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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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...etymology of the word "niggardly"? The word sounds like a certain offensive N word but am I right in that it has no linguistic relation to that word? See link below for news story regarding "niggardly" and politcal correctness. http://www.newsobserver.com/nc24hour/ncnews/story/1699649p-1717688c.html
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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veteran
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Great reference, Alex - full of wisdom regarding PC speech.
I love the approach where the targets of offensive speech "repossess" (think that's the term) what were formerly judged offensive terms. Gays are particularly good at this in my experience. It's a brilliant way of putting the intolerant and ignorant on the back foot.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
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I can't think why one would think that niggardly had a racial context. Niggerly, certainly, and possibly this is what caused the confusion!
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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But then one wonders; if one discovers that one is doing something that one doesn't need to do and that that something is offending a large group of people, even if one can't understand why it is offending them, does one need to continue doing it?
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does one need to continue doing it?
Predictably: it depends.
If the people offended are actually offended by what they think you said rather than what you actually said, it's quite important, and sometimes crucial, to straighten out the misunderstanding.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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it depends.
Of course we have the old slippery slope argument, but then when was the last time you heard someone complain about Politically Correct demands forcing us to talk about drumsticks on a turkey or chicken? The concerns of the offended in this case are not rational I will not be effectively addressed in a rational manner.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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>I will not be effectively addressed in a rational manner.
hmm.. prolly not; at least until you stop pickin' at those nits.
8)
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hmm.. prolly not; at least until you stop pickin' at those nits. They must have come with the chickens and turkeys.  BTW, I'm told that chewing lice (Mallophaga) are deeply offended by being associated with sucking lice (Anoplura), as is implied by the blanket term "nit". Due to negative associations, all lice would also be grateful if we would never refer to any individual member of their species as a "louse". At such times please use the singular form of the scientific name for the appropriate species, i.e. mallophagus or anoplurus. Thank you.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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pickin' at those nits.
How'd that "it" turn into an "I"? It was an "it" when I was thinking it! That'll larn me to post before I done finished my first cup coffee.
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