zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Oct 24, 2014 8:33:05 GMT -5
Oh, brother, what dilemma!
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Oct 24, 2014 8:50:25 GMT -5
Interesting. So here's the back story...on a conference call at work. I made that same statement. On the call were random people, my boss, and and my SVP. The he next call I had was with my boss and her staff. She made a comment about the word niggle...she asked me in a joking manner if that was a real word and said her and another person had surprised shocked looks on their faces when I said it. So I told them, of course it's a real word?!? I was just as surprised that neither of them had heard it before..I told them to look it up if they didn't believe me. (Which they did) she then says something to the effect oh I'd never heard that before, I think I'll mention something about it to SVP..you know you have to be careful with people who go back and forth between languages (he used to run our plant in Mexico). In case you're wondering my SVP is black. So is what I said that easily misconstrued as a racial slur? I think there are 2 potential issues here: 1) Some people may not know what it means. 2) Using words in speech is different than using words in print. In print there's no "wait, what did I just hear?" issues. Particularly when you are saying a VERY lightly used word that sounds very similar to a completely inappropriate word. There's a reason people don't use it too much, just like people rarely us "n****rdly".
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Oct 24, 2014 10:18:47 GMT -5
Ignorance is for ignoramuses. I can't help it if people don't know words more than 5 letters long.
Sorry you went through that. I can imagine it was shocking to have a word misinterpreted like that. I have a large vocabulary as well (though not as large as some!) and read a lot of books. Sometimes that puts you in a different communication realm as others.
It's depressing the world has come to internet speak and c U l8r, LOL, and WTF as the only means of conveying information.
PS I reserve the right to use LOL and WTF because they do add something to our vernacular!
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Oct 24, 2014 10:24:17 GMT -5
It may just be an age thing or a vocabulary thing. I know (and have used) niggling as in "oh just the niggling details are left" or "I've got that niggling feeling - I'm forgetting something I just don't know what!" I love me some 10 dollar words (and even 5 dollar words) and 'niggle' is one of those getting to be old timey words that the younger folks don't use - because it's not in that common of usage. I can see where someone hearing it for the first time might give the word the hairy eye ball thinking it's somehow racist. But, it's not. I get lots of weird looks when I slip into 'full vocabulary' mode... cause I'll use some really cool word that no one knows. I once said something like "the consultants are formicating the conference room... there's free bagels and cream cheese! We have to hurry if we want some!" I've never used n****dly in a sentence but I know it's meaning (and have probably run across it in text somewhere... perhaps a play or a book?
I've seen it in use once in a book, one of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I figured it out by context. I don't read many other books from that same era so maybe that's why it's the only time I've come across it.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 10:55:54 GMT -5
I'm late to the party, but I use that phrase all the time. Usually when someone asks me about something and I somewhere in the back of my brain something "pings" but I can't remember exactly what it is, but I know I should know.
I never would have thought anyone might find it offensive.
It's interesting that its being used for slang now. Does that prevent people from using it in it's proper form when obviously it was used in correct context? Just because some are using it as a slang in noun form- but you used it in it's proper verb form- it's construed as racist.
I still use the word tweaking to mean " make slight adjustments" even though now refers to drug use- which bothers some people.
Have we gone so PC that we can't use proper language?
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moon/Laura
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Post by moon/Laura on Oct 24, 2014 11:01:10 GMT -5
Have we gone so PC that we can't use proper language? I hope not. Why should I have to dumb down my vocabulary just to account for the people who don't know definitions and just assume the worst (instead of looking it up)?
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Oct 24, 2014 11:10:45 GMT -5
I've never known "niggling" or "n****rdly" to have racist connotations, but I admit I wouldn't use the latter when talking to a black stranger on the off-chance they weren't familiar with the term. There are plenty of synonyms to choose from. "Niggling" is a huge stretch. If people are going to get offended because a word has "nig" in it, they deserve to be offended. ...unless of course it's a deliberate pun, such as saying "Thanks for not renigging on your promise. I'm glad you have some nignity." to a black person, in which case you could probably expect a punch in the face.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 24, 2014 11:24:25 GMT -5
I've never known "niggling" or "n****rdly" to have racist connotations, but I admit I wouldn't use the latter when talking to a black stranger on the off-chance they weren't familiar with the term. There are plenty of synonyms to choose from. "Niggling" is a huge stretch. If people are going to get offended because a word has "nig" in it, they deserve to be offended. ...unless of course it's a deliberate pun, such as saying "Thanks for not renigging on your promise. I'm glad you have some nignity." to a black person, in which case you could probably expect a punch in the face. nignity ?
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 11:29:13 GMT -5
...unless of course it's a deliberate pun, such as saying "Thanks for not renigging on your promise. I'm glad you have some nignity." to a black person, in which case you could probably expect a punch in the face. Unfortunately, there are those who would still be bothered if you said "Thanks for not reneging on your promise" because they would still "hear" your version and not know what you really said.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Oct 24, 2014 12:21:21 GMT -5
for everyone who asked:
uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Niggle
You may not agree and that is certainly your call, but SOME folks DO use it as an old-fashioned, underhanded slur.
