USA Today warns against using 'culturally sensitive words' like aloha, hola, shalom

originally posted by: RonnieJersey
a reply to: JAGStorm
You wouldn't believe some of the comments we've gotten as a couple, with me being so fair and my husband darker skinned - and comments from my own Polish people! They simply do not believe that he is also of Polish descent, but he is.
I can't educate others, so I choose to brush off their rudeness. There is something to be said for worrying about things I can do something about, everything else has to fly.
My blood pressure is more important than their ignorance.

I believe it. I look very Asian but my kids not so much.
My one daughter is just under 6ft, and has light eyes and light hair.
People have said the most insensitive things. Some downright not believing she is my biological daughter, even friends that have known us!
My own father was blonde with light eyes!

You hit the nail on the head when you said people are downright RUDE. That is what I don’t think some of these people don’t understand.

If I don’t know you, why would I want to get into a conversation about my ethnicity? Or what you assume is my ethnicity.
How about small talk, or polite talk.

a reply to: JAGStorm

a reply to: Maxmars

lol

On MLK Day people are for ending civil rights.

The irony.

a reply to: DBCowboy

"The use of certain words requires education, knowledge and the foresight to understand when they should – or shouldn't – come out of your mouth," he continued.


"Everyone needs context before speaking another culture's language besides their own," he concluded.

I guess you just skipped over this part.
This is not about silencing people, but suggesting that people should be educated before they speak certain cultural words. I guess some just love to promote ignorance.
This is why Americans are often seen as arrogant and uneducated to a lot of the world.

Just a hunch, but my guess would be MLK would champion people respecting other cultures and people and their language.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Let’s break that down. How much do white people actually get asked. I’ve been married to my husband for decades I can remember one time him being asked “where ya from” because someone thought he looked Polish.

I've worked in and out of London all my life and get asked that question pretty often yet my accent is only from down the road in Brighton and I still get asked where is that, even saying head south until you hit the water and your feet get wet draws a blank stare sometimes.

but I'm never offended as I know 99.9% of the time the question is asked in an inoffensive, inquisitive way..

the coastal towns are all mostly English language (and night club) towns, Brighton is still very popular with English language students from all over and even in my home town I've get asked where I am from, if i feel sarcastic I say Hove Ashley...i know its a pathetic pun.. one that has evolved from being asked so often.. Laurence Olivier is meant to be the origin of that one..

so yes the question can be a thing for anyone..

a reply to: JAGStorm

Domo origato.

a reply to: nickyw

ut I'm never offended as I know 99.9% of the time the question is asked in an inoffensive, inquisitive way..

I think if that were the case, it wouldn’t be an issue, but that’s not reality for a lot of folks.

If someone came up to me and genuinely said “hey, I don’t mean to be rude but I am really curious of your ethnicity because I’ve never seen anyone with your look” I think that would be OK.


What is not ok is “Um you look like you’re mixed with something” “Um is that your real hair” “Um You like from Japan or sumthin?” “Where your parents from” “You Chinese or Japanese!!!”

I’ve gotten the “where are you from” and when I tell them, it is met with “Noooo where are you REALLY from”

a reply to: JAGStorm

isn't that a if you can't take it don't dish it out?



I've worked all over the EMEA and different peoples have very clear stereotypes of my fellow countrymen/women.. generally drunk, vomiting sweary in some absurd fancy dress.. which makes the "going for an English" funny..

originally posted by: JAGStorm

I mean do you go up to a blond and say hello in Polish, or a redhead and say “Top of the morning to ya” (there are probably people that do”

I say British lines, most likely very badly. I don't think people are trying to be rude, I think they are trying to connect in some way that is seen as negative. I also don't think it happens as much today as let's say 40 years ago with a much larger mix of cultures and races.

I think how it’s done makes a big difference. When people come up speaking Japanese to me, that’s insulting, I’m not Japanese.
When they say Ni Hao, that’s insulting, I’m not Chinese.

Why is it insulting unless they are cussing at you ...lol In some ways they are trying to connect with you. My wife is Filipino and everyone that speaks Spanish talks to her in Spanish, and she laughs it off because she does look Spanish, and it is funny to look at their expressions when she says she doesn't speak Spanish. Living many years throughout Asia I'm pretty good at tells roughly where someone comes from but there is a wide mix of the pools there too and it is hard at times. I don't throw out different Asian languages until I hit one they know, but everyone will always have some initial observations that is typically correct but can be way off too. I know a Japanese lady that looks and speaks Swedish, as example. Figure that one out. Also, Japanese and Chinese are like some of the most racist people on the planet, so not fixing that anytime soon.

