Beavers are back from their winter hiatus. They don't seem too happy since it was such a warm winter and the world didn't get any better since.
Think of all the derogatory names there are. You could fill a volume with them all. And it's not just in the last 50 years or so that they have been used. Take paddy wagon for example. It got it's name by police when the Irish left Ireland and flooded New York. Paddy referring to Patrick an Irish name. And let's face facts just about every country has their digs into somebody else. Muzzie and Vic are two slang and hateful terms in the UK. One referring to Muslims and the other to Australians as in conVICts. Australia was a penal colony at one time. Could go on about this aspect of the subject but I think you get the idea.
How did all this come about? In the past it was due to an influx, a mass migration of one group or another. "They" not being like "Us" were the target of ridicule and mistrust. That might be ingrained in human nature as a survival mechanism. Call it the power of a mob or in this case the fear of the mob. Imagine if you will a large group of (fill in the blank) came marching down your street. You'd be suspicious too and wonder if they weren't there to do you harm.
But there's another aspect of all this to consider. That would be the gradual isolation of the masses. The first incarnation came about with the introduction of the motor car. All well and good at the beginning as most horseless carriages were open. The driver could at least wave as he passed by. Speed and enclosures soon changed all that. The personal wave turned into a honk. Soon pedestrians became little more than obstacles in the rush to get to work.
About this time another wondrous invention came into play, the telephone. It separated us yet again. No need for face to face confrontations when you can do it in the comfort of your own home and make all the nasty faces you like. It's a safe bet Bell would never have imagined the ends to which his invention have been taken. With the "smart" phone and internet connected we're about as far from a human experience as one can get. Safely hidden behind the bits and bytes and anonymous screen names people have become free to expose their greatest fears but also their greatest hates. That random evil thought that we'd get punched in the mouth for saying in open company now gets screen captured in all it's glorious 144 characters. But with repetition it becomes rote learned and spills over into daily conversations face to face.
That's my two cents
Bank fails later
No fails this week carry on.
6 comments:
"Australia was a penal colony at one time." Like the saying goes, America got the religious zealots and Australia got the convicts; and Australia got the better deal.
I don't know of any bank failures, but Wall Street VIPs are sad that Elizabeth Warren is saying mean things about them.
I had something brilliant to say until I forgot what it was.
i'll bet it was an excellent point. the king always has excellent points.
Tom never heard that one but it sounds about right.
Billy C Guess that's what happens when ya get old.
Billy P Yes he usually has a snarky come back. Guess he's out of form today.
It's not so much that 'Muzzie' is hateful from us as they seem to hate hate us. Never heard the term 'Vic' before.
They've reintroduced Beavers somewhere in Britain and now they're panicking in case all the trees fall over or something....
Tom, I have heard that said about two other countries and two other groups of people. I like your version best. At least it isn't racist.
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