Education about the Word Midget

[whoisjohngalt]

Fine, make fun of a foreign girl


Lena

[zibazinski]

Geez, I thought she mean feminism, the women's movement!!!

[thyme4change]

zib - that's what I thought at first too. And I thought, who can't handle that? Even Mary Poppins tackles that little piece of history!

Sorry Lena...but you really made my morning.

[whoisjohngalt]

[gs11rmb]

There is a well known philanthropist in Atlanta named Gay Love - she's probably in her 60s so when she married and took her husband's name it didn't have quite the same connotation.

[thyme4change]

There is a well known philanthropist in Atlanta named Gay Love

That is frickin awesome!

[Deleted]

The reason HF was re-written is because it is out of copyright, and anyone can do whatever they want with it... these books are abridged all the time, and put out in 'simplified' versions, and yes in graphic novel and even pop up form... just cause people put them out there, doesn't mean i have to read it...

We always 're-write' history in books... history books are always written after the fact and through the perspective of the person writing it... even first person accounts and original source documents are not going to be free of bias, because the writer has one... which is why critical thinking and ability to analyze source material, etc. is so important...

I've said before, but i can't say enough good stuff about Critical Thinking in United States History series (we're doing Colonies thu Constitution right now)... even if you don't homeschool, i'd recommend it for middle school aged kids...

[Deleted]

Lena, you made me think of Billy Collins, my favorite poet...

The History Teacher - Billy Collins

Trying to protect his students' innocence
he told them the Ice Age was really just
the Chilly Age, a period of a million years
when everyone had to wear sweaters.

And the Stone Age became the Gravel Age,
named after the long driveways of the time.

The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more
than an outbreak of questions such as
"How far is it from here to Madrid?"
"What do you call the matador's hat?"

The War of the Roses took place in a garden,
and the Enola Gay dropped one tiny atom on Japan.

The children would leave his classroom
for the playground to torment the weak
and the smart,
mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses,

while he gathered up his notes and walked home
past flower beds and white picket fences,
wondering if they would believe that soldiers
in the Boer War told long, rambling stories
designed to make the enemy nod off.

[pushingit]

Jan 19, 2011 11:21:01 GMT -5 @daennera said:

Things, people, places, etc can be and are referred to as retarded.

If you are of African descent and acting in a stereotypical fashion, I will call you a n_____.

If you are a women and acting as a stereotypical woman, I will call you a ****.


Seeing as how my peer group does not treat language any differently, I'm really surprised that anyone actually pays attention to this sort of thing.

See now I think all of the above is just wrong. First it's just name calling, which is not useful and second it's inflammatory.

Where I feel the whole issue has gotten out of hand is where you can't use the words at all even when quoting, referring to something else or not in a derogatory way.

As an example, I should be able to say that people are trying to get Mark Twain's books reissued without the use of the word n_____. I shouldn't have to say "People are trying to get Mark Twain's books reissued without the "N-word". That's just stupid. (no offense to stupid people.)

I should be able to say my Down Syndrome cousin is mentally retarded. It's the correct medical term for her condition. I'm not saying "Laura's a retard." although, technically she is, that would be offensive. Oh and btw, Down's also is no longer in vogue. We don't say Laura has Down's or Laura has Down's Syndrome, it's now proper to know and use the correct medical term for her condition which is Trisomy 21. However, that doesn't quite roll off the tongue as smooth, so we just go ahead and say Down's because we aren't that picky in my family.

(And also, she doesn't GAS. It's her other family members who do. I have to wonder why.)

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

However, that doesn't quite roll off the tongue as smooth, so we just go ahead and say Down's because we aren't that picky in my family

My MIL used the term "Mongloid" to describe a child she knows with Down's Syndrome.

DH had to explain that it isn't appropriate to use that phrase anymore.

Back when my MIL had DH and when she was a kid that is the term that was used. It is deragtory because it was due to the shape of the eyes of some Trisomy 21 children looked like the eye shape of a certain race of people, but how could my MIL know that?

If everyone was using the word and doesn't blink an eye and you haven't exactly stayed 100% up to date on the ever evolving names how would you know that the name you knew something under is now offensive?

[thyme4change]

I know it isn't proper, but is "siamese twins" now offensive? I know the technical term is conjoined, and I know why siamese twins was the original term. I just don't know if you are allowed to say it anymore.

[whoisjohngalt]

It's one thing to re-write history books due to new discoveries or even different perspectives It's entirely different to re-write them bc G-d forbid kids can't "handle" it or bc the latest "new" group of people find it offensive. That's ludicrous.

Mark Twain is classic. You might like him or hate him, but passage of time, among other things, made him classic. To "re-write" his books is wrong on many many levels.

Lena

[alsmez]

A neighbor of my parents' name is Gaelynn but she has always gone by Gae (pronounced gay) - I assume it wasn't as un-PC back in the 40s-50s when she was growing up as it is now. The thing I find amusing about it though is that she is the biggest homophobe I've ever seen (not to mention a racist and raving lunatic in general).

[pushingit]

Jan 20, 2011 12:01:50 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

It's one thing to re-write history books due to new discoveries or even different perspectives It's entirely different to re-write them bc G-d forbid kids can't "handle" it or bc the latest "new" group of people find it offensive. That's ludicrous.

