| Trollheart |
03-29-2013 07:23 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Engine
(Post 1301730)
She says the phrase "working like niggers" is 10x more racist/offensive than inadvertently calling a Japanese guy a ninja.
I used to work with an old redneck who said "working like niggers" a couple times. He used it like it was just another idiom he picked up from his impoverished, uneducated past, but he was also pretty racist.
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Oh right. I wasn't sure if she meant my NINJA thing.
Yes of course it is. No question. Point is, when you don't work with balck people (there weren't that many around in Ireland at this time) you tended to say that a little more than you should. Mind you, in one way it was always meant as a compliment in a rather stupid offhand way --- working so hard. I know of course that refers to slaves, so don't get on my back about it being in no way a compliment. I'm just saying that we would say things like "working like a nig ger" to mean industrious, busy etc whereas "tight as a Scotsman" etc would be a negative thing.
Anyway, as I said it was said in joke manner, not meant to hurt anyone and had Gerry realised who he was talking to he would never have said it. The REAL point is that Americ, the black guy, just laughed. Of course, deep down he may have been offended, but it's just one of those things that happens and I think you have to look at the spirit it's said in. Like if someone called me a "thick Paddy" or something I wouldn't necessarily take offence. Course, if they started talking about "Cromwell having the right idea" (see this coming Sunday's post on the Easter Rising in two days if you don't know what I mean) then I would be angry.
Back to the Ninja thing: I think it was a flip, funny remark and I doubt the guy would have taken offence. Had she said "You're a slanty-eyed bastard" or talked about Hiroshima, yes he would have been annoyed, angry even. I think people are too touchy both about what they can say, and about what others say about them. Of course you have to be sensitive (Mister Super Sensitive here, after all!) but you also have to use a bit of Cop-On, as we say here...
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