Euros and rednecks

[Richard]

Do you think you insult me, or other Americans, if you call us "rednecks?"  It that supposed to be an insult?

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Nope...
I doubt there are any red necks in the forum they dont deal in these kinds of matters

[KEmperor]

Nope...
I doubt there are any red necks in the forum they dont deal in these kinds of matters

Lol, have you met StatesRights?

[Richard]

Redneck = conservative from the South

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Nope...
I doubt there are any red necks in the forum they dont deal in these kinds of matters

Lol, have you met StatesRights?

Well... hes a diiferent brand of person, hes quite intelligent but yes, still quite redneckish. But a nice and quite correct person.

[Joe Republic]

I get the impression that 'Euro' is also somehow supposed to be some kind of insult.  If it is, it's also not very good.

Europe is not one country.  Its several countries with different governments, different mindsets and cultures, and different individual people with different viewpoints on every issue.

Referring to 'Euros' would be like referring to everybody in North and South America as 'Americans'.

[Richard]

I get the impression that 'Euro' is also somehow supposed to be some kind of insult.  If it is, it's also not very good.

It isn't.  Euros = People from Europe

[Joe Republic]

I get the impression that 'Euro' is also somehow supposed to be some kind of insult.  If it is, it's also not very good.

It isn't.  Euros = People from Europe

OK cool, I wanted to make sure.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I get the impression that 'Euro' is also somehow supposed to be some kind of insult.  If it is, it's also not very good.

It isn't.  Euros = People from Europe

And I thought that´s the stuff I carry in my wallet, I pay a broad spectrum of products and services with. *lol*

[The Man From G.O.P.]

I get the impression that 'Euro' is also somehow supposed to be some kind of insult.  If it is, it's also not very good.

It isn't.  Euros = People from Europe

And I thought that´s the stuff I carry in my wallet, I pay a broad spectrum of products and services with. *lol*

lol very funny

[J. J.]

I've heard "Eurotrash" a lot.

[Rob]

I've heard "Eurotrash" a lot.

Yeah, that seems to be pretty common.

[Silent Hunter]

I've heard "Eurotrash" a lot.

It's the name of a British TV programme that looks at strange television programmes in contential Europe. Haven't seen it myself, but by all accounts it's post-watershed slot is justified.

[angus]

Do you think you insult me, or other Americans, if you call us "rednecks?"  It that supposed to be an insult?

I have a friend, Chad, who informs me that:

1.  ns can call other ns ns.
2.  rednecks can call other rednecks rednecks.
3.  queers can call other queers queers.

Chad happens to be a gay black farmer.  And he acts very much like a gay black farmer.  As you might imagine he's called all these things and worse, on a regular basis.  My wife doesn't like him very much, so he can't come over.  She won't let me play with him any more, ever since he stole from us.  Still, he's basically had it hard.  I've never been called any of these things, and don't make a habit of calling others by them, unless I'm specifically trying to insult them.

Of course it's a nasty filthy unsophisticated thing to call someone! And nastiness breeds nastiness.  We can have a contest to see who can be nastier, but that'd be immature.  You start calling folks ugly names and they might just start calling you ugly names back. 

I'm not sure about the term "eurotrash," but my guess is that it also has the power to bring about harsh reprisals as well.

[opebo]

Do you think you insult me, or other Americans, if you call us "rednecks?"  It that supposed to be an insult?

I have a friend, Chad, who informs me that:

1.  ns can call other ns nigers.
2.  rednecks can call other rednecks rednecks.
3.  queers can call other queers queers.

Chad happens to be a gay black farmer.  And he acts very much like a gay black farmer.  As you might imagine he's called all things and worse, on a regular basis.  My wife doesn't like him very much, so he can't come over.  She won't let me play with him any more, ever since he stole from us.  Still, he's basically had it hard.  I've never been called any of these things, and don't make a habit of calling others by them, unless I'm specifically trying to insult them.

Of course it's a nasty filthy unsophisticated thing to call someone! And nastiness breeds nastiness.  We can have a contest to see who can be nastier, but that'd be immature.  You start calling folks ugly names and they might just start calling you ugly names back. 

I'm not sure about the term "eurotrash," but my guess is that it also has the power to bring about harsh reprisals as well.

I think slurs are deeply offensive only when they actually reflect the power situation or social heirarchy.  Thus, 'honkey' or 'WASP' could never really be insulting, since it referred to people unquestionably at the top.  However for a white to use 'n' has all the power of the actual social heirarchy behind it.. as does a hetero using 'queer' or 'fag'.

I think 'redneck' has changed a bit recently - it used to be an insult by sophisticates higher in the social structure against backward, uneducated, superstitious/religious, inbred, anti-intellectual xenophobes.  However now that these rednecks are running the country, one wonders - can they really be effectively insulted?

[angus]

all this puts me in mind of another phenomenon among east asians.  that their words for americans and europeans are similar, or even the same in some instances is telling.  a non-white american is never referred to as an american.  one cannot be non-white and be truly an american in that mindset.  what we call chinese-americans, for example, are called chinese by the chinese.  numerous conversations with japanese reveal a similar phenomenon.  a former girlfriend from tokyo explains it simply as having resulting from false impressions.  so too with the Thai?  just curious.

[Colin]

we call americans 'septics' here if we are insulting you, and America "The Toilet"

not quite sure where it comes from.

BTW, in my newspaper in the sports section there is a bit called "Septic Watch"; most Aussies hate and/or don't understand american sports (NASCAR, Gridiron, etc.) and so basically it just bags them. Most recent one said that a recent Gridiron game has to have the cheerleaders because he used a stopwatch to time all the actual play and it was only EIGHTEEN MINUTES. hat's worse then Rugby League!

