06-30-2008, 07:22 AM
I agree that "racism" is far less in play than "localism."
I also agree that it's not so bad, and it used to be worse, and it may never touch you, other than hearing about some stuff in the paper or on the net.
I've heard the word haole used nicely and not nicely.
But -- with any living language, the derivation of the word is only part of the story. Usage changes meaning. That's why the OED is umpteen volumes long, as it chronicles the way meanings change over time, with usage.
The N word that got Dog fired was originally derived from country of origin. Niger. That is totally benign, just like the derivation of haole. There are many names that are now considered not PC i.e. racial epithets -- that derived from inoffensive roots.
Lastly, in other ethnic groups, the group that the name applies to gets to decide whether they think the appellation is OK, not the people using the name. "We are OK with this word, but not OK with being called that word -- no matter how you intend it."
The word haole is useful, even to me, but it has been used as a hate word enough to where it's questionable. But yes, you can still tell from the context whether to get offended, if it is spoken, anyway.
My point about language derivation above is that, as the Hawaiian language is still a living language, excusing a word because it's meaning from centuries prior was benign does not absolve it. A word means what it's used as here and now; the rest is scholarship. If you think linguistic origin is everything, then you should feel fine about using the N word.
The reason I care about this is I got really frustrated with people who argued, in the middle school assault case, that the words f*ing haole being used while she was getting her head slammed against the wall -- were inoffensive, and not hateful, because the word means "without breath."
I also agree that it's not so bad, and it used to be worse, and it may never touch you, other than hearing about some stuff in the paper or on the net.
I've heard the word haole used nicely and not nicely.
But -- with any living language, the derivation of the word is only part of the story. Usage changes meaning. That's why the OED is umpteen volumes long, as it chronicles the way meanings change over time, with usage.
The N word that got Dog fired was originally derived from country of origin. Niger. That is totally benign, just like the derivation of haole. There are many names that are now considered not PC i.e. racial epithets -- that derived from inoffensive roots.
Lastly, in other ethnic groups, the group that the name applies to gets to decide whether they think the appellation is OK, not the people using the name. "We are OK with this word, but not OK with being called that word -- no matter how you intend it."
The word haole is useful, even to me, but it has been used as a hate word enough to where it's questionable. But yes, you can still tell from the context whether to get offended, if it is spoken, anyway.
My point about language derivation above is that, as the Hawaiian language is still a living language, excusing a word because it's meaning from centuries prior was benign does not absolve it. A word means what it's used as here and now; the rest is scholarship. If you think linguistic origin is everything, then you should feel fine about using the N word.
The reason I care about this is I got really frustrated with people who argued, in the middle school assault case, that the words f*ing haole being used while she was getting her head slammed against the wall -- were inoffensive, and not hateful, because the word means "without breath."