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Debbie B

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Mar 17, 2004, 10:38:18 PM3/17/04
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Thought this was interesting.......

http://www.raydeccreations.com/color_trends.php

--
Debbie (New Mexico)
Life is too short


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Karen_AZ

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Mar 18, 2004, 8:01:35 AM3/18/04
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DD and I went to the mall last weekend for new sneakers (I love what she
got...black Converse high tops with FLAMES on the sides!!!!). We
window-shopped back to the car and I noticed a LOT of retro "hot"
colors....lime green, aqua, violet, hot pink, tangerine, and lemon yellow.
All in various combinations. Wahoo! I have glass for that. <G>

KarenK


Harry

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Mar 18, 2004, 8:27:50 AM3/18/04
to
Very helpful! I saw a program the other day on TV and they said green... any color of green
would be very hot for fashion this summer.

Harry

starlia

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Mar 18, 2004, 12:28:17 PM3/18/04
to
I've been looking for those high tops with flames. What store did you get
them from? I've searched our malls high and low.

"Karen_AZ" <desertd...@coxnospam.net> wrote in message
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Dr. Sooz

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Mar 18, 2004, 1:08:39 PM3/18/04
to
>http://www.raydeccreations.com/color_trends.php

If you check the Links List category for Color, there's a link to Pantone's
color forecasts for trends and fashions every season.
~~
Sooz
-------
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~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
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Dr. Sooz

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Mar 18, 2004, 1:09:32 PM3/18/04
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Pink is HUGE. Orange is sneaking up. Green is good too.

Dr. Sooz

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Mar 18, 2004, 1:10:16 PM3/18/04
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Big also: Yellow, though I hate to admit it. :-P

Karen_AZ

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Mar 18, 2004, 1:35:53 PM3/18/04
to
We found 'em in a chain called Journeys. No idea if they exist outside of
Phoenix. You might try Googling to see if there are any online sellers.

KarenK

"starlia" <sklopma...@cox-internet.com> wrote in message
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Kaytee

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Mar 18, 2004, 8:00:59 PM3/18/04
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In article <20040318131016...@mb-m18.aol.com>,
diva...@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz) writes:

>Big also: Yellow, though I hate to admit it. :-P

How about yellow with purple? Got a set of Tink beads in that combo, made them
into a "wooly worm" necklace....
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Christina Peterson

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Mar 18, 2004, 9:21:39 PM3/18/04
to
When ever I hear wooly worm I think out dyed felted wool with beads in it.

Tina


"Kaytee" <bod...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20040318200059...@mb-m24.aol.com...

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 20, 2004, 3:15:11 AM3/20/04
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Anything from the early 80's is in. Neon. Quilted ski vests. Bad hairdos.

-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com
http://www.snipurl.com/kebay

Tinkster

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Mar 20, 2004, 3:21:09 AM3/20/04
to

>Karen_AZ wrote:
>> DD and I went to the mall last weekend for new sneakers (I love what she
>> got...black Converse high tops with FLAMES on the sides!!!!). We
>> window-shopped back to the car and I noticed a LOT of retro "hot"
>> colors....lime green, aqua, violet, hot pink, tangerine, and lemon yellow.
>> All in various combinations. Wahoo! I have glass for that. <G>

Did she get the black hi-top Chucks with flames? That's what I
wear!!!!!

Tink

katiewise

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Mar 20, 2004, 11:22:09 AM3/20/04
to
OK, we may be going back to vibrant 80's colors and styles and bad
hair-dos (Wonder if Mall-Bangs will come back....<shudder>) But I
think it is an improvement over the monocromatic, ""I dug through the
reject bag behind Goodwill", BLEAH of the last several years. I am
SOOOOOOOOOOOO sick of grey, brown, sludge, ash, black, etc. Color,
ANY color, is a very welcome change. Maybe this time around we'll only
get the GOOD stuff from the 80's...

:)

Dr. Sooz

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Mar 20, 2004, 5:02:08 PM3/20/04
to
True. Even some legwarmers. Not kidding.

>Anything from the early 80's is in. Neon. Quilted ski vests. Bad hairdos.
>

>> DD and I went to the mall last weekend for new sneakers (I love what she
>> got...black Converse high tops with FLAMES on the sides!!!!). We
>> window-shopped back to the car and I noticed a LOT of retro "hot"
>> colors....lime green, aqua, violet, hot pink, tangerine, and lemon yellow.
>> All in various combinations. Wahoo! I have glass for that. <G>

Kaytee

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Mar 20, 2004, 5:17:58 PM3/20/04
to
In article <a16d1b2a.04032...@posting.google.com>,
wise...@hotmail.com (katiewise) writes:

>I am
>SOOOOOOOOOOOO sick of grey, brown, sludge, ash, black, etc. Color,
>ANY color, is a very welcome change. Maybe this time around we'll only
>get the GOOD stuff from the 80's...

I like the '60s color schemes better than '80s, and the clothes-- they were
comfy, and although they didn't exactly show off your shape to its best
advantage, at least they didn't distort it with padding.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Kandice Seeber

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Mar 20, 2004, 6:16:35 PM3/20/04
to
I totally agree. I love the fact that pink is so in this season. And even
though I can't wear it, I am glad about yellow, too!

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

Kandice Seeber

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Mar 20, 2004, 6:17:04 PM3/20/04
to
OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

>

Jan G

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Mar 20, 2004, 6:29:42 PM3/20/04
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"Kandice Seeber" <see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net> wrote in message
news:405cd102$1...@news.bnb-lp.com...

> OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!
>
> --
> Kandice Seeber
> Air & Earth Designs
> http://www.lampwork.net
>
> >
I am having a flashback of an orange suede long jacket with shoulder pads
big enough for a football player, gold blouse, velvet jeans and giant bangs!
Yikes! How could I have?
jan

Barbara Otterson

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Mar 20, 2004, 8:50:43 PM3/20/04
to
On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 15:17:04 -0800, "Kandice Seeber"
<see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net> wrote:

>OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!

They still put them in sweaters and suits. It drives me
nuts! I have very broad shoulders, put in pads and I
look like a line-backer.
Barbara
Dream Master
www.dreamweaverstudio.com

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future
plans.
Woody Allen

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 20, 2004, 10:59:17 PM3/20/04
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Maybe skinny ties for girls will come back...

