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devilman2045
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 Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:32 am Post subject: And then Vancouver lost... |
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Go Boston?
Not knowing what the heck a Canuck was, I found it on wikipedia. It's apparently a slang term for Canadians. I'm curious to know what you Canadians think about this, and your sports team being named as such.... So? Thoughts? |
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Tenshi
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 2594
Location: Star Stuff
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:25 am Post subject: |
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Er.. I will go on record and say that it's rather poor taste to go to a group of people, identify them by a derogatory term, and then ask them how they feel about said derogatory term.
...Also, what does hockey have to do with your interest in derogatory slang terms? Please choose a more appropriate title for your post.
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"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
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devilman2045
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Tenshi wrote: | Er.. I will go on record and say that it's rather poor taste to go to a group of people, identify them by a derogatory term, and then ask them how they feel about said derogatory term.
...Also, what does hockey have to do with your interest in derogatory slang terms? Please choose a more appropriate title for your post. |
Thats the thing...The team playing in the stanely cup final was the Vancouver Canucks!!!! That's why I'm asking you about it.... I'm curious to know if I've somehow missed something in all of this.... |
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Tinu.
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 3654
Location: The land of dreams
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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Well, wiki says it can be an affectionate nickname--however it is also used as a derogatory term. Perhaps it's one of those nicknames that a certain group uses among themselves, but perhaps dislike anyone else calling them? Used among themselves, it's a humorous, perhaps affectionate term; used by anyone else, and it's derogatory. Sometimes it has to do with the history of the word, and how it's been used by certain people groups in the past. Looks like Wiki is pretty unsure as to the etymology of "Canucks," so I really can't help you out, there.
I hope that was clear, I'd have liked to give an example of what I meant, but the only nicknames I can think of as examples are not forum-safe. >>;
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devilman2045
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Tinu. wrote: | Well, wiki says it can be an affectionate nickname--however it is also used as a derogatory term. Perhaps it's one of those nicknames that a certain group uses among themselves, but perhaps dislike anyone else calling them? Used among themselves, it's a humorous, perhaps affectionate term; used by anyone else, and it's derogatory. Sometimes it has to do with the history of the word, and how it's been used by certain people groups in the past. Looks like Wiki is pretty unsure as to the etymology of "Canucks," so I really can't help you out, there.
I hope that was clear, I'd have liked to give an example of what I meant, but the only nicknames I can think of as examples are not forum-safe. >>; |
That's the thing about it.... I figured it couldn't be to terribly derogitory, if a national sports team was waddling around, sporting it like it was nothing, yet that was the only real definition that I could find. |
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Tenshi
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 2594
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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Well, it's sort of the same thing as the New York Yankees. If you're referencing the baseball team of New York, then talking about those "darn" Yankees is perfectly fine. Vulgarities of various levels given your proximity to Boston, of course. If you're using "Yankees" or "Yanks" to talk about the United States as a whole, then it becomes a more derogatory term, and less of a nickname. It's not like US citizens call each others "Yanks". The only example I can think of is people from the south calling people from the north that, and generally it's not a term of endearment at that point, either.
I imagine Canucks is much the same. While the team maybe be called that, it's not how the whole of Canada represents itself. Canadians, Americans, British, European, Japanese, and so on. Although, anymore, "American" is becoming somewhat derogatory anyway...
_________________
. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords
"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton |
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devilman2045
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Tenshi wrote: | Well, it's sort of the same thing as the New York Yankees. If you're referencing the baseball team of New York, then talking about those "darn" Yankees is perfectly fine. Vulgarities of various levels given your proximity to Boston, of course. If you're using "Yankees" or "Yanks" to talk about the United States as a whole, then it becomes a more derogatory term, and less of a nickname. It's not like US citizens call each others "Yanks". The only example I can think of is people from the south calling people from the north that, and generally it's not a term of endearment at that point, either.
I imagine Canucks is much the same. While the team maybe be called that, it's not how the whole of Canada represents itself. Canadians, Americans, British, European, Japanese, and so on. Although, anymore, "American" is becoming somewhat derogatory anyway... |
Well first, and foremost, you're impression of Yankee is all wrong, and made me laugh... You can tell your not from America....
