Where the Kids Come to Mouth Off

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by dtb
Interesting. I am Hispanic (father only) and Jewish (both parents); however, I don't think I identified more with one than the other.

What is interesting is that my husband (who is from Puerto Rico -- i.e., he lived and went to school there -- he's not a JLo Newyorican)

I never really felt that different than the kids around me either, but I knew I was Hispanic. I remember, though, one time in elementary school that we went to a field trip in San Antonio, and some of the other kids started yelling "La migra! La migra!" out the bus window every time they saw someone who looked Hispanic (which is a LOT in San Antonio). It's possible that Cheech Marin had a bit about that sort of thing around that time, but I didn't understand it at all. My parents were pissed when they heard about it.

I think the "work harder to overcome the Man" thing may be generational. My grandfather was fourth in his class in his med school (in the 30s), and he always claimed that he would have been higher if it hadn't been for the Jews in his class. He told his kids that they had to work extra hard if they wanted to succeed, and my dad and uncle became doctors and another uncle was a vet. (My dad says the vet is the smartest of the three.) My grandfather really didn't care about his daughter's academic and/or professional success, so it was ok that she just went to the local junior college and became a teacher. By the time of my generation, we were ordered to work hard, but there was never any suggestion that we'd have ethnicity-based difficulties that we needed to overcome. And sex wasn't an excuse either.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
First they want to take our hot sauce, now they want to take away the red pen!

Kids growing up today are going to be pussies if this sort of thing continues.

Oh, hell -- when I taught a law school class a few years ago they told me not to use a red pen because it's too negative and might upset the poor 1Ls.

My response, more or less, was Jesus fucking H Christ, if a law student can't handle a little criticism, or actually gives a shit what color that criticism comes in, they are going to collapse in the first 3 months of practice so they might as well figure that out now.

If only I had known, I'm sure I could have worked in the phrase "monkey-fucking scribe"

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I never really felt that different than the kids around me either, but I knew I was Hispanic. I remember, though, one time in elementary school that we went to a field trip in San Antonio, and some of the other kids started yelling "La migra! La migra!" out the bus window every time they saw someone who looked Hispanic (which is a LOT in San Antonio). It's possible that Cheech Marin had a bit about that sort of thing around that time, but I didn't understand it at all. My parents were pissed when they heard about it.

This reminds me that I saw a bumper sticker (or window sticker, whatever) of Calvin peeing on the words "La Migra" -- funny?

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by dtb
Then again, I have an hispanic last name too, and I don't feel discriminated against, but I don't have an accent.

Take this with a grain of salt (I am a member in good standing of the White Male Patriarchy, so I don't have any experience in being the recipient of discrimination), but I have noticed that accents that are outside the norm for a given area seem to generate all sorts of presumptions and assumptions about intelligence (or lack thereof) and character (or lack thereof).

[dtb]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Take this with a grain of salt (I am a member in good standing of the White Male Patriarchy, so I don't have any experience in being the recipient of discrimination), but I have noticed that accents that are outside the norm for a given area seem to generate all sorts of presumptions and assumptions about intelligence (or lack thereof) and character (or lack thereof).

True, but when my bil and my husband were being schooled in the "you'll always be a second-class citizen" way of looking at the world, they didn't have an accent (at least not one that was different from those around them).

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
[La Migra] It's possible that Cheech Marin had a bit about that sort of thing around that time, but I didn't understand it at all.

"La Migra" is the INS, right? (I've seen the same bumper sticker fringe has, and it was on a truck with a large Mexican flag sticker in the window.)

Apropos of Cheech, I am now singing "Mexican Americans pick up the phone and say 'hello!' "

[dtb]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Apropos of Cheech, I am now singing "Mexican Americans pick up the phone and say 'hello!' "

Is that from the same song that has the lyric "They take Spanish -- and get a 'B'."?

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by dtb
True, but when my bil and my husband were being schooled in the "you'll always be a second-class citizen" way of looking at the world, they didn't have an accent (at least not one that was different from those around them).

Shoot, now I can't read what you originally said to see if I misunderstood something. (Which I probably did.). Damn you, Sponge Bob! Damn you to hell!

Anyhoo, I assume that the people who were telling your husband and bil that "you'll always be a second class citizen" meant it as a warning beccause they knew that your husband and bil were going to leave the place where they didn't have an accent to go to someplace like Podunk State to play football.

(We import our place kickers from places like Eastern Europe and such where "football" is soccer. And they talk in funny accents, too, but that's okay so long as they don't miss any game-winning kicks.)

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by dtb
Is that from the same song that has the lyric "They take Spanish -- and get a 'B'."?

I dunno. Sadly, it's the only line I remember. ("Ginko what?")

[Aloha Mr. Learned Hand]

Originally posted by baltassoc
The short marriage of my parents was the temporary attempted union of a Michigan family and an Ohio State family; there are some black sheep in both families that went to Michigan State.

For reasons that my paternal grandmother can't fathom, I somehow grew up favoring (but not really embracing) Ohio State. So when it came time to choose, I went a third (or actually, fourth, I guess) way.

There's a family moratorium on athletic apparel as gifts, and that seems to keep the peace for 362 days a year. Game days are just assumed to be bad news.

(And Los Lobos rock)

Same here. I come from a long line of Mets fans (Dad's side -- live in NY) and Cubs fans (Mom's side from IL). Lot of tension on both sides. Naturally I piss them all off and grow up a Cardinals fan (we lived in St. Louis for much of the time).

Naturally, though, I get older and marry another Cubs fan. Now the war is on between my St. Louis relatives (many of whom got sick of the endless losing and converted during the Cards heyday in the 80's) and my Cub fan in-laws with competing gifts to our kids, etc.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
...By the time of my generation, we were ordered to work hard, but there was never any suggestion that we'd have ethnicity-based difficulties that we needed to overcome. And sex wasn't an excuse either.

Well, no shit. I can't imagine a parent in the world (except maybe Hank) who would accept "C"s on a report card with the excuse that your boyfriend/girlfriend was really hot, and you never could seem to get out of bed.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan [list=1][*]I heard on the radio yesterday afternoon that whites are no longer the majority in Texas.

Please be benign in your oppression of the rest of us.

[NotFromHere]

I don't know how you felt, but I think NBC's coverage of the women's soccer match last night sucked. Granted, I didn't expect to see the whole entire game into overtime, but I did expect to see more than 2 minutes.

[Dave]

Originally posted by baltassoc
The short marriage of my parents was the temporary attempted union of a Michigan family and an Ohio State family; there are some black sheep in both families that went to Michigan State.

{KENNY} Those Bastards! {/KENNY}

Just kidding, Hank.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Take this with a grain of salt (I am a member in good standing of the White Male Patriarchy, so I don't have any experience in being the recipient of discrimination), but I have noticed that accents that are outside the norm for a given area seem to generate all sorts of presumptions and assumptions about intelligence (or lack thereof) and character (or lack thereof).

Sure enough, aye.

I've always imagined dtb as having an Audrey Hepburn accent, and I imagine RT's accent as being just like Catherine Zeta Jones in Zorro. But then, I imagine RT as being Catherine Zeta Jones in Zorro.

Now Bilmore has one of those funny accents straight out of Fargo, obviously, Spookyfish talks like Urkel, and Hank speaks just like the Skipper.

Anyone else have an obvious accent on this board.