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 20, 2004, 11:02:47 PM3/20/04
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Yeah. I am grateful there are few photographs left to prove what a
fashion plate I was in the 80's. MERCIFULLY FEW.

starlia

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Mar 20, 2004, 11:35:18 PM3/20/04
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I joined the Army in the mid 80's. I stepped off the bus to basic training
and the drill instructor laid in on me. I'm glad I no longer have that hair
cut or those clothes/glasses. LOL

"Kalera Stratton" <kal...@strattonhome.org> wrote in message
news:ZbOdnaMw89J...@comcast.com...

Christina Peterson

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Mar 20, 2004, 11:51:26 PM3/20/04
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Speaking of ties, I got a silk tie in slate Purply pink tulips when I was in
Amsterdam. Can anyone use it?

Tina


"Kalera Stratton" <kal...@strattonhome.org> wrote in message

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Kaytee

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Mar 21, 2004, 12:22:59 AM3/21/04
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In article <405cd102$1...@news.bnb-lp.com>, "Kandice Seeber"
<see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net> writes:

>OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!

Likewise. I still have some of the ones I pulled out of shirts/sweaters I
bought back then.... I had sewed some in the knees of my kids' pants when they
were toddlers, and a few pair got used in costumes, but with my broad
shoulders, I didn't need them padded.
Actually, those "padding removed" shirts fit me pretty well-- I could buy
shirts that fit my bust measurement, rather than a size or two larger to fit my
shoulders.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Kaytee

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Mar 21, 2004, 12:22:58 AM3/21/04
to
In article <ZbOdnaMw89J...@comcast.com>, Kalera Stratton
<kal...@strattonhome.org> writes:

>Yeah. I am grateful there are few photographs left to prove what a
>fashion plate I was in the 80's.

I wore Navy uniforms to work until Sept 83, mostly jeans and T's or sweaters
and/or Folk Wear patterns' clothing off duty/to SF State until 1985, then
maternity clothes... then back to the jeans, etc. "Discovered" muumuu's
somewhere in the mid-to-late '80s, too....
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Dr. Sooz

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Mar 21, 2004, 12:42:55 AM3/21/04
to
>I totally agree. I love the fact that pink is so in this season. And even
>though I can't wear it, I am glad about yellow, too!

Touches of yellow I can handle. They make purples look more purple, and that's
lovely. I like what Corina said about plum in one of her auctions, too....plum
is gorgeous. I've always loved it, it hums.

Dr. Sooz

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Mar 21, 2004, 12:44:31 AM3/21/04
to
>OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!

I hope the 80s revival goes away soon. That was one of the ugliest decades
ever. Bad perms, legwarmers, leggings, big tops, shoulder pads, and the makeup
(oh dear).....I could go on, but now I have to be sick.

Dr. Sooz

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Mar 21, 2004, 12:46:07 AM3/21/04
to
>I got a silk tie in slate Purply pink tulips

It's slate blue, purple, and pink?

Anne C. Bauer

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Mar 21, 2004, 2:04:26 PM3/21/04
to
Yesterday I stopped in Hot Topics, and saw the most beautiful PURPLE satin
Converse low tops - embroidered with flowers! I think I may need to own them!

Annie
An...@anniebee.com or anni...@aol.com
AnnieBee's at http://www.anniebee.com

Jalynne

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Mar 21, 2004, 2:17:03 PM3/21/04
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Oh I know, Vicki! I was in the mall yesterday, too...and um....well...ewwwww. Made
me curious enough to pull out some of my pictures from high school...which I promptly
put away, at the BOTTOM of the box. I might scrapbook them someday....but I'll have
to be nearly blind before I do it. Can't believe I ever did the big hair thing...or
the stirrup pants and big shirt with the wide belt that hung off the hips, the weird
pastels and bright colours. I wasn't allowed some of the "trashier" stuff....which
is a good thing, I think. The whole trauma of it all is probably what made me forget
most of that time anyway...LOL. I'll stick to my style, which is simple, classic and
understated. (So it doesn't outshine my personality : D )
--
Jalynne - Keeper of the Quilt for ME club list
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
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"vj" <v...@vickijean.com> wrote in message
news:e0jr50plbf4kq7dt1...@4ax.com...
> vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from wise...@hotmail.com
> (katiewise) :
>
> ]Maybe this time around we'll only


> ]get the GOOD stuff from the 80's...
>

> not if what i saw in the mall last night was any indication!
> [shudder]
>
>
> -----------
> @vicki [SnuggleWench]
> (Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
> (Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
> newest creations: http://www.vickijean.com/new.html
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> - Janet P - RAM


Christina Peterson

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Mar 21, 2004, 7:05:49 PM3/21/04
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Yes. The background is slate blue. The tulips are pink with plummy
details. And it has very quiet greens for the leaves.

Tina


"Dr. Sooz" <diva...@aol.compuppies> wrote in message
news:20040321004607...@mb-m12.aol.com...

Lee S. Billings

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Mar 21, 2004, 7:56:50 PM3/21/04
to
In article <e0jr50plbf4kq7dt1...@4ax.com>, v...@vickijean.com
says...

>
>vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from wise...@hotmail.com
>(katiewise) :
>
>]Maybe this time around we'll only

>]get the GOOD stuff from the 80's...
>
>not if what i saw in the mall last night was any indication!
>[shudder]

I firmly believe that every generation should have the chance to dress like
idiots. Otherwise their children will have no defense against parental
old-fogeyism!

Celine

--
Handmade jewelry at http://www.rubylane.com/shops/starcat
"Only the powers of evil claim that doing good is boring."
-- Diane Duane, _Nightfall at Algemron_

Kaytee

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Mar 22, 2004, 12:30:49 AM3/22/04
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In article <PSl7c.51023$aT1....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>, "Jalynne"
<craft...@quiltscrap.net> writes:

> Can't believe I ever did the big hair thing...or
>the stirrup pants and big shirt with the wide belt that hung off the hips,
>the weird
>pastels and bright colours. I wasn't allowed some of the "trashier"
>stuff....which
>is a good thing, I think.


