Cultural Appropriation

[O Really]

Nature fixed New Hampshire's agist/sexist "Old Man of the Mountain" by turning it into "Faceless Mountain" but still after almost 20 years, NH is still using the old image.

20 years from now, hikers are going to go for a climbing trip up a mountain in Alberta. They'll look on their "official" trail guide and head for Generic Unoffensive Mountain. As they approach it, one of them says "damn, that looks just like a big tit." And for the rest of their lives, they'll re-tell the story of their climb up The Tit.

[Vrede too]

Several of those have been changed, including one near my former home that I scaled several times. I'm guessing that it's been 30 years since it got a non-racist, non-sexist indigenous name.

On right:



I guess it's colder in Canada.

[O Really]

Squaw Peak to Sleeping Woman to Ch-paa-qn Peak. Some might argue they'd have been better with "Shining Peak". But it's a beautiful mountain.

[billy.pilgrim]

Green Grow the Grasses, O...

Supposedly the song that US troops liked to sing as they marched into Mexico way back when.

From that, the somewhat pejorative term "Gringo" is said to have been concocted.

Doesn't bother me.

But would we name our favorite sports team The Gringos, as easily as we name teams The Indians, or The Redskins?

[O Really]

Green Grow the Grasses, O...

Supposedly the song that US troops liked to sing as they marched into Mexico way back when.

From that, the somewhat pejorative term "Gringo" is said to have been concocted.

Doesn't bother me.

But would we name our favorite sports team The Gringos, as easily as we name teams The Indians, or The Redskins?

I like it. Here's a logo for their helmets .

[Vrede too]

Green Grow the Grasses, O...

Supposedly the song that US troops liked to sing as they marched into Mexico way back when.

From that, the somewhat pejorative term "Gringo" is said to have been concocted.

Doesn't bother me.

The word gringo originally referred to any kind of foreigner. It was first recorded in 1787 in the Spanish Diccionario castellano con las voces de Ciencias y Artes ...

Long before the song or our gringos invaded Mexico.

Folk etymologies

There are several folk etymologies that purport to derive the origin of gringo from word coincidences.

Many theories date the word to the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), as a result of American troops singing a song which began with "Green grows..." such as "Green Grow the Rushes, O", "Green Grow the Lilacs", and various others. Other theories involve locals yelling "Green, go!" at invading American soldiers (sometimes in conflicts other than the Mexican–American War), in reference to their supposedly green uniforms. Another derives it from Irish "Erin go bragh" ("Ireland forever"), which served as the motto for Saint Patrick's Battalion who fought alongside the Mexican army.

Green Grow the Rushes, O: Origins

[neoplacebo]

When living in Japan, I and my other shipmates were "gaijin" to the locals. It's literal meaning is "outside person." Japan has always been a rather racist society but they don't generally display their racism overtly but in a sort of benign contempt toward non natives.

[O Really]

Humans are genetically herd animals (tribal animals) aren't we? I'm guessing historically there's been more bad than good happen when new people show up, so probably apprehension toward strangers is a more natural reaction that open arms. But societal rules override natural impulses and most people don't feed intruders to their dogs anymore. I like what the old Mainers say, "Yer from away, aincha?"