But as always, YMMV.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 12:30:46 GMT -5
for everyone who asked:
uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Niggle
You may not agree and that is certainly your call, but SOME folks DO use it as an old-fashioned, underhanded slur.
But as always, YMMV.
Considering your site comes with this on the top, I wouldn't count it as reliable. From websters: From Oxfords
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Oct 24, 2014 12:34:05 GMT -5
for everyone who asked:
uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Niggle
You may not agree and that is certainly your call, but SOME folks DO use it as an old-fashioned, underhanded slur.
But as always, YMMV.
Considering your site comes with this on the top, I wouldn't count it as reliable. From websters: From Oxfords As always, you are welcomed to disagree. However, it IS worthy to note that folks who use slang for their own nefarious purposes rarely consult academic texts.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Oct 24, 2014 12:38:30 GMT -5
I've never known "niggling" or "n****rdly" to have racist connotations, but I admit I wouldn't use the latter when talking to a black stranger on the off-chance they weren't familiar with the term. There are plenty of synonyms to choose from. "Niggling" is a huge stretch. If people are going to get offended because a word has "nig" in it, they deserve to be offended. ...unless of course it's a deliberate pun, such as saying "Thanks for not renigging on your promise. I'm glad you have some nignity." to a black person, in which case you could probably expect a punch in the face. nignity ? I couldn't think of a better example. The point is that the single phoneme, "nig", is sufficient to communicate a racist message when emphasized. It's one of the few phonemes I can think of that carries pejorative meaning even by itself. "Ass" is another one, and possibly "dic" and "tard". If your hostile coworker mutters "looks like Archie is back from breakf-ass," for example, although the pun is horribly childish, the intent is still clearly communicated. I think the problem is that an overly sensitive listener might perceive an emphasis on "neg" in "renege" that doesn't actually exist.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 12:53:29 GMT -5
Considering your site comes with this on the top, I wouldn't count it as reliable. From websters: From Oxfords As always, you are welcomed to disagree. However, it IS worthy to note that folks who use slang for their own nefarious purposes rarely consult academic texts. Yes, however simply because some people choose to start using a word in a derogatory manner, should not prevent people from using it in it's proper form in context. Nor should they be penalized for the ignorance of others. Not everyone keeps up on all the slang to know what is currently considered un PC.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Oct 24, 2014 13:05:03 GMT -5
As always, you are welcomed to disagree. However, it IS worthy to note that folks who use slang for their own nefarious purposes rarely consult academic texts. Yes, however simply because some people choose to start using a word in a derogatory manner, should not prevent people from using it in it's proper form in context. Nor should they be penalized for the ignorance of others. Not everyone keeps up on all the slang to know what is currently considered un PC. You are, of course, correct. I believe I never said anything about it's use in "proper form or context." However, just because one does not keep up with slang does not mean one is immune from being "judged" by listeners who are not academically educated and only know the negative slang (and judge one for it). MANY, MANY words that were originally acceptable have been negatively co-op'ed over time. The great unwashed masses really don't care what the educated, academic eggheads think or believe, sad lol.
Thus circling back to my original comments about ignorance . . .
And of course, YMMV.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 24, 2014 13:09:30 GMT -5
As always, you are welcomed to disagree. However, it IS worthy to note that folks who use slang for their own nefarious purposes rarely consult academic texts. Yes, however simply because some people choose to start using a word in a derogatory manner, should not prevent people from using it in it's proper form in context. Nor should they be penalized for the ignorance of others. Not everyone keeps up on all the slang to know what is currently considered un PC. but the problem is that most of our harassment laws are written in a way that the law is broken if the defendant perceives is that way. You could say the same thing to two different people and be harassing one and not the other, because it IS in the eye of the beholder.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Oct 24, 2014 13:15:02 GMT -5
I have never used nor heard the word used in a business setting. I've seen it a few times in books, maybe a Tim O'Brien novel. I generally keep my language at work at an 8th grade level because I prefer to be understood.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on Oct 24, 2014 13:16:40 GMT -5
Someone in my company used the word n i g g a r d l y (which is isn't at all related to the N word, its apparently related to a Norse word) and got in trouble for it because people thought it was a racist comment.
I also got a weird look talking about my Maine Coon cat. This is a breed of cat people - seriously. Named that way because it can resemble a raccoon. I had to do a google search and provide proof.
I think I'll write a letter to Crackerbarrel and complain.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Oct 24, 2014 13:16:39 GMT -5
Yes, however simply because some people choose to start using a word in a derogatory manner, should not prevent people from using it in it's proper form in context. Nor should they be penalized for the ignorance of others. Not everyone keeps up on all the slang to know what is currently considered un PC. You are, of course, correct. I believe I never said anything about it's use in "proper form or context." However, just because one does not keep up with slang does not mean one is immune from being "judged" by listeners who are not academically educated and only know the negative slang (and judge one for it). MANY, MANY words that were originally acceptable have been negatively co-op'ed over time. The great unwashed masses really don't care what the educated, academic eggheads think or believe, sad lol.