Never did "big hair", except once for Halloween, when I did a "Hair" hair-do,
so to speak. Made a bunch of "picanini" braids all over my head, wet them down
with setting lotion and let dry-- then undid and combed out/teased into an
enormous 'fro. It was nearly straight two hours later, and combing it out
completely filled the bathroom trash can about half way.... My "hair style"
since high school has generally been a middle part, everything as long as it
grows pulled back into a tail or braid, except for regular eyebrow length
bangs. Only had stirrup pants for a dance class-- but that was back in jr high
(early/mid '60s). Big shirts? Most of my shirts were "too big" in the torso,
but I didn't get any of the fashion-type "big shirts". Bright colors/prints--
well... I must confess, I still wear them.... I probably COULD have had some of
the "trashy" fashions-- I was an adult after all, but I don't know that I
considered any of the '80s fashion style particularly "trashy"; some of it I
considered UGLY, and most of it "not my thing" or just impractical for my
needs. You don't need "power suits" when you have to wear your status on your
sleeve for all the world to see, nor if you are a full-time mom riding herd on
a couple of rug rats (which descripes the period of "the 80s for me)....
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Dr. Sooz

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Mar 22, 2004, 1:16:53 AM3/22/04
to
>Made a bunch of "picanini" braids all over my head,

I cannot believe you said that word out loud here. Picaninny??! Kaytee!

Kaytee

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Mar 22, 2004, 1:48:17 AM3/22/04
to
In article <20040322011653...@mb-m03.aol.com>,
diva...@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz) writes:

>I cannot believe you said that word out loud here. Picaninny??! Kaytee!
>~~

Should I have translated from the Portugese?? "Little girl" braids, in the
style popular in the rural areas of the former CSA, amongst those persons who
performed labor with no pay other than room, board and two sets of clothing a
year....

What else would one call the hair style? (Little braids all over one's head) In
any case, a certain friend of dusky hue whose hair didn't need to be crimped
and teased to create a 'fro, was the one who called me that; I had thought I
looked like Raggedy Ann, with the braids in.... And I had to endure jokes about
"passing" for at least a month afterwards....
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Dr. Sooz

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Mar 22, 2004, 1:56:14 AM3/22/04
to
>Should I have translated from the Portugese?? "Little girl" braids, in the
>style popular in the rural areas of the former CSA, amongst those persons who
>performed labor with no pay other than room, board and two sets of clothing a
>year....

"picaninny" is a racial slur. I'm sure you didn't mean to, Kaytee, but I was
shocked.

Kandice Seeber

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Mar 22, 2004, 2:01:19 AM3/22/04
to
Cornrows?

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> What else would one call the hair style? (Little braids all over one's
head)


Carla

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Mar 22, 2004, 3:26:04 AM3/22/04
to
Dr. Sooz wrote:
>>Should I have translated from the Portugese?? "Little girl" braids, in the
>>style popular in the rural areas of the former CSA, amongst those persons who
>>performed labor with no pay other than room, board and two sets of clothing a
>>year....
>
>
> "picaninny" is a racial slur. I'm sure you didn't mean to, Kaytee, but I was
> shocked.

Thank you, Sooz, for pointing that out. Even with Kaytee's explanation
of it being a Portugese word, I had an immediate negative reaction to it
(and wouldn't have said anything because I dislike being accused of
being "too sensitive").

Kaytee, I believe you didn't mean it as a racial slur, but there are
always (or for the foreseeable future anyway) going to be certain
words/phrases in our (U.S.) culture that are going to be taken that way.

FWIW, I wore those braids throughout my youth, and when I travelled in
the south with my grandmother, I was often referred to as a "cute li'l
picaninny child" or told I was cute "for a picaninny".

While I like to think I've "grown beyond" reacting to that kind of
thing, I have to admit that it can still cause quite an icky reaction.

Cheers,
Carla

Karen_AZ

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Mar 22, 2004, 7:52:52 AM3/22/04
to
I wonder if this is a regional thing. I've heard pickaninny since I was
little, usually referring to (geez, I never had a formal definition) hmmmm,
raggedy anne fits....oh! usually a disheveled kid. Yeah, disheveled works. I
never heard or thought of it as a racial thing, it was my Mom's or aunt's
way of telling me "I sent you out dressed nice and now your knees are dirty,
your hair's a mess, and where's the button that belongs there?" LOL

Interesting, how words can have different connotations.

KarenK

"Carla" <sard...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:wqx7c.51805$aT1....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

Debbie B

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Mar 22, 2004, 10:46:05 AM3/22/04
to
I also grew up with the raggedy child meaning.
--
Debbie (New Mexico)
Life is too short
"Karen_AZ" <desertd...@coxnospam.net> wrote in message
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Kaytee

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Mar 22, 2004, 11:20:25 AM3/22/04
to
In article <405e8f59$1...@news.bnb-lp.com>, "Kandice Seeber"
<see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net> writes:

>Cornrows?

No, mine were sticking out from the scalp, not "frenched" along it. Hopefully,
THAT isn't another "slur".

And no, I didn't intend the term "picaninny" to be a racial slur. As with
KarenK, in my kid-hood, besides the association with a particular hair style,
it just brought up images of a little girl who liked playing in the dirt,
making mud-pies and getting leaves and twigs stuck in her hair. No more
perjorative than "tom boy", which I more often had applied to me while growing
up.

The high-school friend who called me a "picaninny" was self-described as
"colored". She thought it was hilarious to see somebody with dead straight
blond hair wearing that sort of "hair do"... or actually, anybody over 3 years
of age wearing that sort of hair do. And told me so... frequently.... Some
people are easily amused.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Dr. Sooz

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Mar 22, 2004, 12:22:09 PM3/22/04
to
>Thank you, Sooz, for pointing that out. Even with Kaytee's explanation
>of it being a Portugese word, I had an immediate negative reaction to it
>(and wouldn't have said anything because I dislike being accused of
>being "too sensitive").
>
>Kaytee, I believe you didn't mean it as a racial slur, but there are
>always (or for the foreseeable future anyway) going to be certain
>words/phrases in our (U.S.) culture that are going to be taken that way.
>
>FWIW, I wore those braids throughout my youth, and when I travelled in
>the south with my grandmother, I was often referred to as a "cute li'l
>picaninny child" or told I was cute "for a picaninny".
>
>While I like to think I've "grown beyond" reacting to that kind of
>thing, I have to admit that it can still cause quite an icky reaction.
>
>Cheers,
>Carla

My grandmother, who was born and raised in the South (born around 1900) was not
a racist at all. She was a very cool lady for her place and times. But when
she had a devastating stroke, she would sometimes revert to using words that
either made no sense, or came from way back in her lifetime. Once in an IHOP,
she said, "Look at the cute little picaninny!" and my mother nearly died. It's
not a word that needs to be used.

