Old time name calling! Somewhat controversial!

Old Salt

Old Salt

Senior Member
Location
New Brunswick, Canada!
I was just sitting here thinking how sensitive everybody became since the fifties, yet there was far less dislike and hatred under the surface than there is now! Close your eyes now, and stop watching this thread if you get upset when it comes to societal slurs!

In the Navy we called each other: Wog, dago, frog, limey or kipper, Mick or Paddy, and, in my case, Kraut or Squarehead! Yet it was mostly in a teasing spirit with no one holding grudges! One couldn't do that now! The condemnation would be quick (and justified in some cases) yet I see such a great divide in our present society that it scares me.

Was it better to let it all hang out, so to speak, rather than suppress anything that could be misinterpreted! And to be very clear, I abhor racist or sexist slurs! I am talking Western males!
 

I see what you're saying... but I think you also hit upon the answer as to why it's different now. In your Navy days, as you said, it *was* with a teasing spirit mostly. It's no longer like that. Name calling of that sort is generally done in mockery or even hate so while I agree 100% that society has gotten too sensitive/offended by everything, issues like this are no longer done with a 1950s "jolly spirit," so the outrage is warranted.
 
Nathan said:
Well name calling contributes greatly to the divide you and we all see, creates an "us" vs "them" mentality that sets everyone at each other's throat.
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True, that's how it would be now! Regrettably! In my day the "us" and "them" seemed to live together more harmoniously. Or is that a twisted view of history because I am going by my Navy experiences? I am well aware of the huge racial divide that existed then, so, everybody please don't get that subject mixed up with what I am trying to say. It's just that everything seemed more open, on the surface, rather than fester underneath! And, as usual, I am willing to be proven wrong!
 
I just realised something. Man, Jung would have a field day with me! I am not so much opposed to the suppression of the derogatory nick names I mentioned but my inner fires are being stoked by the daily ridiculous turn our society has taken. The homeless are no longer so, they are now the "unhoused." That's a better term? Prisoners have become "incarcerated persons."

There are no more actresses, they are all actors now. Waiters and waitresses have now become servers, as if those are somehow more dignified terms. A Stewardess has now become a Flight Attendant (I can see the reasoning in that since there are male flight attendants as well now), fishermen are fishers (again with good reason). I honestly can't remember the new term for fireman! Feel free to clue me in! Oh, forget it, it just came to me, it's firefighter (again for a good reason).

Can you see where I am going. I am old and constantly nervous about saying the wrong thing, because there are too many who are willing to take me apart for my insensitivity! Let me hasten, not so much in this group! So, let's change the subject mid-stream: which new words baffle you?
 
I remember the name calling when I was in the military, but I disagree with you about it being teasing and no one holding grudges. There were many fights and hostile interactions between men of different racial and social groups. To belittle someone by calling him a name you are provoking a fight, maybe physical, maybe in the destruction of your property.
 
What baffles me is how accurate data is being gathered when legal forms and surveys now often say "which gender are you identifying as today?" TODAY! If I say female today and then tomorrow I feel like one of the other bajillion new genders, how will they gather data they're seeking?

Oh, get this one... not kidding. I've heard that some folks are now calling mothers "birthing people." Honestly! What the devil is wrong with the word mother... mom... mama... madre... mutter... maman? And do they not SEE how ludicrous this stuff is?! Birthing people... good gracious!
 
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Lawrence said:
I remember the name calling when I was in the military, but I disagree with you about it being teasing and no one holding grudges. There were many fights and hostile interactions between men of different racial and social groups. To belittle someone by calling him a name you are provoking a fight, maybe physical, maybe in the destruction of your property.
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This was not my experience @Lawrence but I can see where it would be improper and wrong to use those terms in your environment. We are all shaped by our life experiences! I only came across one case of a shipmate calling me Kraut with malice, and I made it very clear to him what the outcome would be if he ever called me that again! He stopped after that!
 
CallMeKate said:
What baffles me is how accurate data is being gathered when legal forms and surveys now often say "which gender are you identifying as today?" TODAY! If I say female today and then tomorrow I feel like one of the other bajillion new genders, how will they gather data they're seeking?

Oh, get this one... not kidding. I've heard that the woke folks are now calling mothers "birthing people." Honestly! What the devil is wrong with the word mother... mom... mama... madre... mutter... maman? And do they not SEE how ludicrous this stuff is?! Birthing people... good gracious!
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The answer to your last observation is that they have to differentiate between trans- sexual females and born females who have a uterus. As Bob Dylan used to sing: "The times they are a-changing!"
 
