrong), but I do think it's trite. In fact, I usually take note of when people use the term (I've also seen NordEast, NorthEast and the occasional NeHe which I think is atrocious, btw). Scrolling down to their signature, they tend not to be residents of Northeast (instead from south minneapolis). While I feel a great deal of Eastside pride knowing that my childhood neighborhoods are all of a sudden the rage among the gentrification set, I too roll my eyes when people say things like Nordeast, even if I don't think it is a big deal. However, a general rule of communication I've found effective is this: if somebody from the population you're describing tells you to stop using a term, it's almost always a good idea to stop. Patrick who grew up in Windom and now lives in Dinkytown ===== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Patrick Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] TEL:612.379.4722 AIM:a11235patrick MSN:patrickepeterson -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