Dr. Sooz

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 12:24:05 PM3/22/04
to
>And no, I didn't intend the term "picaninny" to be a racial slur.

I know. I said I was sure you didn't, and there's no need to defend yourself.

Dr. Sooz

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 12:23:36 PM3/22/04
to
>No, mine were sticking out from the scalp, not "frenched" along it.
>Hopefully,
>THAT isn't another "slur".

It *is* a slur, Kaytee. Mention it to your black friends and see what they
think.

Bungadora

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Mar 22, 2004, 1:34:01 PM3/22/04
to
Another racial slur people sometimes use without intention is the word 'coon',
as in 'a coon's age'. Some people don't know what it means. They think, oh, a
cute little racoon. I've had to explain to a couple of people that, no, it is a
derogatory term for a black person and they were quite surprised.
Dora
>diva...@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz)

Mj

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Mar 22, 2004, 2:05:36 PM3/22/04
to
"Coon" has indeed become a nasty slur, but the phrase "in a coon's age" came
about long before 'coon' meant a black person. See this interesting website
for more info:
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/626.html

Mj
--
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Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Trading-Company?refid=store
=================================

"Bungadora" <bung...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
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Alison

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Mar 22, 2004, 2:08:14 PM3/22/04
to

"Dr. Sooz" <diva...@aol.compuppies> wrote in message
news:20040322122336...@mb-m28.aol.com...

> >No, mine were sticking out from the scalp, not "frenched" along it.
> >Hopefully,
> >THAT isn't another "slur".
>
> It *is* a slur, Kaytee. Mention it to your black friends and see what
they
> think.

Sooz, how is "frenched" a slur??? French braids "frenched" is what I
thought she meant.

Alison

Bungadora

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Mar 22, 2004, 2:28:27 PM3/22/04
to
Interesting. Better not show my sister that page. She is still talking about us
going together down into the States for a shopping trip and might get us beat
up in a parking lot for using it.

I had thought, actually, that the term originated because coon dogs were used
to track runaway slaves.

Dora

>"Mj" 627532...@rtinet.com

Dr. Sooz

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Mar 22, 2004, 2:31:29 PM3/22/04
to
>> >Hopefully,
>> >THAT isn't another "slur".
>>
>> It *is* a slur, Kaytee. Mention it to your black friends and see what
>they
>> think.
>
>Sooz, how is "frenched" a slur???

It isn't. I was referring to the original word, "picaninny". Sorry, I
should've been more specific to avoid confusion.

Dr. Sooz

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 2:33:30 PM3/22/04
to
Okay, I went to Webster's. They said:

Etymology: probably ultimately from Portuguese pequenino, diminutive of pequeno
small

often offensive : a black child

Christina Peterson

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 3:25:33 PM3/22/04
to
I'd never heard of any Portuguese connection. I've always heard it
referring to little black girls in the South, and thought it referred to
little slave girls picking cotton. It generally is patronizing/demeaning.
I have quite liberal black friends, whom I am not careful about language
with. Usually one can tell from context whether something is a slur or not.

Tina


"Karen_AZ" <desertd...@coxnospam.net> wrote in message
news:AkB7c.48484$Zp.10437@fed1read07...

Christina Peterson

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 3:58:17 PM3/22/04
to
I should have said " whether something is *meant as* a slur.

Tina


"Christina Peterson" <tinap...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1079987133.129896@prawn...

Carla

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 4:36:03 PM3/22/04
to
Christina Peterson wrote:
> I should have said " whether something is *meant as* a slur.

I did say I didn't believe it *was* meant as a slur, but I still had a
negative reaction to it.

Cheers,
Carla

Linda2

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 6:39:09 PM3/22/04
to
"Bungadora" <bung...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20040322133401...@mb-m16.aol.com...
> Another racial slur people sometimes use without intention is the word
'coon',
> as in 'a coon's age'. Some people don't know what it means. They think,
oh, a
> cute little racoon. I've had to explain to a couple of people that, no, it
is a
> derogatory term for a black person and they were quite surprised.

Can someone explain to me why people from Lousiana are called coonasses?
This applies to all Lousianans, by the way.

When I was a child in the 50's, there were two water fountains at the local
supermarket; one marked "white" and one marked "colored." I always wanted to
wait for someone to drink from the "colored" one to see the colored water
come out.

Linda2

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 7:41:38 PM3/22/04
to
I think maybe that you wouldn't hear the word as a racial slur if you hadn't
been brought up around African Americans. I've not heard that word at all -
I had no idea what it meant before this thread. However, I once saw a TV
spot where some people in the south part of this country had not understood
that the N-word was racially derogatory, and used that word all the time,
and I was shocked at that. Of course, sometimes African Americans use that
word on their own and this is okay for them (so I've heard - if I am wrong,
please say so!) It takes back the power of the word, I think.
I know I try extremely hard not to use any word that might be seen as
derogatory, racially speaking, and I am sure I have even made mistakes. I
grew up in Portland, where there is a fair amount of racial diversity, but
it's certainly not as diverse as some parts of the country where the general
population is higher.
It's hard when you really don't want to offend anyone, but you aren't sure
what to say. At least these days we are more aware of it than we were as a
country 100 years ago. Even 50 years ago. Hell, even 20 years ago!

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

>

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 7:52:44 PM3/22/04
to
Yes - I think some words will get a negative reation even if it's not
intended.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> Christina Peterson wrote:

Dr. Sooz

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 7:59:38 PM3/22/04
to
>At least these days we are more aware of it than we were as a
>country 100 years ago. Even 50 years ago. Hell, even 20 years ago!

20 years ago was the incident when my grandmother called a little black girl a
pickaninny at the IHOP (and my mother almost fainted).

I can't believe this is something people aren't aware of. Does anyone hear
this word used on TV, for instance? Shouldn't that tip us off a bit? No? Do
you hear anyone on TV say "wop" or "spic" or "wetback" or "polack"?