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I can't remember much 'name calling'in my 24 years in the military, but I'm sure it happened.
Some of the nick-names we gave each other might be seen as inappropriate, but those were the times.

Not on the subject, but my pet peeve was the fact that for the entire time I was in the military, I
never could mention my religious non-believe.
Announcing you were an 'Atheist' was a career killer.
The whole 'God, Country' and 'No Atheist in a Fox hole' thing was a very real thing for the higher ups.

Sorry, just a rant I needed to get out.
 
Feelslikefar said:
I can't remember much 'name calling'in my 24 years in the military, but I'm sure it happened.
Some of the nick-names we gave each other might be seen as inappropriate, but those were the times.

Not on the subject, but my pet peeve was the fact that for the entire time I was in the military, I
never could mention my religious non-believe.
Announcing you were an 'Atheist' was a career killer.
The whole 'God, Country' and 'No Atheist in a Fox hole' thing was a very real thing for the higher ups.

Sorry, just a rant I needed to get out.
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I completely agree with you, @Feelslikefar . It was the same in the Royal Canadian Navy! You were either Protestant or Catholic, there were no allowances made for agnostics or atheists, so I kept finding myself standing on the quarterdeck of my destroyer, every Sunday, participating in worship services I scorned. What made it worse was that the chaplain was an alcoholic who never mingled with the crew! Glad you got the rant out! And I'm glad I changed my view, re. God, in the meantime! :)
 
Old Salt said:
which new words baffle you?
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Haven't found any new words that baffle me yet; I love words and language (and information too). There are some old words that bother me so I can understand why others are bothered by them also. So since humans have been constantly inventing new words for stuff since the beginning, new ones don't bother me now; why the heck would they?
 
officerripley said:
Haven't found any new words that baffle me yet; I love words and language (and information too). There are some old words that bother me so I can understand why others are bothered by them also. So since humans have been constantly inventing new words for stuff since the beginning, new ones don't bother me now; why the heck would they?
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@officerripley I agree, in principle. Trouble is, many of the new words are tied to strong negative emotions on my part because I find them unnecessary and ludicrous! But that's my problem, and that's why I like to participate in a place where I can rant a bit! :)
 
My father never found it amusing to be referred to as a Wop, Dago or Guinea, particularly when he was excluded from finding work in Brooklyn, pre WWII. My Jewish friends, likewise, never cottoned to the ugly names they were called.

Those names were/are intended to be hurtful, and indeed they were/are.

I was brought up to never refer to people by their nationalities or religions, nor to disparage other nationalities or religions. And I don't.
 
Birthing person? just when I thought I've heard it all...

Reckon what fathers are called.

In high school I had a BF whose parents were both born in Italy. He always said he was half Dago and half Wop.

About 50% of the population in my little hometown is Italian. Every summer there was a big week-long celebration of their heritage and the Old Country called Dago Days. About 15 years ago the town council decided that was a derogatory name and made the Italians change the name to Festival Italiano. The Italians were the ones that chose the name in the first place!

Yeah, in a lot of cases, we've become a tad too sensitive.
 
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StarSong said:
My father never found it amusing to be referred to as a Wop, Dago or Guinea, particularly when he was excluded from finding work in Brooklyn, pre WWII. My Jewish friends, likewise, never cottoned to the ugly names they were called.

Those names were/are intended to be hurtful, and indeed they were/are.

I was brought up to never refer to people by their nationalities or religions, nor to disparage other nationalities or religions. And I don't.
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My apologies, @StarSong. I forgot that in society at large there might have been a certain stigma and potential insult attached to the names I mentioned. I was talking from limited experience with a bunch of mess mates from varying backgrounds and all of us used them freely, with no one taking offense. Well, hardly anyone! There was one guy who disliked Germans intensely ... and I wrote about him earlier!
 
CallMeKate said:
What baffles me is how accurate data is being gathered when legal forms and surveys now often say "which gender are you identifying as today?" TODAY! If I say female today and then tomorrow I feel like one of the other bajillion new genders, how will they gather data they're seeking?

Oh, get this one... not kidding. I've heard that the woke folks are now calling mothers "birthing people." Honestly! What the devil is wrong with the word mother... mom... mama... madre... mutter... maman? And do they not SEE how ludicrous this stuff is?! Birthing people... good gracious!
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I have never heard the term birthing people, but I have certainly heard the term woke and usually not in a respectful way.
 

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