The Word 'SQUAW' Has Been Banned!

I think we cannot erase history.

 

I think things change over time .

What was Okay then isnt now





squaw
/skwɔː/

noun
OFFENSIVE

1. a North American Indian woman or wife.
   • NORTH AMERICAN
     a woman or wife.

 

The word has been interpreted by modern activists as a slanderous assault against Native American women. But traditional Algonkian speakers, in both Indian and English, still say words like ‘nidobaskwa’=a female friend, ‘manigebeskwa’=woman of the woods, or ‘S-word Sachem’=female chief. When Abenaki people sing the Birth Song, they address ‘nuncksquassis’=‘little woman baby’.”

“I understand the concern of Indian women who feel insulted by this word, but I respectfully suggest that we reclaim our language rather than let it be taken over,” wrote Bruchac.

The first recorded version of the s-word was found in a book called Mourt’s Relation: A Journey of the Pilgrims at Plymouth written in 1622. The term was not used in a derogatory fashion but spoke of the “squa sachim or Massachusets Queen” in the September 20, 1621 journal entry.

According to some proponents on the inflammatory side of the word's meaning, s-word could just as easily have come from the Mohawk word ojiskwa’ which translates politely to vagina.

In the 1892 book An Algonquin Maiden by Canadian writer Pauline Johnson, whose father was a Mohawk Chief, the word s-word indicates a sexual meaning.

“Poor little Wanda! not only is she non-descript and ill-starred, but as usual the authors take away her love, her life, and last and most terrible of all, reputation; for they permit a crowd of men-friends of the hero to call her a ‘(s-word)’ and neither hero nor authors deny that she is a (s-word). It is almost too sad when so much prejudice exists against the Indians, that any one should write up an Indian heroine with such glaring accusations against her virtue…”

 

I agree. We must embrace their choice.
I think we Brits did enough destruction in the past.

 

It’s about f—— time. I worked on National Forests across America and is perfectly obvious the place names were meant to be derogatory.

 

Definitely needed to be changed. I watch quite a bit of old western tv shows from the 1950-60s, and it definitely came off as derogatory even back then.

 

Does banning a word really stop its use ? They banned the N word but you still hear it all over the place.does banning a word stop people being hateful?

 

Well, I guess Cher is just going to have to change the lyrics to her 1973 hit song Half-Breed

 

On a similar theme ,there is a TV Channel that shows vintage movies/films and old TV series . They got reprimanded recently.

A television channel specialising in vintage programmes has been plunged into a row with the regulator over racist language in a 1970s drama.

Talking Pictures TV, watched by two million viewers a week, has been admonished by Ofcom for declining to censor the outdated term – although it reportedly received just one complaint.

The family-run digital channel, which specialises in the likes of Norman Wisdom comedies and Peter Sellers classics, was probed after screening Second World War drama A Family at War, originally broadcast from 1970-72 on ITV.

It argued that although the language was considered offensive, it reflected some people's attitudes during that era.

 

I used to watch Westerns and the playing of Cowboys and Indians was a descrptive of 'those pesky redskins'
Nowadays, we know that Native Americans were called Indians because Columbus got it wrong - and he wasn't in India
I believe (according to Google ) only 26 of the states in America have “Indian” names.
Will there come a time when these states will return to their Native American names? - I wonder, though I think not.
.
Are Americans offended by the term Yankee?
noun - - INFORMAL•OFTEN DEROGATORY - An American
INFORMAL•US - an inhabitant of New England or one of the Northern states.
Are Canadians offended by the term Canuck?
("Canuck" as a mostly affectionate term for any Canadian, but do Canuk-adians feel this to be the case?)
As a UK person (sometimes referred to as a 'Pommie')
INFORMAL•OFTEN DEROGATORYadjective
adjective: Pommie British. "a Pommy accent"
noun - noun: Pommie a British person.
I don't feel offended - it just doesn't mean anything to me.
.
Words are just words - they are descriptive of a particular moment in time - the Native American names of 'Sitting Bull', 'Crazy Horse' 'Red Cloud' being cases in point
The term 'Squaw' is as as stated above - deemed Offensive, and one wouldn't wish to knowingly offend those females it affects, - just as the "N" word does, - to some - (the taking back of the word by the Black community is another debate)
in the end I think it is the balancing of intent and delivery - IMO

 

I don't think the historical word Squaw is offensive, and I don't think one Fed should be able to make a sweeping decision that changes historical names all over the country. If a modern female of Native American heritage was called a squaw today, that would be offensive. I don't think that happens much. To me it just means a female Indian or Native American of a certain era. It is not a relevant word in modern society, but more of an historical word. I grew up just 15 years after WWII and people were still using derogatory terms for Germans. With a very German last name, kids would alter my name to a slang anti-German word. I just shrugged it off, and today even chuckle if someone says it. There are so many words and things that could deemed offensive if that's all you focus on, but why?

 

"Banning a word" from official use, like names of streets, buildings, parks, and geographic features won't stop people from being hateful, but it will remove the cultural imprimatur that contributes to such hate speech being socially acceptable.
That's a good thing.

 

Just another tit trying to make a name for themselves. You get that every now and again. I very often find they have nothing of worth to offer.

 

How would she do on banning guns, I find them very offensive being owned by the public, so they can carry out mass shootings. I bet that won't change.

 

1984

 

Do I have to give my Hank Thompson record back? This was a big hit on the Country Music charts.

 

I think you will be a loud to keep your record, but I am here in the UK. Great post.