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 8:11:03 PM3/22/04
to
I have never heard pickaninny on TV - at least not that I remember. I have
heard some of the other words occasionally, but not often. The first one I
haven't heard - and the second one I have but I can't recall what it's in
reference to. I do think it depends on where you are.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> >At least these days we are more aware of it than we were as a

Carla

unread,
Mar 22, 2004, 10:52:48 PM3/22/04
to
Can I relate a story in exchange for this one? :)

Family background - I'm African American, my husband is white; my
sister-in-law has one son by a white father and a younger son by a
Mexican American father.

Years ago, when the boys were little, we all took a trip to an amusement
park. When we got out of the car, on a *very* sunny day, my SIL grabbed
some sunblock and proceeded to slathter herself and her older son. I
was holding my younger nephew's (he was maybe four or five at the time)
hand, and we weren't using sunblock. He very seriously looked up at me
and said, "Auntie Carla, I must take after your side of the family."

I told him, "Yep, darlin', you certainly do." :)

Cheers,
Carla

Kathy N-V wrote:
> This isn't offensive, but is a little bit of a cautionary tale about drawing
> conclusions.
>
> My adopted brother and his wife have two daughters: one homemade, and one
> from an orphanage in China. My nieces are wonderful, and I adore them - one
> of my biggest regrets is that I haven't been able to get to Portland, OR to
> see them lately. When I was well, I went to Portland three or four times a
> year (on business, stretched a bit to see family), and got to spoil the kids
> rotten.
>
> Each year, my brother writes a letter to each daughter's teacher, thanking
> them for caring for the most precious thing in his life, and giving a quick
> personality description of the girl.
>
> When the younger daughter was ready to go to school, she became quite
> concerned that her dad was sending a letter. "Daddy, please don't let the
> teacher know that I'm Chinese!" she begged.
>
> I never understood why she didn't want people to know, and now that she's
> older, she's very proud of all the nationalities she claims. "Susie White"
> (not her real name, but close enough) fools teachers every year, when they
> call her name on the first day of school, and get a gorgeous Chinese teenager
> instead of the anglo child they were expecting.
>
> Amazingly enough, "Susie" seems to take after my side of the family. I think
> that's pushing the biological thread very thin - after all, I'm not a blood
> relation to her Dad, and her Dad isn't related by blood to "Susie." But
> there she is, using gestures and expressions exactly like my German cousins.
>
> Kathy N-V
>
> Obligatory Political Correctness Story: DD came home with her high school
> course catalog today, and we went through, creating a class schedule for next
> year. We came upon the "bilingual education" area, which has been renamed
> "Students Whose First Language Was Not English."
>
> DD looked at it and started laughing. "Mama, you could have been in that
> group. Your first language was German!"
>
> I laughed, knowing that it was true, if we were following the letter of the
> law. I told DD that I should sign up for that, because "I would smoke all
> the other kids out of the water!"
>
> DD rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at me. Later, we decided that the
> class decription should mention that it was only for people with difficulty
> using Standard English. After all, I'm not the only kid around who spoke one
> language at home and another outside the house. I do speak English with a
> strong accent, but not a German accent at all. My speech is colored more by
> my location in Boston more than the fact that my original language was not
> English.
>

Lee S. Billings

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 12:34:36 AM3/23/04
to
In article <AkB7c.48484$Zp.10437@fed1read07>, desertd...@coxnospam.net
says...

>
>I wonder if this is a regional thing. I've heard pickaninny since I was
>little, usually referring to (geez, I never had a formal definition) hmmmm,
>raggedy anne fits....oh! usually a disheveled kid. Yeah, disheveled works. I
>never heard or thought of it as a racial thing, it was my Mom's or aunt's
>way of telling me "I sent you out dressed nice and now your knees are dirty,
>your hair's a mess, and where's the button that belongs there?" LOL

I think, if you investigate the etymology of this word, you'll find that your
elders used it to mean "disheveled" because that was the way a poor black child
was assumed to look. There are a lot of expressions in English which started
out as ethnic slurs but have lost those connotations over time -- "Dutch"
anything being an excellent set of examples! I've spent enough time in the
South that I would never use a word like "pickaninny" casually, or in a place
where I didn't know everyone I was talking to *really well*.

Celine

--
Handmade jewelry at http://www.rubylane.com/shops/starcat
"Only the powers of evil claim that doing good is boring."
-- Diane Duane, _Nightfall at Algemron_

Lee S. Billings

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 12:41:08 AM3/23/04
to
In article <405f87da$1...@news.bnb-lp.com>, see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net says...

>
>Of course, sometimes African Americans use that
>word on their own and this is okay for them (so I've heard - if I am wrong,
>please say so!) It takes back the power of the word, I think.

Yes, just as the GLBT community has chosen to take back the term "queer". That
still doesn't mean straight folks can throw it around casually, but I have no
hesitation in using it in conversation with my gay friend, who know I mean it
the same way they do.

>It's hard when you really don't want to offend anyone, but you aren't sure
>what to say. At least these days we are more aware of it than we were as a
>country 100 years ago. Even 50 years ago. Hell, even 20 years ago!

Yes, progress does get made. It's annoying as hell that some people don't think
of this as progress, and whine about the "creeping PC-ness of America". I truly
despise such attempts to relabel common courtesy as something nasty!

Lee S. Billings

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 12:49:21 AM3/23/04
to
In article <0001HW.BC85058F...@nntp.theworld.com>,
kathyn...@hotmail.com says...

>One thing that gives me hope for the future is that schools are becoming more
>integrated. DD's school is a mix of many cultures, with no one group
>dominating the others. The kids don't even notice race, because they've all
>been together all their lives.

You're lucky -- there are still plenty of kids who attend de facto segregated
private schools as part of their overprotected lives.

I'm reading a fascinating book right now. "YELLOW: Race in America Beyond Black
and White" by Frank H. Wu. Wu is a law professor at Howard University, and he
does an excellent job of showing how including Asian Americans casts a very
different slant on many racial issues.

IMO the ideal to be striven for in this area is not "not to notice race", but
to notice it on the same level that one notices another person's height or hair
color or style of dress.

Carla

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 12:50:06 AM3/23/04
to
Lee S. Billings wrote:

> Yes, progress does get made. It's annoying as hell that some people don't think
> of this as progress, and whine about the "creeping PC-ness of America". I truly
> despise such attempts to relabel common courtesy as something nasty!

