RE: Words to be avoided in Polite Conversation
September 23, 2016 at 5:47 pm
(This post was last modified: September 23, 2016 at 6:03 pm by Bunburryist.)
I think the operative word here is "polite." It all depends on context. The problem with the PC thing is that people go way overboard - like when a kid gets in trouble in school because he draws a picture of a gun, of when someone refers to a handicapped person as being "crippled." It's still strange for me to use the word "handicapped" - it seems so, well, PC. But I'm careful and don't say "crippled" if I can help it. People on both sides need to keep their radar up for whether people are intentionally being offensive, accidentally being offensive, of when, perhaps, the listener is being a little too sensitive.
It takes time for attitudes to change. I remember reading about when Einstein came out with his relativity theory and many (especially German) scientists thought is sounded rather abstract and "Jewish." Who today would think such a thing?! But that's how it was.
Listeners have to be a little reasonable as well, and realize - especially when dealing with older people - that people often use words that, in their generation, were perfectly acceptable. There's also the context of cultural things like songs, etc. - like My Old Kentucky Home (the darkies are gay) where you just have to realize that that's how it was back then. I'll never forget the time we were playing cards with some relatives and my wife's grandmother came out with "I smell a nigger in the woodpile" (I think someone is cheating). Everyone was like "WHOA!" and looked around the table at each other. But, hell - the lady's almost 90 - no one's going to say anything to her about it. It was just an expression she learned. It's like when I was a kid and we would "call" to see who's "it" in hide and seek (do kids "call" any more?*). One of the calls we used was Eenie Meenie (how is this spelled anyway?) Miney Mo, Catch a Nigger by the Toe." We didn't even know we were saying it - it was just a rhyme you said when you were trying to decide who would be it. I never even thought about it until years later when people starting talking about things like that. I think that was the only time we even used the word. If you have no idea what "calling" is go to -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlHZDGvwc9M
*My favorite was -
"My mother and your mother were hanging out clothes
My mother punched your mother right in the nose
What color was the blood."
Then you'd spell out the color and end with "you are not it."
It takes time for attitudes to change. I remember reading about when Einstein came out with his relativity theory and many (especially German) scientists thought is sounded rather abstract and "Jewish." Who today would think such a thing?! But that's how it was.
Listeners have to be a little reasonable as well, and realize - especially when dealing with older people - that people often use words that, in their generation, were perfectly acceptable. There's also the context of cultural things like songs, etc. - like My Old Kentucky Home (the darkies are gay) where you just have to realize that that's how it was back then. I'll never forget the time we were playing cards with some relatives and my wife's grandmother came out with "I smell a nigger in the woodpile" (I think someone is cheating). Everyone was like "WHOA!" and looked around the table at each other. But, hell - the lady's almost 90 - no one's going to say anything to her about it. It was just an expression she learned. It's like when I was a kid and we would "call" to see who's "it" in hide and seek (do kids "call" any more?*). One of the calls we used was Eenie Meenie (how is this spelled anyway?) Miney Mo, Catch a Nigger by the Toe." We didn't even know we were saying it - it was just a rhyme you said when you were trying to decide who would be it. I never even thought about it until years later when people starting talking about things like that. I think that was the only time we even used the word. If you have no idea what "calling" is go to -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlHZDGvwc9M
*My favorite was -
"My mother and your mother were hanging out clothes
My mother punched your mother right in the nose
What color was the blood."
Then you'd spell out the color and end with "you are not it."