Well at least our football players don't wear short shorts. American Football is actually an rather easy game to understand, if you actually take the time to watch a game. What teams were playing that game? That could make all the difference. What you should do is turn to the Aussie equivalent of ESPN 2 and watch an American football game. One station has to show the Superbowl over there.

Oh and don't talk to me about long games and menotony, you Aussies play Cricket, the slowest game in the world. Any game that can go on for over a day is absolutely insane.

[Platypus]

Hey, I don't watch or defend test cricket. It's boring. But one day is quite good.

Anyway, yes they do show the superbowl here at like 5am . I'll watch the replay and time the actual play.

Shorts are practical, and unlike you cowards over there we don't need helmets and massive shoulder pads that make the players look like chodes, and even so our game is harder

I'm being overly offensive in this thread

[angus]

I've never been clear on what a nascar is either.  or what distinguishes a nascar from a regular car.  serious question.  what is nascar, exactly?  I'd not wanted to admit that publicly, but seeing as how other posters don't know what it is, I'm don't mind asking.

[J. J.]

we call americans 'septics' here if we are insulting you, and America "The Toilet"

not quite sure where it comes from.

BTW, in my newspaper in the sports section there is a bit called "Septic Watch"; most Aussies hate and/or don't understand american sports (NASCAR, Gridiron, etc.) and so basically it just bags them. Most recent one said that a recent Gridiron game has to have the cheerleaders because he used a stopwatch to time all the actual play and it was only EIGHTEEN MINUTES. hat's worse then Rugby League!

Translator's note:  Gridiron is football.  Foodball is soccer.  Gridiron is a term synonomous with a football field, e.g. "The players are on the gridiron."  Rugby however is rugby.  :-)

[Platypus]

Soccer is Soccer. Football is football: www.afl.com.au

[opebo]

all this puts me in mind of another phenomenon among east asians.  that their words for americans and europeans are similar, or even the same in some instances is telling.  a non-white american is never referred to as an american.  one cannot be non-white and be truly an american in that mindset.  what we call chinese-americans, for example, are called chinese by the chinese.  numerous conversations with japanese reveal a similar phenomenon.  a former girlfriend from tokyo explains it simply as having resulting from false impressions.  so too with the Thai?  just curious.

Yes, Thais would assume that non-whites in America are not really full fledged Americans - which is of course an accurate impression of the situation.   

However Thais probably could barely tell the difference between a Hispanic American and, say an Italian or a Greek.  But as for Black Americans - they are definitely aware of that identity.  The working girls have an interesting order of preference for potential customers, and non-American blacks are avoided like the plague - along with Indians, and Arabs (by most girls - the exception being fat girls, who find Arabs by far their best target market).  They have a stereotype that these swarthier groups tend to a) beat girls, b) surprise girls with extra guys when they get back to the room, and c) not pay or pay less than promised.  They are suprisingly well informed of the misogynistic character of muslim culture.  American blacks by contrast are fairly welcome customers, though not quite as much as whites.

Girls who specialize in Japanese or other asian customers are a totally separate industry, as these asian customers dread having the same girl as a white.  They percieve us as dirty, smelly, and thus more prone to stds.  Japanese men are known for their habit of not using 'protection', so they want girls they can convince themselves are safe.

Thais call all whites 'falang' or 'farang' - this is a somewhat demeaning or dismissive term, not exactly a direct insult.  If you're an outsider to the Thai social heirarchy, you really have no meaning to them as a human being.  There are of course exceptions - the upper class is rather worldly, and can see beyond Thai society. 

[angus]

fascinating.  you're something of an amateur anthropoligist, it seems.  Thailand seems to have a very special place in your heart, given your attentiveness to its politics and social mores.  I had a long list somewhere of all the nasty things folks called europeans.  I'll be sure to add falang.  Do you have a literal interpretation.  FYI, my take on the mandarin mei guo kue tze is something like "white coward man" and was coined during Vietnam.  On another note, I have been to Jamaica several times, and have noticed that jamaicans can immediately recognize a black american, and distinguish him from a jamaican, even before speech and no matter the dress.  There's a profusion of "whites only" clubs there, but the black american is treated exactly as a white american, in my observation.  Not only with the preferential economic treatment, but also with the general hassling and denigration.  I spent the better part of a day with 4 black women from Los Angeles on my last visit there and they all claimed disappointment and surprise with this phenomenon.  Don't know if that's a general phenomenon in those parts of the thirld world where europeans displaced the natives with africans, or if that's specific to Jamaica. 

[opebo]

fascinating.  you're something of an amateur anthropoligist, it seems.  Thailand seems to have a very special place in your heart, given your attentiveness to its politics and social mores.  I had a long list somewhere of all the nasty things folks called europeans.  I'll be sure to add falang.  Do you have a literal interpretation?

Yes, I love Thailand, because it is in practice something of a paradise, even if under the surface it is not always so pleasant.  I have heard two explanations of the etymology of farang (falang is more of a dialect pronunciation, but the one I hear most often).  Most say it is a mispronunciation of Francais, or a derivation through the middle east of 'Frank'.
The other explanation I have heard is that farang is the Thai word for the guava fruit, which I'm told is white.

http://baheyeldin.com/linguistics/thai-word-farang-variations-in-other-languages-arabic-origin.html

http://www.into-asia.com/thai_language/farang.php

[bullmoose88]

Meh...interjecting...(angus is hilarious), but isn't a yankee anyone from "The North"? or solely New England? or New England and the MidAtlantic?