Thursday, February 09, 2006

Squaw no more

Good letter in this week's Outpost by Robert S. Cooper calling for a change in the name of Squaw Creek Road. Also a lengthy but quite interesting response by Mike Price on the origins of the word.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

*snicker*

Looks to me like Mr. Cooper got his backside handed to him.

Anonymous said...

This is just another silly Indian thing. If “squaw” really does means “vagina,” then just change the road sign to “Pussy Creek Road,” or “Snatch Creek Road” or something like that.

Anonymous said...

Now we know why Lindy is known as a little prick.

Anonymous said...

In Wiggins Mississippi the town council spent a small fortune changing just one road sign. The original sign was “Old Nigger Hollow.” So they voted to change it to “Old Darkie Hollow,” thinking that had a lighter tone to it. But it wasn’t too long before the sign was defaced and then finally stolen. So the town council put up another road sign that said “Old Negro Hollow.” Then some people started complaining that “Negro” was a 50s racist word. So the town council voted to change the sign again, this time to “Old Afro Hollow.” That was in the early 80s. Things were quiet for a while, but then the complaints started again. People said “Afro” was a black hairdo and offensive. The town council then voted to put up a new sign. This time it was “Old Black Hollow.” That lasted about two or three years before it was changed again to “Old African American Hollow.”

The town had spent over $20,000 on new signs and public meetings as of the late 90s. I’m not sure if this is still going on, but the article had a picture of the sign and somebody had written on it “Yo PC Hollow.”

Anonymous said...

That whole last comment was a joke, of course, except that it lacked that essential element of a joke, humor.

Anonymous said...

It looks to me like it was intended to be pathetic, like the subject of this thread.

Anonymous said...

I've seen too many interesting threads corrupted by rednecks and other assorted lowlifes. Even an innocent and interesting topic like the origin and use of the word 'squaw' becomes a target for gutter snipers. I read the original piece in question with great interest, and came here to read more discussion, and got the usual. Please, folks, go find yourself a blog more in tune with your writing skills and social outlook.

Anonymous said...

To Mark T.

Why should anyone of any intelligence waste his time discussing a subject like changing the name of a road sign to make a few Indians feel good? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is?

Obviously, the “rednecks,” “lowlifes,” and “gutter snipers” that populate this blog have a much more sophisticated sense of the absurd—not to mention a much more sophisticated sense of humor—than you do.

Your post exudes cowardice. Are you afraid to make a laughingstock of yourself by trying to write something “intelligent” on this subject? Are you afraid the “rednecks,” “lowlifes,” and “gutter snipers” will find a thousand faults in your thinking?

You’re a chicken, McFly.

David said...

1. Nobody of any intelligence would waste time discussing this subject.

2. Thomas Dennet has wasted time discussing this subject.

3. Thomas Dennet is a person of no intelligence.

Q.E.D.

Anonymous said...

To David

I did not mean to hurt your feelings. But this thread really was a dumb idea on your part. And at the risk of hurting your feelings again, I must point out that I was discussing the subject of Mark T’s comment, not the subject of this thread. Try again.

Anonymous said...

I got a redneck solution to this problem. You just change all the names from squaw to squat. That way you keep some of the history and make everybody happy!

Anonymous said...

My friend told me theres a Saquatch and a Sasquaw living near his house in Salmon Idaho. Wait till he hears its actually a Sasquat!

Anonymous said...

Yes please someone brought to my attention these postings. May I please enlighten the conversation by providing a "fresh persective" on the sujet.

In the famous play by Molière Le médecin malgré lui the protagonist Sganarelle is himself a maker of fagots (silent T) meaning in old French a maker of wood. As I recall the funniest part of the play occurs when Sganarelle is hiding in a bag and someone begins hitting him with -- Sacré bleu! -- a fagot. As you can imagine the homosexuals in France are now quite displeased with the representation of this play and it is quite rarely played now.

Now I live at Rue Fagot and a big contreverse is heard. I do not want to change my address because gays are not happy with 500 year-old word.

May I kindly suggest to my American friends not to make the same mistake, yes?

Simon La Tortue
7 Rue Fagot
Lac de Paladru, France

Anonymous said...

Please I forget to comment. In same play Médecin malgré lui Sganarelle make use of another old French word not used anymore. Sganarelle say, "Baste, laissons là ce chapitre" meaning "Let us put this matter behind us", yes? The exclamation "Baste" is still used in Spanish ("Basta") to mean "Stop." The prefix "bast" is also a type of wood filament: "B*AS*ton" become "Bâton" in French or Bat in English. "Bastion" is mean strong fortress, like much bast put together, yes? But old French expression "Fils de bast" meen "Child of Packsaddle Woman" -- bast is material for packsaddle! Sapristi! "Bastard" also derive from a "wood prefix", just like a faggot!

Ah, my friends, these is why Molière is so powerful as an écrivain!

Simon La Tortue
7 Rue Fagot
Lac de Paladru, France

Anonymous said...

Sasquat, huh? You must be from An-duh-con-duh.

Anonymous said...

Much ado about nothing.