Thus circling back to my original comments about ignorance . . .
And of course, YMMV.
I won't be calling anyone's party "gay" no matter how much fun I'm having.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 13:17:40 GMT -5
Yes, however simply because some people choose to start using a word in a derogatory manner, should not prevent people from using it in it's proper form in context. Nor should they be penalized for the ignorance of others. Not everyone keeps up on all the slang to know what is currently considered un PC. but the problem is that most of our harassment laws are written in a way that the law is broken if the defendant perceives is that way. You could say the same thing to two different people and be harassing one and not the other, because it IS in the eye of the beholder. That is exactly my point. To use Virgil example of ass having a pejorative meaning- we should all immediately stop using the word assets, even in context as some may find it offensive. So because some may perceive it as me saying "cover your ASSets" I can no longer use the phrase "cover your assets." is rediculous.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 24, 2014 13:19:57 GMT -5
but the problem is that most of our harassment laws are written in a way that the law is broken if the defendant perceives is that way. You could say the same thing to two different people and be harassing one and not the other, because it IS in the eye of the beholder. That is exactly my point. To use Virgil example of ass having a pejorative meaning- we should all immediately stop using the word assets, even in context as some may find it offensive. So because some may perceive it as me saying "cover your ASSets" I can no longer use the phrase "cover your assets." is rediculous. To keep your legal ass covered, I agree. Stop saying ASSets.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Oct 24, 2014 13:22:36 GMT -5
That is exactly my point. To use Virgil example of ass having a pejorative meaning- we should all immediately stop using the word assets, even in context as some may find it offensive. So because some may perceive it as me saying "cover your ASSets" I can no longer use the phrase "cover your assets." is rediculous. To keep your legal ass covered, I agree. Stop saying ASSets. OK- Mr CPA. How long do you think you can actually go without using the word?
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 24, 2014 13:24:28 GMT -5
To keep your legal ass covered, I agree. Stop saying ASSets. OK- Mr CPA. How long do you think you can actually go without using the word? A lot longer than I can go without saying the work fuck.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Oct 24, 2014 13:28:37 GMT -5
A couple of Gs, an R and an E, an I and an N.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Oct 24, 2014 14:31:10 GMT -5
Graceful?! Really??
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Oct 24, 2014 14:38:00 GMT -5
People have been fired for using words like nig gardly. In fact I even had a post deleted and got a 25% warning bar on this forum for using the word nig gardly in a post. You have to be careful what you say to people these days. Seriously?? And what is a warning bar?
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Oct 24, 2014 14:38:25 GMT -5
I won't be calling anyone's party "gay" no matter how much fun I'm having. I've always felt bad for people named "Gay", I always thought they had more right to that word than anybody. So, totally unrelated to the above comment. I had to write an email to a crazy coworker today. Basically telling him he was on his own. I bcc'd my boss, because an issue was escalated relating to crazy guy. Her response was "I've never seen you be so graceful" bwhahahaha LOL! A girl from high school is named Gay. When she'd introduce herself she'd say "Hi. I'm Gay". People would be all and ask why she introduces herself as a Lesbian when meeting people for the first time. And classy people say "Something is bugging the shit out me" instead of being all racist and using niggling.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Oct 24, 2014 14:39:08 GMT -5
I've always felt bad for people named "Gay", I always thought they had more right to that word than anybody. So, totally unrelated to the above comment. I had to write an email to a crazy coworker today. Basically telling him he was on his own. I bcc'd my boss, because an issue was escalated relating to crazy guy. Her response was "I've never seen you be so graceful" bwhahahaha LOL! A girl from high school is named Gay. When she'd introduce herself she'd say "Hi. I'm Gay". People would be all and ask why she introduces herself as a Lesbian when meeting people for the first time. And classy people say "Something is bugging the shit out me" instead of being all racist and using niggling. I also feel sorry for guys named Dick.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Oct 24, 2014 14:42:42 GMT -5
LOL! A girl from high school is named Gay. When she'd introduce herself she'd say "Hi. I'm Gay". People would be all and ask why she introduces herself as a Lesbian when meeting people for the first time. And classy people say "Something is bugging the shit out me" instead of being all racist and using niggling. I also feel sorry for guys named Dick. I'd feel more sorry for his son "little" Dick My In laws have more "Little Whoevers" than anyone I've ever met. Like they have never heard of NOT naming their kids after themselves.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Oct 24, 2014 14:44:43 GMT -5
LOL! A girl from high school is named Gay. When she'd introduce herself she'd say "Hi. I'm Gay". People would be all and ask why she introduces herself as a Lesbian when meeting people for the first time. And classy people say "Something is bugging the shit out me" instead of being all racist and using niggling. I also feel sorry for guys named Dick. I dated a guy named Dick. When he and I both married other people he and I had lunch together when I was in town and he was complaining that his wife wanted kids. They discussed not having kids. I said "Awwwww, you don't want a little Dick?" he replied "No, I always wanted a big dick". I didn't realize what I had said and burst out laughing but I was also embarrassed when I realized I blurted my question out while walking into the crowded restaurant. Oops.
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