Japanese fire drill

[Patti J. Kurtz]

>Surely it's almost always "Chinese". It's in MW3.
>
>I find a few instances of "Mexican fire drill" on the Web, but I've never
>heard this myself.
>
>The idea is to use a nationality which has an undisciplined/disorganized
>stereotype.
>
My only thought here (and no scholarly back up for this) might be that
perhaps the name was changed to "avoid" the perceived stereotype.
Either that or I had some odd friends growing up, but I remember my
family always calling it that and my friends as well.  It wasn't until
much later that I heard "chinese fire drill."

I agree with Doug's points that using "Japanese" doesn't seem likely,
but all I can say is-- well, that's what we called it.  Maybe it was an
idiosyncrasy of my neighborhood.


--

Dr. Patti J. Kurtz

Assistant Professor, English

Minot State University

Minot, ND 58709



"Sometimes, you just have to bow to the absurd."



Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Up the Long Ladder