Should I be happy and encouraging and not bothered?

Maybe neither is best, be indifferent to it.

a reply to: Xtrozero

Why is it insulting unless they are cussing at you

I think it's very arrogant for people to assume to think they know what people "are" based on their looks.
I also disagree that it happens less today. I've not seen any slow down.

Japanese and Chinese are like some of the most racist people on the planet, so not fixing that anytime soon.

I wouldn't argue with that, but we aren't talking about them right now.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I've worked with Americans for over 3 decades, the largest portion of my family is American and I still don't get Americans..

I'll never discuss how many square feet my home has, my religion, sexuality, political affiliation or what I get paid, basically I think we define our engagement points very differently. I don't even know my kids religious or political views, my wife and I have similar(ish) views..

I'm never sure even this translates well.. but it seems to me each culture needs to know certain things to start the engagement process.. and its this point you can end up deeply disjointed if told or asked what would be culturally uncomfortable questions..

the care the author should have been focusing on is how not to transfer that onto other cultures..

Pip pip cheerio & chin up, ya damn sons & daughters of harbor whores, this is Mole-hilling at it's finest.

My bits & peices come from many corners of Europe, most of which were evidently super remote, and muddly as #, judging by a bunch of town names. The Baltics are muddier than people assume.

For some reason, I find that oddity utterly hilarious, partly because I'm in no way, shape or form fond of cleaning up muddy #. My dislike of the goopy loams apparently has a genetic origin, lmao (I kid, but just maybe that's genuinely epigenetic?)





I broke the ice, your turn! It's really not hard to segue into an educational lilt. Even as Edu-Lite as the above.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Well, to be fair I wasn't thinking about the date when I made this thread...
The source dates were not on MLK day. So any adoption of offense would revert to my responsibility.

One might think that the thread topic, and its' general nature, could be viewed as "offensive;" offering fuel to the argument (or a bold-faced message) that 'offense' truly begins in the eye of the beholder, pejoratively speaking.

The offense of course, would exist only in the observer. Had I intended offense, I would 'own' it.

originally posted by: Lysergic
When you think you got the balls to force me to not speak however I wish, come find me, until then seethe in thy safe space.

That is a distinctly "American" attitude... if you'll pardon the generalization.

But it must be granted that thoughtless utterances can be pointlessly painful. Ignorance isn't something to be proud of.

I don't mind people telling me that something I said hurt them, that's how I learn not to offend people I am actually talking to ... I only mind that they posture to vilify me as a monster for speaking my own words despite my intentions... as if that didn't matter to them at all ... while they demand that it matters what 'they' perceive regardless of my intentions either way.

That is distinctly fascist.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Do yourself a favor then, don't come to our tae kwon do practices. We speak a few words and phrases of Korean as part of training. You might get the wrong idea about it.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: JAGStorm

Do yourself a favor then, don't come to our tae kwon do practices. We speak a few words and phrases of Korean as part of training. You might get the wrong idea about it.

If you think that is what this article is talking about that’s silly. It’s actually the opposite.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: RonnieJersey
a reply to: JAGStorm
You wouldn't believe some of the comments we've gotten as a couple, with me being so fair and my husband darker skinned - and comments from my own Polish people! They simply do not believe that he is also of Polish descent, but he is.
I can't educate others, so I choose to brush off their rudeness. There is something to be said for worrying about things I can do something about, everything else has to fly.
My blood pressure is more important than their ignorance.

I believe it. I look very Asian but my kids not so much.
My one daughter is just under 6ft, and has light eyes and light hair.
People have said the most insensitive things. Some downright not believing she is my biological daughter, even friends that have known us!
My own father was blonde with light eyes!

You hit the nail on the head when you said people are downright RUDE. That is what I don’t think some of these people don’t understand.

If I don’t know you, why would I want to get into a conversation about my ethnicity? Or what you assume is my ethnicity.
How about small talk, or polite talk.

Being child-less (many miscarriages) I have wondered how our children might have looked -
Probably some light, some darker, or in-between. It reminds me of the movie 'Imitation of Life' where a black woman has a little girl who passes for white, it's a great movie starring Lana Turner, if you haven't seen it!

i see the point.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: JAGStorm

Lmbo!
edit: thank you

a reply to: VictorVonDoom

I know most of those, too!!

I wonder if any of these people realize that how bigoted they sound??

Attempting to lecture me on sensitivity, or lack of same, yet are even less sensitive themselves...? Idiots.