Second of all the last part about the term "American" was more racist than anything I've ever said... |
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Tinu.
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 3654
Location: The land of dreams
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Tenshi wrote: | Well, it's sort of the same thing as the New York Yankees. If you're referencing the baseball team of New York, then talking about those "darn" Yankees is perfectly fine. Vulgarities of various levels given your proximity to Boston, of course. If you're using "Yankees" or "Yanks" to talk about the United States as a whole, then it becomes a more derogatory term, and less of a nickname. It's not like US citizens call each others "Yanks". The only example I can think of is people from the south calling people from the north that, and generally it's not a term of endearment at that point, either.
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That is actually a perfect example.
Referring to the Sports team Yankees isn't derogatory at all. But if you're in the South, and someone calls you a Yankee, you look back over what you've just said or done and try to figure out what on earth you've done to offend them. In the Southern US "Yankee" is definitely a derogatory term.
I think Tenshi's got the right of it.
@Bob: Usa actually is from America. From the South, as am I. And I can tell you, down here, being called a Yankee is tantamount to someone cussing you out and throwing things at you. 
And Usa also has a point about the term "American." That statement might carry some skewed ethnocentricity, but it is correct, as well. My family travels quite a bit, and everywhere they go, being an "American" is not necessarily a good thing. People from other countries tend to associate being an American with not-so-good things. Not all, countries, mind--nor all peoples--but enough of them that you don't always want to go about proclaiming your nationality.
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Tenshi
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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I'm 1/16th American (Cherokee, in fact), 1/8th Irish, 1/8th Scottish, and the rest of a hodgepodge of European countries, predominantly Italian and Anglo-Saxon/British Isles.
Born and raised in the 'States, though. ^_^
We're getting off topic, and off task. My statement about "Canucks" and equating it to "Yankees" remains. I could offer a slew of other geographically, racially, or politically specific terms that identify a large group of people, and almost all of them would be offensive. However, people within that group use them freely among one another.
The reasoning is difficult, but it does have something to do with being on an equal footing with each other. See, if I were to call one of our Canadian forumites a Canuck, I would be doing so from south of the Canada/US border. I obviously don't know much about Canada, save the few visits I've made (lovely though they were!). So for me to use a term of familiarity like that isn't proper, as there's no way that I can know what it means to be a Canadian.
It's the same sort of thing as a family nickname. Say your entire family has always called you "Spud", after a strange potato farming incident. It's never really used outside of the family, and you present yourself to all the world as "Elliot". Someone hears this name, a stranger to you, and goes up to you with a goofy grin and says "Hey, Spud!". Your first reaction is probably not going to be to accept them as one of your family if they're a stranger, and most people tend to take offense that someone would presume to be on such a close level with them when they are, in fact, not.
Hope that helps elucidate a bit.
Edit: Come to think about it, I'm probably 1/4 Irish, actually. My mother is Irish-Italian and English. My father is Scotch Irish and Cherokee.
_________________
. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords
"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton |
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devilman2045
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Tin, and I are way different then. Funniest part about being called a Yankee, is if a southerner does it, they're just pissed they lost the war. If anyone outside the country does it, regardless of who they said it to, wouldn't be in a very good place at that precise moment.... At least, that's the Norths view... |
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Tenshi
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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Did the explanation help to clarify what I was saying?
_________________
. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords
"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton |
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devilman2045
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Tenshi wrote: | | Did the explanation help to clarify what I was saying? |
I knew what you were saying long ago... We see it a lot here where I live with minorities.... |
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Tinu.
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 3654
Location: The land of dreams
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| devilman2045 wrote: | | Tin, and I are way different then. Funniest part about being called a Yankee, is if a southerner does it, they're just pissed they lost the war. |
Pretty much. The Civil War ended in 1865 in the history books, but in the South it's still alive and well.
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"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid."
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Maeniel
Joined: 22 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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Indeed - though Nashville doesn't seem too far away from more northern cities, it seemed like a different world when I visited a few months ago!
I'm really glad the question was answered!  I'll lock this - while it's a legitimate cultural question, I think this topic could become a little heated and misunderstood. Thanks!
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