(no subject)

[interstice]

I just learned that the "spade" in "call a spade a spade" isn't the racist spade: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_a_spade_a_spade

It still doesn't mean you should say it in public though - it's important to be stingy with regard to others' connotations.

Comments

[hfwolfe.livejournal.com]

I'm still on the fence relating to eeny-meeny. I like the theory that the insulting versions appeared in the US after whatever originals appeared in Briton, but its still makes me wince to hear it. You are right. Better to err on the side of caution, but feck.

Ever wonder how popular the Hitler mustache was before 1920? I wonder if there is possibility of saturation: when every choice or phrase somehow connotes some dark part of world history.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

I'd never even heard about eeny-meeny: isn't that all the more annoying?

I think we'll forget the evil things in time (at rate o(t) if you must). I mean, no one is worried about looking like Nero.

This idea of eventuality reminds me of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Craig

[hfwolfe.livejournal.com]

That Craig guy is great. I'll have to remember that.

I also forgot about the rule of thumb. At least as far as Wikpedia is concerned, the origin is innocuous, but I'm sture it will still ruffle some feathers.

Too bad Mugabe extended the taboo on the Chaplin mustache by a few decades.
This reminds me, there's a turkish baked potato stand near my house with an odd assortment of decorations. One one wall is a picture of Chaplin in "The Kid" and on another is a large woodcut of Laurel and Hardy, with Oliver Hardy sportng the same 'stache.

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

I always thought it referred to the playing card suite (which is from the implement as well) and trying to get people to play by written rules rather than inventing their own to serve their ends.

I suppose the overall meaning is still the same, to call things as "they are". What a pretense... things are not always as they seem.

(For instance, the Army "entrenching tool" is not really a shovel, though it appears to be a folding shovel. It is a terrible waste of tax $$, usually too weak to perform the task it was intended for and hinges on a non-replacable, non-standard (dimensionally) bolt. It galls me to think that commercially you can still buy copies of this engineering failure.)

[nof.livejournal.com]

There is a racist "spade"?!

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Yes. And how did I first learn this? Childhood story alert!

Whilst spending the night at Wheel's house nearly two decades ago, he mentioned a superhero he'd sketched and written a backstory for. He'd named him "Spade" after Sam Spade as the superhero was a detective. His mom (a public school teacher) overheard (as she so often did) and told him not to use that name, since it was a pejorative for black people. Now this was news to us: not only the specifics, but racism on its whole we only had the vaguest knowledge of. There was some protesting, as it was likely the first time that a clever idea had been so strongly crushed by the political status quo. At least for Wheel - I haven't had any clever ideas yet.

As to the origin, I guess it's because of the card suit being black? And "club" was too aggressive? I dunno.

At any rate, I've heard "spade" since then a few times (always in movies - I don't think ever in person...) but I could probably count them on my two hands. I've heard "nigger" orders of magnitude more often, from many races, which makes "spade" kind of unnecessary. But them's the breaks.

OK, I now remember hearing it once in person:

"Have you heard of the Rodney King deck of cards? 51 clubs and a spade." (this was a long time ago, y'see)

Oh, growing up in the South (Florida).

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

I guess I should say that she understood the reference, and was quite sympathetic to Wheel's good intentions, while reasonably being very firm about not allowing it.

[nof.livejournal.com]

Weird. And you probably wouldn't have realized it was a racial slur later if Wheel's mom hadn't edjumacated you earlier.... way to go mom, propagate it!

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd be all "Well that's a silly deck of cards - what are the odds on getting a flush now?"

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

I heard recently that North Florida is "too far south" for S. Floridians to live there. I'm assuming primarily anti-prejudice prejudice to be the cause.

The most inventive racial slurs I have ever heard have been bandied about in intra-racial disagreements.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Also, what the Hell are you doing awake? It's like 6 am Saturday over there?!

(And yes, I'm watching livejournal on a Friday night, what's it to you?)

[nof.livejournal.com]

Eh, that's when I woke up. I don't really have a "normal" sleep schedule.... and it was probably closer to 5am actually.

Once I wake up, to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, I find it really difficult to go back to sleep.