OK... Someone I am acquainted with described something as "n[censored]-rigged" when it was improvised.
Alright... I know that language is offensive, but let's put the comment in context.
First, I'm glad no black people heard it.
Second, he didn't mean to offend. This guy's elevator doesn't go to the top floor, if you know what I mean. He's not retarded, per se, but he's still not right in the head. I'm betting if they had them, he was in a special-ed class.
Third, he grew up in the late 40s, early 50s. Unfortunately, at the time, it was a commonly-used phrase among whites, with no one giving a second thought to it. So the guy was simply using language he grew up with, and probably isn't thinking about deeper meanings.
Fourth, while offensive, the terminology is accurate. Blacks at the time were of low social class and low income. Therefore, they did not have access to good tools and such, and were forced to improvise.
So anyway, not defending the guy's language, but I am cutting him a little slack. However, the point of this post is that it got me thinking about what I say instead.
"jerry-rigged"
Now, if you don't know the origin of that phrase, it comes from World War II (I think). The Allies called the Germans "jerrys" and when they captured any German equipment, they would often have to "jerry-rig" it to make it work with US, UK, etc. parts, when the German parts failed.
So my question is this: Are Germans offended by the term "jerry-rigged"? Have we as a culture simply transfered our offense from one group of people to another?
Alright... I know that language is offensive, but let's put the comment in context.
First, I'm glad no black people heard it.
Second, he didn't mean to offend. This guy's elevator doesn't go to the top floor, if you know what I mean. He's not retarded, per se, but he's still not right in the head. I'm betting if they had them, he was in a special-ed class.
Third, he grew up in the late 40s, early 50s. Unfortunately, at the time, it was a commonly-used phrase among whites, with no one giving a second thought to it. So the guy was simply using language he grew up with, and probably isn't thinking about deeper meanings.
Fourth, while offensive, the terminology is accurate. Blacks at the time were of low social class and low income. Therefore, they did not have access to good tools and such, and were forced to improvise.
So anyway, not defending the guy's language, but I am cutting him a little slack. However, the point of this post is that it got me thinking about what I say instead.
"jerry-rigged"
Now, if you don't know the origin of that phrase, it comes from World War II (I think). The Allies called the Germans "jerrys" and when they captured any German equipment, they would often have to "jerry-rig" it to make it work with US, UK, etc. parts, when the German parts failed.
So my question is this: Are Germans offended by the term "jerry-rigged"? Have we as a culture simply transfered our offense from one group of people to another?