Mark Twain is classic. You might like him or hate him, but passage of time, among other things, made him classic. To "re-write" his books is wrong on many many levels.

Lena

Agreed.

I also don't agree with sanitized history books. My kids teachers don't appreciate it when after they've completed a unit I tell them the real deal.

[thyme4change]

The problem with sanitized history books is that all versions are changed in one way or another. It is hard to tell what really happened.

Although Shannon always told us how happy the slaves were and what good times they had.

[Deleted]

Oh i completely agree with you on the history book thing Lena, just in case you thought i didn't ... its just hard to get 'pure' history, because everyone is biased...

"I assume it wasn't as un-PC back in the 40s-50s when she was growing up as it is now."

When i was first teaching, an older teacher retired and gave me some of her books... There was a bulletin board idea book from the 70s that suggested the title "How to build a gay snowman...." ... I decided not to go with that one ...

[thyme4change]

How to build a gay snowman

It is all in the carrot.

[cronewitch]

Gay means happy, cheerful not homosexual. The way it got a double meaning was in past centuries women didn't act in plays so the female parts were play by male actors. In french the world LeGays or something like that means the Girls so the male actors playing females were called the girls or LeGays. Soon all effeminate men were called gays even if some homosexual men aren't the least bit effeminate.

[Deleted]

Jan 19, 2011 19:27:27 GMT -5 The J said:

Everyone -- a reminder that racial slurs are NOT permitted on this board. Please edit any post that has one, or I'll have to delete them.

-- The mOd of YM

So why wasn't post #39 edited or deleted? It wasn't a post in the same spirit as formerexpat's post relaying how a misunderstanding was resolved. #39 says that if you're of African descent and behave in a *stereotypical* fashion (whatever that is), you're a ****** and will be called one. If's that not an insulting use of a racial slur, I'm not sure what is.

I just want to be clear on what the rules are here and what's allowed and what's not.

[whoisjohngalt]

So why wasn't post #39 edited or deleted?

Here is my stupid question of the day - where do you guys see post numbers??

Lena

[Deleted]

formerexpat, I've been around white people who obviously grew up with/spent a lot of time around black people. They've said some things that made me do a double-take and say to myself "Did he/she really just say that?". But I didn't make a big deal out of it because I didn't think they meant to offend. It was just the way they talked......... part of the vernacular (is that the right word?) they'd picked up from their enviornment. So because I didn't perceive an intent to offend, it was no harm, no foul.

[Deleted]

Re: Education about the Word Midget
« Reply #81 Today at 5:33pm »

Read more: notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=finance&thread=1850&page=3#ixzz1BcM2zGJz

At the top of each post. See it?

[thyme4change]

It is under the Re: Title on the center top of each post.

[soon2bmomof3]

Lena, Under the title there is << Reply #...today at X:XX time >>

[thyme4change]

Jinx!

(Are we still allowed to say that - or is that offensive too?)

[Deleted]

thyme.... nooooooo, you can't say that. I'm offended!

[The J]

Jan 20, 2011 17:29:20 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Jan 19, 2011 19:27:27 GMT -5 The J said:

Everyone -- a reminder that racial slurs are NOT permitted on this board. Please edit any post that has one, or I'll have to delete them.

-- The mOd of YM

So why wasn't post #39 edited or deleted? It wasn't a post in the same spirit as formerexpat's post relaying how a misunderstanding was resolved. #39 says that if you're of African descent and behave in a *stereotypical* fashion (whatever that is), you're a ****** and will be called one. If's that not an insulting use of a racial slur, I'm not sure what is.

I just want to be clear on what the rules are here and what's allowed and what's not.

I have asked the poster to edit the post (as a mod, we won't edit the post -- delete it only). Daennara hasn't been on since I sent her the request, so I would like to give her a chance to edit it.

[whoisjohngalt]

Thank you all. I FINALLY see it. It literally took me about 5 minutes to find it

Lena

[formerexpat]

Everyone -- a reminder that racial slurs are NOT permitted on this board. Please edit any post that has one, or I'll have to delete them.

[/size]

I don't believe mine was one but let me know because I'd hate for my post to be deleted for a commonly used word in rap songs. Then again, with the scrubbing of Huck Finn, who knows.

Interestingly enough, while listening to one of the hip hop / R&B stations here, the commentators on the station stated the preferred the N word in the book over the word slaves and that slaves was more offensive since it meant they were owned.

They said, quote: you can call me a n**** all you want, I'll take my freedom any day.

[The J]

Jan 20, 2011 20:16:58 GMT -5 formerexpat said:

Everyone -- a reminder that racial slurs are NOT permitted on this board. Please edit any post that has one, or I'll have to delete them.

[/size]

I don't believe mine was one but let me know because I'd hate for my post to be deleted for a commonly used word in rap songs. Then again, with the scrubbing of Huck Finn, who knows.

Interestingly enough, while listening to one of the hip hop / R&B stations here, the commentators on the station stated the preferred the N word in the book over the word slaves and that slaves was more offensive since it meant they were owned.

They said, quote: you can call me a n**** all you want, I'll take my freedom any day.[/quote]

I think you're ok. I'll let you know if there's a problem