May I just "ditto!" that?

Cheers,
Carla

Christina Peterson

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 2:11:10 AM3/23/04
to
It's funny how literal children are.

My grandmother had explained that people in very sunny places like Africa,
develop darker skin to protect it from the sun. Like our skin does when we
tan, only much more. So when we had our first black child in our school,
second grade I think, I always wanted to look to see if she was "tanned"
under her clothes too.

Tina


"Linda2" <ar...@spamsuxgate.net> wrote ...

Kalera Stratton

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 3:05:42 AM3/23/04
to
Stripy eyeshadow. Short hair with puffy bangs and a "tail". Purple
lipstick. Men's pants worn so tight you have to sew them on. Polyester
business shirts with the sleeves cut off.

I was "New Wave", aka "GACK!"

-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com
http://www.snipurl.com/kebay


Dr. Sooz wrote:
>>OMG - I hope shoulder pads **never** come back!!!
>
>
> I hope the 80s revival goes away soon. That was one of the ugliest decades
> ever. Bad perms, legwarmers, leggings, big tops, shoulder pads, and the makeup
> (oh dear).....I could go on, but now I have to be sick.

Kalera Stratton

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 3:06:43 AM3/23/04
to
It sounds really cute! Makes me wish I still wore ties. Almost.


Christina Peterson wrote:
> Speaking of ties, I got a silk tie in slate Purply pink tulips when I was in
> Amsterdam. Can anyone use it?
>
> Tina
>
>
> "Kalera Stratton" <kal...@strattonhome.org> wrote in message
> news:n8CdnZPVyvO...@comcast.com...
>
>>Maybe skinny ties for girls will come back...

Kalera Stratton

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 3:20:31 AM3/23/04
to
It's one of those words that I'm rather fond of, myself, but that only
colored people can use. :) Sorta like my big sister was always telling
my light-skinned little brother "Don't be snooty, you a nigger injun
just like the rest of us!"

If anyone is severely offended by my use of the horrible N-word, please
be reminded that when I grew up (not too long ago) it was not so bad. It
was offensive only if a white person said it, and not as a cuss word in
its own right, but only if said in a derogatory way. Even white folks
could use "the word" while talking *about* "the word" and nobody would
get upset, unlike now, when it's morphed somehow into The Worst Cuss
Word In The American Lexicon.

And besides, Americans only hate words that refer to blackness or other
non-white races because our culture still thinks being brown is bad. As
individuals, most of us are over that, but our society still carries it.
That's why we seem to need new euphemisms for coloredness every few years.

-Kalera (former pickaninny, now Colored Chyck Extraordinare, AKA Mud
Girl, mother to several beautiful Mud Children and married to a handsome
pretty much white {are Yugoslavians white? I cannot tell what color
people are by looking at them anymore ;)} guy.)

http://www.beadwife.com
http://www.snipurl.com/kebay


Dr. Sooz wrote:
>>Should I have translated from the Portugese?? "Little girl" braids, in the
>>style popular in the rural areas of the former CSA, amongst those persons who
>>performed labor with no pay other than room, board and two sets of clothing a
>>year....
>
>
> "picaninny" is a racial slur. I'm sure you didn't mean to, Kaytee, but I was
> shocked.

Kalera Stratton

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 3:33:44 AM3/23/04
to
It's funny... I'm quite light-skinned, as my mother is mostly white, and
I rarely burn. My friend Dave, however, is very dark, and he once
sunburned the dickens out of himself sitting in the sun for an hour
reading! He was extremely embarrassed, and you should have heard him
trying to explain it to some of our friends! I guess it's proof that
pigment is not a good subsitute for sunblock... but I still don't
understand why he burns and I don't.

Another funny story is the time acquaintance's son asked her, "Mommy,
why are Kalera and Juliet (my oldest daughter) black, and Sam (my
son)isn't?" and it's true... and confusingly so. My son has blue eyes
and pale, pale skin. My daughter has my exact coloring, though they both
have the same father.

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 5:48:21 AM3/23/04
to
Yes definitely. I don't like the term politicially correct, though - to me,
that's an oxymoron. Politics is almost never correct (in my opinion).
However, I agree that we need to come from a place of respect for every
human. Celebrate differences in people and culture instead of looking down
on someone because they don't have the same color of skin, eyes and hair,
religion, sexual orientation, etc. as someone else does. To me, that's not
political correctness - it's courtesy, respect and humility.
Off the soapbox now. :)

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> >Of course, sometimes African Americans use that

Karen_AZ

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 7:42:24 AM3/23/04
to
>Yes, progress does get made. It's annoying as hell that some people don't
think
of this as progress, and whine about the "creeping PC-ness of America". I
truly
despise such attempts to relabel common courtesy as something nasty! <

I think there's a difference between courtesy and PC-ness, though. There's
this undertone amongst the PC types that's a nearly obsessive drive to make
everything/everyone homogenous and (secretly) just like them. Because then
THEY won't have to feel uncomfortable anymore. I believe there's a courtesy
in respecting people/beliefs just as they are. However, you're not required
to enjoy or embrace all of it, just let it be. In the blink of an eye, PC
seems to turn into censorship, and I find that even more disturbing.

KarenK


Alison

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 11:18:32 AM3/23/04
to
All *Southern* Louisianians, as far as I know! I don't know that them
northerners up in Shreveport ever claimed the title.

Honestly, I can't remember why we're "coon ass", but I sure know we're proud
of it!

Alison - from Bayou Country!

"Linda2" <ar...@spamsuxgate.net> wrote in message
news:xOK7c.3513$V66....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...

Alison

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 11:41:55 AM3/23/04
to
Here we go, Linda, a google search led me to this, which I found hugely
surprising:

http://www.cajunbonsai.com/coonasspage.htm

I think I'll ask my dad about it.
Alison

"Linda2" <ar...@spamsuxgate.net> wrote in message
news:xOK7c.3513$V66....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...

mjoann

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 1:10:40 PM3/23/04
to
vj wrote:
> vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ"
> <desertd...@coxnospam.net> :
>
> ]In the blink of an eye, PC

> ]seems to turn into censorship, and I find that even more disturbing.
>
> bingo!


