This has more to do with the appalling ignorance of the English
language rather than political correctness. Pehaps if the schools of
the English-speaking nations were to do their job in conveying the
richness of the nuances of the language half these stupid cases would
never see the light of day.
I bet that the French with their respect and pride in their language
never have these problems !!
Malcolm
On May 21, 11:10=A0am, Tony Clayton <t...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> In a recent message Joshua McGee <joshuaREMOV...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Tue, 20 May 2008 11:58:29 +0100, Tony Clayton wrote:
>
> > > In a recent message Joshua McGee <joshuaREMOV...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > >> On Mon, 19 May 2008 18:44:32 +0800, rodney wrote:
>
> > >> > but that's what I would have guessed as well. They are no doubt,
mo=
re
> > >> > designed towards business promotion, than perhaps the niggardly
> > >> > example given for a childrens philatelic promotion 3 years later
> > >> > (engraved)
>
> > >> In continued efforts to ****tray the United States poorly, would you
> > >> believe that that useful adjective you employed (niggardly) is now
> > >> verboten in polite company, due to unflattering homophones, in the
US=
?
>
> > > What an uneducated point of view.
>
> > *Precisely*. =A0It came to a head when a top aide to the mayor of
> > Wa****ngton, D.C. (national capital) used it in a financial meeting
> > relating to cutting costs in the following year's budget. =A0Of
course, =
he
> > meant that to stay out of debt, the city would have to be miserly.
=A0A
> > black attendee stalked out in protest at the "racist" word "niggardly"
> > that he used to express this thought. =A0
>
> Some people are terribly sensitive.
>
>
>
>
>
> > The aide explained, "That's not
> > what it means!" but was not successful in communicating.
>
> > The aide tendered his resignation to protect his employer, and his
> > resignation was accepted. (!)
>
> > (I hate this country much of the time.)
>
> > Under immense public pressure, including from educated blacks, the
mayor=
> > rehired the aide. =A0But the fact that he accepted it in the first
place=
? =A0
> > I certainly would never vote for him again, and I hope no educated
> > person, regardless of race, would, either. =A0He showed his true
colors,=
> > caving to ignorance and prejudice to save his own political skin.
>
> >
ref:http://www.wa****ngtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/williams/william=
s...
>
> > > My dictionary classifies nigger as offensive, whereas niggardly is
> > > definitely NOT so classified.
>
> > I hate to stoke the fire further, but in some ultra-sensitive
politicall=
y-
> > correct offices and companies, you cannot even have a cor****ate
> > "picnic". =A0There is an *absurd* folk etymology in some uneducated
blac=
k
> > communities that alleges "picnic" is a contraction of "pick a nigger",
> > and that it immortalizes an alleged white American tradition in which
an=
> > innocent black would be captured, tortured, and hanged until dead, and
> > then everyone would luncheon on their blankets in celebration.
>
> Bizarre thinking. =A0It comes from a 17th Century French word
> piquenique, piqu=E9 meaning quilted from the blanket or eiderdown
> one sat on to have an al freco meal outside....
>
>
>
> > If my first example was absurd, this is even more so.
>
> > I maintain this country has gone wholly off the rails....
>
> > >> So far, the language police have not gotten to "denigrate" yet.
>
> > > I should think not.
>
> > Well, though, of the three, this is the most reasonable.
=A0"Denigrate"
> > does mean "to blacken", and there might (note: *might*) be a case that
> > "blacken" should not be synonymous with "insult" or "pour derision
> > upon". =A0At least the etymology is correct on this one. =A0Plus it
has =
that
> > niggling (sorry) "nig" in the middle of the word.
>
> It comes from blackening someone's name, a term used in contrast to the
pu=
rity
> of white as indicated by a bride's dress, long before any skin colour
was
> worried about.
>
> Ah well. The next we know the Penny Black will be a term of abuse.
>
>
>
> --
> Tony Clayton =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 tony.clayton.1...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Coins of the UK =A0 =A0 =A0:http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk
> Sent using RISCOS on an Acorn Strong Arm RiscPC
> ... Violence never solves anything, but it sure makes me feel good.-
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