[HoosierDaddy]

Macros;343521 said:

spade=spade?

The irony of this statement in this thread Spade used to be a very derogative term for African Americans. But nowadays, no one under the age of 40 in the U.S. has any idea that was it's original connotation.

[Binder of Demons]

@ Menadore, came across this lovely bit of silliness also in California. Though i don't think it is the same university.

Quote

Beard and Cerf, in _The Official Politically Correct Handbook_, p. 123, report that an administrator at the University of California at Santa Cruz campaigned for the banning of such phrases as "a chink in his armor" and "a nip in the air", because "chink" and "nip" are also derogatory terms for "Chinese person" and "Japanese person" respectively.

[Binder of Demons]

@ HoosierDaddy

The phrase "To call a spade a spade" wasn't originally a racial slur, but came from a mistranslation of an old phrase meaning to state the obvious. It should have been, "to call a fig a fig, and a trough a trough" apparently. Trough was translated incorrectly and became a spade.

The racial slur Spade, came from the saying "As black as the ace of spades".

[HoosierDaddy]

Binder of Demons;343723 said:

@ HoosierDaddy

The phrase "To call a spade a spade" wasn't originally a racial slur, but came from a mistranslation of an old phrase meaning to state the obvious. It should have been, "to call a fig a fig, and a trough a trough" apparently. Trough was translated incorrectly and became a spade.

The racial slur Spade, came from the saying "As black as the ace of spades".

I stand corrected.
Well it seems my professor was wrong I paid too much money for my professor's to be wrong! Damn education system.

[Macros]

indeed, spade=spade is as old as tea and has nothing racial in its intent.
I normally use it when I hear of waste disposal engineers, you're not an engineer, you're a fucking binman, deal with it.

[Illuyankas]

Heh, like all the 'hygiene technicians' mopping floors at McDonalds.

[Dolorous Menhir]

Radio 1 got in a bit of trouble last year for suddenly deciding to censor "Fairytale of New York," after playing it for years without doing so.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I remember the season of the Apprentice when the girl got kicked off and lost her job at home for using a racial slur against omarosa. Thing is, she didn't. She said "that's the pot calling the kettle black." Omarosa didn't understand, had neverheard the saying, and assumed incorrectly it was racial. No one ever explained it to her.

[Aptorian]

Raymond Luxury Yacht;345615 said:

I remember the season of the Apprentice when the girl got kicked off and lost her job at home for using a racial slur against omarosa. Thing is, she didn't. She said "that's the pot calling the kettle black." Omarosa didn't understand, had neverheard the saying, and assumed incorrectly it was racial. No one ever explained it to her.

God Bless America.

It would be wonderfull if there existed a political movement within your government working against all that PC bullshit. Is there actually such a thing?

[HoosierDaddy]

Aptorian;345617 said:

God Bless America.

It would be wonderfull if there existed a political movement within your government working against all that PC bullshit. Is there actually such a thing?

Not seriously, no, we are all afraid of getting labeled as racist or prejudicial. Once labeled, even if it is completely unmerited, it is hard to have that stigma removed. Thus, RLY's example of apprentice girl being fired. Why? Even though it wasn't racist, she was stigmatized as a racist.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Aptorian;345617 said:

God Bless America.

It would be wonderfull if there existed a political movement within your government working against all that PC bullshit. Is there actually such a thing?

No such luck. Speaking out against excessive PC is itself un-PC.

[Wordmerchant]

Aptorian;345617 said:

God Bless America.

It would be wonderfull if there existed a political movement within your government working against all that PC bullshit. Is there actually such a thing?

I was going to start one, but couldn't find an inoffensive name for it. "Take This You Morons" lacks curb appeal. :shocked:

[Aptorian]

AMERICA FUCK YEAH

It has a nice ring to it.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Comin' to save the motherfucking day yeah!

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Applications to be an air traffic controller available in braille...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080711/od_af...at_080711143528

[HoosierDaddy]

Raymond Luxury Yacht;350273 said:

Applications to be an air traffic controller available in braille...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080711/od_af...at_080711143528

Quote

[W]hile the Royal National Institute for the Blind praised its "good practice".

1. Practice and air traffic control should never be in the same sentence.
2. Yeah, it's good until Plane A hits Plane B.

So, how about deaf radio quality control censors?

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I'm sure that's next.

[Cougar]

I have to add this: I once read in the Guardian that an American had won a small fortune after being sacked for using the word niggardly/niggard. Seems that the employers were too afraid to face up to those that complained (I've no idea whether they were black or white, I'm guessing white and trying to assuage their guilt by being right on) and despite the fact that there is no association between the word Nigger and niggardly they decided to sack the person. I'd be well anoyed if I was reprimanded for expresive use of the English language.

I was also reminded of the famous occasion that during a game of football (commentator) Ron Atkinson declared (I'm paraphrasing) 'there are chinks appearing in the Chinese defence'. No one complained, everyone knew he'd done it on purpose the bigot. He was subsequently banned when his 'off air' rant that Marcel Desailly was a 'shit lazy nigger' was accidentaly broadcast to unlucky ex-patriot Brits watching somewhere in the gulf.

I think these stories serve to highlight the right and the wrong side of racial sensitivity.

[Morgoth]

Cougar;352599 said:

I was also reminded of the famous occasion that during a game of football (commentator) Ron Atkinson declared (I'm paraphrasing) 'there are chinks appearing in the Chinese defence'. No one complained, everyone knew he'd done it on purpose the bigot. He was subsequently banned when his 'off air' rant that Marcel Desailly was a 'shit lazy nigger' was accidentaly broadcast to unlucky ex-patriot Brits watching somewhere in the gulf.

I think these stories serve to highlight the right and the wrong side of racial sensitivity.

The former commentator for gymnastics (among other things) on the Norwegian state run tv channel was fired for repeatedly using really dirty phrases during womens gymnastics. He would say things like: and she's spreading her legs deliciously wide. Or she's really straddeling that piece of wood, and so on and so forth.. He always left just enough time between each of these instances for it to be impossible to fire him for it. It could always be explained away as bad wording after all.

[Illuyankas]

Morgoth;352610 said:

The former commentator for gymnastics (among other things) on the Norwegian state run tv channel was fired for repeatedly using really dirty phrases during womens gymnastics. He would say things like: and she's spreading her legs deliciously wide. Or she's really straddeling that piece of wood, and so on and so forth.. He always left just enough time between each of these instances for it to be impossible to fire him for it. It could always be explained away as bad wording after all.

Crap. I'll never get a job in commentating or announcing now.