Out of lurking again to say:

The main thing that scares me about PC-ness is the mindlessness with
which some people approach it. They don't understand why they think that
way, just that they've been programmed to speak/ act in a certain
manner. For some people its just an automatic reaction, but it is really
meaningless because they don't know why they believe it.

mjoann

Kaytee

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 2:15:43 PM3/23/04
to
In article <xrZ7c.3981$ol3....@fe03.usenetserver.com>, "Alison"
<alis...@SPAMhorizon-research.com> writes:

>All *Southern* Louisianians, as far as I know! I don't know that them
>northerners up in Shreveport ever claimed the title.
>
>Honestly, I can't remember why we're "coon ass", but I sure know we're proud
>of it!

Perhaps somebody thought the shape of the state looks like a raccoon? (It
doesn't to me, but neither the Big nor Little Dippers look like bears to me,
either). If you're from the southern end of the state then.. da duh! you'd be
living in the "south end" of hte raccoon.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com


Christina Peterson

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 3:46:03 PM3/23/04
to
I agree, Karen. Political correctness seems based "inoffensiveness" instead
of awareness. It's all about how you want to be *perceived*, rather than
how you are?

Tina


"Karen_AZ" <desertd...@coxnospam.net> wrote in message

news:HgW7c.255$cx5.251@fed1read04...

Carla

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 5:37:20 PM3/23/04
to
The problem, as I see it, is so many people refuse to be *courteous*
because they see it as buying into (and this is a direct quote from
someone I used to know) "all that namby-pamby political correctness crap".

Cheers,
Carla

Christina Peterson

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 9:56:39 PM3/23/04
to
That reminds me of when I looked in Emily Post and found the definition of
Etiquette. The primary requirement for etiquette is to makes others
comfortable and feel good about themselves. Any action of correct manners
that makes people feel belittled, is neither good manners nor good
etiquette.

Same thing about political correctness. Doing things out of following the
rules is not what it's about. It's about awareness and courtesy.

Tina


"Kathy N-V" <kathyn...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:0001HW.BC8628F6...@nntp.theworld.com...
> On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 17:37:20 -0500, Carla wrote
> (in message <A_28c.35548$%06.2...@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>):


>
> > The problem, as I see it, is so many people refuse to be *courteous*
> > because they see it as buying into (and this is a direct quote from
> > someone I used to know) "all that namby-pamby political correctness
crap".
> >

> That's because they aren't following thinking of the following before
> speaking:
>
> 1. Is it true?
> 2. Is it kind?
> 3. Is it necessary?
>
> I admit, I certainly slip up on the rules, especially the last one, but if
> more people followed the rules, we wouldn't be worrying about political
> correctness.
>
> Kathy N-V
>


Lee S. Billings

unread,
Mar 23, 2004, 11:15:26 PM3/23/04
to
In article <A_28c.35548$%06.2...@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
sard...@earthlink.net says...

>
>The problem, as I see it, is so many people refuse to be *courteous*
>because they see it as buying into (and this is a direct quote from
>someone I used to know) "all that namby-pamby political correctness crap".

Yes, that is *precisely* the problem to which I was referring. Then there are
those who equate "not using genuine racial/ethnic slurs" with "saying sanitary
engineer instead of janitor" (or who at least pretend to equate the two) and
simply refuse to alter their own language, no matter how offensive, on the
feeble excuse of "I don't do PC crap."

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 24, 2004, 2:31:36 AM3/24/04
to
Yeah, I can totally see that. It's one thing to be aware that sometimes we
all go a little overboard with the political correctness. Its another thing
entirely to just be a jerk and refuse to respect people because it's namby
pamby. I can't stand it when people are sugar-sweet and it's not sincere.
I'd rather they be real. But being real doesn't mean being disrespectful or
rude. It's a fine line.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> The problem, as I see it, is so many people refuse to be *courteous*

scaperchick

unread,
Mar 25, 2004, 12:29:33 PM3/25/04
to
On 23 Mar 2004 00:59:38 GMT, diva...@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz)
wrote:

>I can't believe this is something people aren't aware of. Does anyone hear
>this word used on TV, for instance? Shouldn't that tip us off a bit? No? Do
>you hear anyone on TV say "wop" or "spic" or "wetback" or "polack"?

I have never heard the word "pickaninny" in my life, ever - not until
this thread. But I'm from the Northeast, that might be why...

Kalera - you rock. :D

Karen_AZ

unread,
Mar 25, 2004, 12:31:58 PM3/25/04
to

> >I can't believe this is something people aren't aware of. Does anyone
hear
> >this word used on TV, for instance? Shouldn't that tip us off a bit?
No? Do
> >you hear anyone on TV say "wop" or "spic" or "wetback" or "polack"?

Shifting the perspective on this comment a little, I just hope that
television never becomes the defining source for language usage. If so,
civilization is truly lost.

KarenK


Kalera Stratton

unread,
Mar 25, 2004, 1:05:47 PM3/25/04
to
LOL... thanks! :) This reminds me of the "Gorilla" incident here in
Portland last year... some cops picked up a bum who had a filthy,
stenchous stuffed gorilla with him. They stuck it on the grille of the
car... they said later because it stunk, but I imagine it was because
they were young and being goofy. Then they were going about their
business, and ended up pulled up in front of a hip-hop club (if you're
from Portland, then you'll be aware that 75% of the kids in that club
were white). Someone saw the gorilla, and decided that the cops were
harassing the black population of the city by making a racial slur. I am
not kidding... this was a HUGE deal! The sad thing was, the young cops
were like "Gorilla? Racial slur? What???" and almost everyone I knew was
utterly confused... this is PORTLAND, OREGON, which has had its own
issues with racism, but that's a Southern regional slur that most people
here have NEVER EVEN HEARD OF. Soooo many of my friends were asking me
what the heck gorillas have to do with black people, and what it all
means. My friend Lisa was trying to figure it out... "So, they're
thinking that like, since gorillas are from Africa... they're from
Africa, right..? and black Americans are descended from people who
originally came from Africa, that makes black people like gorillas? Is
that it?" Scratching head...

