posted by jmog
This one brings an interesting "twist".
Ok, reading what Gator Bait meant a 100 years ago is a sickening racist thing.
I am 99% sure that the people that first starting saying it for Florida Gators had no idea, its just that "Gator Bait" sounded better than "Gator Food". I am 99% sure that the school and fans had no idea about the history as well and they OBVIOUSLY didn't mean African American babies, they meant their opponents.
So, with that given. We are taking words with what people currently mean by them and making it "racist" even if the word didn't originally mean that way. Antebellum is a word that literally means "before the war" with no specific war as part of the definition. However, "now" some people use it to glorify the south before the Civil War, so we have to stop using that word...
If we are going to get rid of antebellum because some people have changed the meaning of the word, then why would we get rid of Gator Bait? It is quite obvious that the phrase had been changed in meaning. The team is the gators, and the opponent was "fed" to them. It has nothing to do with race. So they, even inadvertently, changed the meaning of "Gator Bait" then why can't we decide to still use it as the modern meaning has no racist undertones?
I mean is the standard what the word means now, like with antebellum, or what it meant originally, like with gator bait?
Or is the standard that the word/phrase has EVER had any racist undertones then we have to phase it out? If so then our English language is REALLY going to get a "haircut".
All good interesting points. The fact that people did not know the backstory and history is part of the problem. We are finding out and discovering that a whole lot of the American public does not know, care, or ignored the racist history in the country. Take today, Juneteenth. How many on here knew it was a holiday in the African American community in the south? I know, as someone who grew up in a mixed family, I knew a little about it, but not much. Also, how many on here knew about the Tulsa riots before say the Watchmen?
If words that were established during a racist, slave period and are still around today because we simply just accepted their value as legit that is a problem. Antebellum may mean before the war, but in reference to the Antebellum period of the Antebellum south, it is in reference to the slave owned period of the south and hence all culture, words, and aspects of that period are tainted today and need to remain there and in the history books.
Auntie and Uncle is fine between families, but on a product it promotes a racist stereotype. Just because most people did not know that or think oh it does not mean it is racist now does not matter. It is still built on that racist history and needs to be re-framed and put back in its historic place. It does not have a place in a civil society.
I disagree the English language will get a haircut....it will just evolve as it always has. We are smart. We can find new words that are not based on racial aspects to communicate.
I see all of this as a readjustment in American history where we finally are starting to tackle the complicated and difficult problems of slavery, racism, and racial inequability in this country.
posted by queencitybuckeye
Perhaps instead of worrying about statues of centuries-dead historical figures, the SJWs could focus on things like the slavery still happening all over the world
What? That makes zero sense. The whole point is to focus and reframe U.S. history in the correct context. Why focus on slavery elsewhere when there is still so much work to do here?