Kandice Seeber

unread,
Mar 25, 2004, 5:35:06 PM3/25/04
to
Oh, yes, I remember that. I have no idea what the slur would be there,
either. But I do hope that they explained it really well on the news so
that people weren't offended. I can imagine how some people must have felt
when seeing that without knowing what the real story was.
And I really hope that it *was* the real story - i.e. that the cops didn't
lie to cover up something they did.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> LOL... thanks! :) This reminds me of the "Gorilla" incident here in

Carla

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Mar 25, 2004, 7:33:59 PM3/25/04
to
This reminds me a commerical for long-distance telephone service. Mind
you, this was probably about 20 years ago -

The commercial showed a bunch of young people who had grown up and left
home, and trying to keep in touch with friends/family.

In all cases, they show the person calling overseas and people (parents,
sibs, whatever) answering...until they get to the young African person
who calls home and the phone is answered by chimps.

Fortunately, the commercial was pulled fairly quickly after all the
complaints to the phone company.

Cheers,
Carla

Lee S. Billings

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Mar 25, 2004, 11:00:19 PM3/25/04
to
In article <40635eb5$1...@news.bnb-lp.com>, see...@comNOcastSPAMM.net says...

>
>Oh, yes, I remember that. I have no idea what the slur would be there,
>either.

Gorillas are black primates that come from Africa. Black people used to be
considered "no better than animals". Does that make it clearer?

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 26, 2004, 1:07:46 AM3/26/04
to
WHOA. Both situations are inexcusable. A: racism aside, I don't CARE
what color a kindergartener is, AN ADULT WHO KNOWS THE CHILD should be
with them AT ALL TIMES. Put on a BUS? A BUS? ALONE??? And who, and
where, are the teachers who knew the kid by face? If I were a parent who
sent a child to that school, I would YOINK my kids out until they gave a
suitable explanation for how that happened. Of course, the answer is,
there is NO WAY that could be explained. Heads would be rolling. Jobs
would be lost. I cannot imagine tolerating that degree of a screw-up
without getting some people fired.

Situation B: I really hope those radio announcers lost their jobs.
There's no explaining their way out of that one, it's blatant.

Either way, I can't see how the police had anything to do with either
situation, and I agree with you about police being often unfairly
blamed. In the Portland incident, the officers were young and local, and
I really felt sorry for them, because I don't think they *knew* how it
might look. I think they were copletely naive. And, to tell the truth,
I'm no fan of the police, especially aroud here.


Kathy N-V wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:35:06 -0500, Kandice Seeber wrote
> (in message <40635eb5$1...@news.bnb-lp.com>):


>
>
>>Oh, yes, I remember that. I have no idea what the slur would be there,
>>either. But I do hope that they explained it really well on the news so
>>that people weren't offended. I can imagine how some people must have felt
>>when seeing that without knowing what the real story was.
>>And I really hope that it *was* the real story - i.e. that the cops didn't
>>lie to cover up something they did.
>>
>
>

> Considering two similar sorts of incident last year in Boston, I am inclined
> to believe the police.
>
> Background: There is a zoo in Boston, in a terrible neighborhood. The
> neighborhood is largely black, and some of the neighborhood children are
> enrolled in a program called METCO. METCO buses these children into wealthy
> white suburbs, so the kids can get a better education than is available in
> the Boston Public Schools.
>
> Story 1: A black kindergartener who lived in a wealthy town was mistaken for
> a METCO student, put on a bus to Boston, and left on a street corner. The
> school personnel never even dreamed that the child could possibly be a
> Lexington resident, since "all Lexington residents are white."
>
> All hell broke loose in the African-American community - not just for leaving
> a five year old on a corner without an adult to pick him up (inexcusable,
> IMO); but also for assuming that a black child HAD to be from the inner city.
> (stupid, but I know why the stupid assumption was made - especially when the
> child was too young to say where he lives.)
>
> Several staff members were disciplined or fired.
>
> Story 2: "Little Joe," a young gorilla at the Boston Public Zoo, escaped his
> pen and ran around for several hours in the aforementioned largely black
> neighborhood. Joe the gorilla attacked a teenager and a toddler before being
> captured at a bus stop. Fortunately, neither the children nor the gorilla was
> seriously injured, although "Little Joe" is now looking for a new home in a
> secure facility.
>
> The next morning, two stupid radio announcers speculated that the gorilla was
> waiting for a METCO bus when he was captured. The local African-American
> community went ballistic. (rightly, IMO - that wasn't funny at all) The two
> announcers were suspended without pay for some time, and the radio station
> paid a big fine. I would have fired the two idiots, but they get high
> ratings, and money talks.
>
> ---------------
>
> In both cases, some people blamed the police for the actions of others. The
> Boston police have a lot of history in the racial prejudice department, but I
> can't see any way in which they were at fault in either of these situations.
>
> Sometimes, I think that the police are presumed guilty, even if they can
> prove otherwise. To me, that's as unfair as the above two situations.
>
> Kathy N-V
>

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 26, 2004, 1:09:02 AM3/26/04
to
I think we can all put two and two together given sufficient time to
think, but I like the other scenario better... people being puzzled
about the connection.

Kalera Stratton

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Mar 26, 2004, 1:10:44 AM3/26/04
to
That is one of those things that makes me go "how on EARTH did it make
it past the drawing board?" Geez! HELLO PEOPLE...

Kandice Seeber

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Mar 26, 2004, 2:42:50 AM3/26/04
to
Oh, my GOD!!!

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> This reminds me a commerical for long-distance telephone service. Mind

Kandice Seeber

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Mar 26, 2004, 2:48:16 AM3/26/04
to
I'm not blaming the police at all, Kathy - I am just saying that the
posibility exists that they were wrong, and I was hoping that wasn't the
case in this instance. Corruption does happen in law enforcement.
Prejudices occur everywhere. I don't automatically believe the police, and
I don't automatically disbelieve them, either.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net
>
> > Oh, yes, I remember that. I have no idea what the slur would be there,
> > either. But I do hope that they explained it really well on the news so
> > that people weren't offended. I can imagine how some people must have
felt
> > when seeing that without knowing what the real story was.
> > And I really hope that it *was* the real story - i.e. that the cops
didn't
> > lie to cover up something they did.
> >
>

Kandice Seeber

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Mar 26, 2004, 2:49:29 AM3/26/04
to
Yes. It sucks completely, but yes, I understand now.

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

> >Oh, yes, I remember that. I have no idea what the slur would be there,

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